Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James offered a blunt assessment of the Lakers’ shooting woes following the team’s loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.
The Lakers shot just 10-for-40 from beyond the arc in Tuesday night’s loss. James and guard Kendrick Nunn were the only Lakers to hit multiple shots from deep. James finished the game 3-for-10 from 3-point range, and Nunn went 3-for-6 from deep.
The Lakers’ poor shooting made it tough for them to compete with the Warriors’ impressive offense in the 123-109 loss. Los Angeles was dominated in the third quarter, getting outscored 32-19 by Golden State.
The Lakers lost a lot of shooting from last season’s roster, as Malik Monk, Carmelo Anthony and Avery Bradley are no longer with the team.
Monk, who averaged 13.8 points per game last season, shot 39.1 percent from 3-point range and averaged more than two made 3-pointers per game for the Lakers.
Anthony was a solid threat from deep last season for the Lakers, shooting 37.5 percent from beyond the arc and averaging 2.2 made 3-pointers per game.
While Bradley is mainly known for his defensive presence, the veteran guard also shot 39.0 percent from beyond the arc last season. Losing all three of those players has forced the Lakers to turn to Matt Ryan, Austin Reaves, Lonnie Walker IV and others to fill in.
The results in L.A.’s season opener were not pretty, and James seems aware of the fact that shooting isn’t exactly a strength for the team.
The four-time champion played well in the season opener. He finished the game with 31 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists while making 12 of his 25 shots. James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook and Nunn all finished in double figures in the matchup.
It’s possible the Lakers will turn things around from a shooting perspective, but newcomers Patrick Beverley, Walker, Ryan and Juan Toscano-Anderson have to be better. Those four players combined to shoot just 2-for-14 from beyond the arc on Tuesday.
The Lakers are back in action on Thursday when they take on the Los Angeles Clippers.
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