Who Is the Most Overrated Player on the LA Lakers?

There certainly was no shortage of hype surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers’ offseason this past summer.  Acquiring Steve Nash and Dwight Howard seemed as though it would vault the Lakers back into the league’s elite.  One of the greatest point guards of all time in Nash would be paired with Kobe Bryant, one of the most lethal scorers in the league.  Dwight Howard was expected to come to Los Angeles and turn around a struggling defense. However, the results have been anything other than expected. 

The team did not gel early, the defense was poor and Mike Brown was fired early in November.  Now the questions about the Lakers revolve around what the problems are and how to fix them.  Perhaps, one of the many answers is that the players the Lakers acquired are simply overrated. 

If that is indeed the case, then who is the most overrated player on the Lakers?  That answer seems rather easy.  It’s Steve Nash.

A quick glance at Nash’s stats this season and one can easily see he is having his worst season since the turn of the century.  That can be accredited to number factors, including having to share the ball with Kobe Bryant, but Nash’s offensive impact has been limited so far this season.

The hire of Mike D’Antoni brought expectations of Nash and Kobe fitting into a system they both thrived in previously.  Nash won two MVP awards under D’Antoni, and Kobe fit in very well on the past two Olympic teams under D’Antoni’s tutelage.  Not to mention there are more possessions in his up-tempo offense, therefore more shots are available.



Nevertheless, Nash has only been able to get off 8.7 shots per game despite those extra possessions.  This is certainly not a knock on Kobe Bryant, who is having an amazing season and has thrived in a new system.  The problem seems to revolve around Nas...