Analysis of the Lakers’ first 20 games

The Los Angeles Lakers are now 20 games deep with a record of 8-12. This may seem terrible for a team with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook, but the record doesn't tell the whole story.

The Lakers started the season with a 2-10 start with two five-game losing streaks. They had a rough start where they didn't have much of an identity and didn't coach Ham struggled to find good rotations. Los Angeles has also had injuries to players such as James, Dennis Schröder, and Thomas Bryant.

Now that everyone is healthy, Ham has found a good set of minutes for each player, and the Lakers have won six of their last eight games.

The Stars

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The Lakers have seen more consistency from both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball in recent games. The uptick in consistency is due to the great play of their superstar players, Davis and James.

Davis is proving he can be an MVP and Defensive Player of the Year-type player when healthy. He has been playing center for the Lakers this season, which he doesn't prefer, yet he still dominates each game with great efficiency.

Davis's per-game averages are 26.3 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.3 blocks, and 1.5 steals while shooting 56.9 percent from the field, 23.8 percent from three, and 82 percent from the free throw line. Davis also leads the league in rebounds and a combination of blocks and steals per game. He is proving he can be a franchise player. The only question is his health.

James, his running mate, isn't having too bad of a 20th season himself. James has been dealing with some illnesses and injuries in this early season. However, he is still putting up dominant numbers, as we expect from King James.

Through 14 games, James is averaging 25.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game while shooting 46.8 percent from the field, 32.4 percent from three, and 72.1 percent from the free throw line. James is still putting up great numbers. However, I would like to see him be more efficient and look to give Davis more shots.

If you watch Lakers games, it's obvious that James has been the number one option on offense. If the Lakers can switch that number one option to Davis, I think their offense and James'James' shooting percentages will improve. I'm very impressed with the start of these two stars, and I expect them only to improve.

Role Players

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The Lakers have seen great contributions from multiple role players, starting with Russell Westbrook (and yes, I consider Westbrook a role player for this Lakers squad). Russ has recently taken a bench role for this Lakers squad, and it's shown to be a great adjustment for Westbrook and the team.

I have so much respect for Westbrook. Few former MVPs would be willing to take a sixth-man role for any team. Westbrook has been playing much more efficiently and has been a great sparkplug for the Lakers off the bench.

Game after game, Westbrook will come into the game and bring instant energy to fire the crowd and the squad up. I enjoy what I see from Westbrook, and I hope he continues his great play.

Austin Reaves is another guy that has really impressed me and Lakers fans. He has taken the next step in his game. Reaves is just a sophomore in this league, but he plays with great pace and a high basketball IQ. He plays his role perfectly and seems to have taken the role of the beloved Laker, Alex Caruso.

Reaves has been very efficient this year shooting the ball, his playmaking has gone to the next level, and he's shown Ham that he can run an offense. Reaves has gone above and beyond my expectations so far in this short season.

Wenyen Gabriel is another guy that has taken a giant leap forward. Gabriel has been another energy guy for us who doesn't stop moving on offense. He is constantly setting screens, cutting, and going for the offensive rebound. It's great to see, unlike any players that were getting minutes last season.

Lonnie Walker IV has come in and filled the much-needed scoring role that Malik Monk was for us last season. Walker has been amazing for this Lakers squad and can go off for 20 points on any given night. I love the way he plays aggressively, even when James and Davis are on the court. Players tend to play passively and expect James and Davis to take over the offense.

However, Walker takes a lot of pressure off the two stars by being aggressive and creating shots for himself and his team. Walker is also an excellent cutter which helps James and Davis when they see double teams. In addition, Walker brings energy and excitement with his quick scoring and unreal athleticism.

I want to mention two other guys, Patrick Beverley and Troy Brown Jr. These two guys have been very inconsistent offensively. However, they have been doing a great job on the defensive end, which is why Ham continues to give them minutes. Both Brown and Beverley play with much intensity on the perimeter and are a key reason why the Lakers have had a good-looking defensive squad.

Lastly, shout out to Dennis Schröder and Thomas Bryant. They've recently returned from injuries and have been a big boost for the squad.

The Flaws

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While the Lakers have been playing good basketball, there are still some glaring holes in this Lakers squad. The most obvious one is that they have been inconsistent.

Their inconsistency has been killing their offense, defense, and energy. The Lakers will look like a very good basketball team for five minutes, and then they will remind you why they have a losing record for the next five minutes.

Two games ago, the Lakers played the Indiana Pacers in Los Angeles. The Lakers were in control the entire game and even led by 17 with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Lakers went on to lose that game by a buzzer-beater three. Games like this are a prime example of why the Lakers have an 8-12 record through the first 20 games.

The Lakers become complacent and start making bad decision after bad decision. The ball will stop moving on offense; the next thing you know, the Lakers lose the game. It's very frustrating to watch.

The other flaws in this Lakers team are that they are too guard-heavy. Los Angeles has no wings and few bigs, which is why they must run Davis at center. Ham will bring out a lineup consisting of four point guards and a big man like Gabriel or Bryant.

I hate these types of lineups. They bring no defense, and these guys aren't consistent three-point shooters. You can only run a small ball lineup like this if you have knockdown shooters, which the Lakers don't have. Westbrook needs to run the bench lineup with Gabriel and Bryant together. They've shown to work well and have great consistency.

The last issue I've seen with this Lakers squad is that they're not giving Davis the ball enough. Davis is putting up MVP numbers, yet he isn't getting the most shots on the team on most nights. James needs to start taking a backseat and give Davis the keys to the offense.

When James was out due to injury, Davis was putting up historic numbers that the league had never seen before. James has previously mentioned that Davis is the number one option for the Lakers' offense, but he doesn't show that on the court. James needs to take a backseat to Davis so he can lead this team. If Davis starts getting more shots, he has a good chance of being a top-3 MVP candidate.

The Lakers have a tough month ahead of them and will be tested by some of the top teams in the league. December will be a great test for this Lakers squad to see if they can make a playoff push. I'm interested to see how they handle adversity.