On paper it seemed like they had a team worthy of competing for an NBA title. It's easy to forget that the way people think of the Miami Heat right now is the way a lot of them thought about the Purple and Gold a mere six months ago.
It's going to be a crucial offseason for the Lakers, who will look to re-tool a roster that failed to live up to expectations this past year. Here are the two biggest issues they must address:
1. Scoring
Obviously, the most important issue going into next season is how to keep the offense afloat without Kobe Bryant in the lineup for who knows how long.
Everything revolves around Bryant on the offensive end for L.A. According to NBA.com, the Lakers produced 107.4 points per 100 possessions with Bryant on the court, and just 99.7 points per possession with Bryant off the court.
That's roughly the difference between Denver's fifth-ranked offense and Minnesota's 25th-ranked offense.
Also, keep in mind that the figure quoted above includes games where Bryant was on the active roster. A lot of times teams would rest their top defenders when Bryant was out of the game, allowing the Lakers on the floor to go against weaker defensive units.
So it's no surprise that the offense has been even worse since Bryant was ruled out for the remainder of the season.
In the last two games of the season, the Lakers posted an offensive rating of 96.2 points per 100 possessions, a mark that would lag behind even Washington's league-worst figure.
Sadly, that level of efficiency sparkles when compared to the putrid 92.4 points points per 100 possessions they have posted over the first three games of the postseason.
Of course, small sample size caveats apply, but anyone who has seen the Lakers play since Bryant went down has witnessed how agonizi...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
