The Lakers are not looking good 🫣🏀

We are just beginning the NBA regular season still and the Lakers are already causing their fans to panic. LeBron and the Lakers were handled decisively by the Golden State Warriors in their opener on Wednesday. Granted, that game was in San Francisco and not Los Angeles AND the Warriors are the defending NBA champions. Their time is totally stacked and ready to win another championship. It's tough to compare the Lakers to that, but then again they have three of the best players to play in the NBA during the last 15 years so I feel okay going hard on them.

The Laker's second game was at home against the Los Angeles Clippers. Really it was a home game for both teams, but the Lakers were technically home on the scoreboard. That will be a different story once the Clipper's new arena the Intuit Dome is finished being built over in Inglewood. Until then, they continue to share the newly named Crypto.com Arena, formerly the Staples Center.

The Clippers have dominated the Lakers over the last 40 or so times they've played, winning more than 30 games, while the Lakers haven't even won 10. Laker players and fans had hoped this would finally change, but it just does not look possible. The Clippers are arguably the deepest roster in the entire NBA. They had Kawhi Leonard and John Wall coming off the bench, plus Paul George, Reggie Jackson, and more in the starting lineup. There are so many different lineups this team can go with. Whereas the Lakers really only have their veterans to rely on, that is if they can stay healthy. LeBron and Anthony Davis both went into this game as questionable on the injury report. They both ended up playing heavy minutes, but AD had to leave momentarily to recover from a nasty fall while defending Kawhi. You can feel the anxiety of the crowd every single time that AD goes up in the air since he has been quite injury-prone ever since joining the Lakers.

This game was tied at half-time and the Lakers were having a much better game than on opening night. This was the Clipper's first game of the season and they weren't about to give up. Going into the second half, Kawhi started to get more playing time. The team is hesitant to keep him in too much since he is just coming back from an injury last year. Even with him only playing half the game, the Clippers were still able to have a great game. Many players are to thank for this, but I believe John Wall was probably the most surprising. He is battling with Reggie Jackson for the starting job, but it's pretty clear after this game that Wall is still a great player and may even deserve to start. Then again, it is great having a fantastic point guard like that coming off of the bench.

The final minutes of the 4th quarter was pretty intense, but the Lakers just couldn't keep up. The Clippers kept finding ways to stay ahead and the Lakers missed a few crucial shots. The final score was Clippers 103 and the Lakers 97.

Although this game was close and the Lakers did shoot far better than they did versus the Warriors, I still think they are in some big trouble this year. Their squad just doesn't have many shooters, which is essential to be a competitive team in the NBA these days. Without shooters, the offense just becomes so much more of a battle. Luckily, with guys like LeBron and AD, they do have the power needed. However, Russell Westbrook just doesn't seem to fit in well with the rotation. I firmly believe that Westbrook needs to get shipped out in favor of a few shooters or draft picks. I think the Lakers want to win now though, so shooters are a must.

Speaking more on Westbrook, the poor guy went 0-11 from the field. Such an atrocious performance and despite starting and playing 27 minutes, he only had 2 points and many failed defensive moments. He still has the skill to compete, but not on the Lakers team. The environment is just so toxic and the fans do not believe in him, so how can he believe in himself?

I'm not one of those people that wishes for LeBron's legacy to be tarnished by being embarrassed late in his career. In fact, I think he's playing some of his best basketball ever, despite it being his 20th season and him getting closer and closer to 40 years old. LeBron is still easily a top 10 player in the NBA and he doesn't play like he's the oldest guy on the roster. His speed and strength are still just as impossible to stop as ever.

If AD stays healthy, LeBron stays composed, and Westbrook is traded, then I think the Lakers have a chance of making the playoffs. Otherwise, it is not looking good for them. The Western Conference is just way too competitive for them to be losing like this. The Clippers on the other hand look like on of the top teams in the West.

There is still a lot of basketball to be played until the playoffs, but after a few games into the season, it is already starting to become clear which teams will be contenders.

My NFTs: @daltono/nfts