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The Los Angeles Lakers’ struggle to find consistency has not eased since the deadline expired and the buyout market began to grow strong.
This is not a surprise for forward Andre Drummond, who joined the Lakers after being bought out by the Cleveland Cavaliers last month. After defeating the Charlotte Hornets (101-93) on Tuesday, Drummond explained that building chemistry will take time. Until then, LA can focus on hard defense like against Hornets.
The defense kept Charlotte at 25.7 percent behind the arc and forced 18 times to build up an 11-point lead.
That is not to say that the Lakers did not show flashes of offensive chemistry on Tuesday. LA shot 41.5 percent from the floor – 36.4 percent from three – and helped on 24 of their 34 goals.
“We’re still learning,” Drummond said. “I’m still learning. I’m still trying to figure it out. For a team that currently has so many people and guys who got hurt, we’re still finding ways to pull it together and win. It just shows the fight and grind. what we have here. ‘
LeBron James (single) and Anthony Davis (Achilles) both stay out and there is no doubt that the entire Lakers game plan will take a dramatic move once they return. With two of the best players in the NBA stepping back on the field, it would be foolish to believe otherwise.
The Lakers are 6-4 in their last ten games and hold on to fifth place in the Western Conference. While the defending champions are trying to recover for another deep playoff battle, their latest business is trying to keep things simple by working hard on defense. The rest will only get easier after that.