Can the Lakers ‘Flip the Switch’ and Get Back to Playing Like Champions?

Just 4 games ago, the world champion Los Angeles Lakers were cruising along with a league best 14–4 record, 7th ranked offensive rating at 113.6, top ranked defensive rating at 103.9, and top ranked net rating at 9.7.

Then the Lakers’ juggernaut ran aground, losing a 1-point heartbreaker to the Sixers and a 15-point dispiriting loss to the 3–14 Pistons before pulling out a 1-point win over the Celtics and a late 8-point win over the Hawks. During those 4 games, the Lakers’ 107.2 offensive rating was 23rd, 108.8 defense rating 6th, -1.6 net rating 18th, 46.0% field goal shooting 18th, 34.0% 3-point shooting 27th, 39.3 rebounds 28th, and 22.3 assists 23rd.

Whether you write off this 4-game stretch of subpar play as just an anomaly in a long regular season or the Lakers as a team regressing to the mean, the concern is the sudden collapse included almost every player on the roster. For those 4 games, every single Lakers’ starter except for LeBron James and every single reserve except for Alex Caruso had a negative plus/minus. This was a team wide collapse we never saw in last year’s championship run.

Tonight, the Lakers face a major test to see if they can flip the switch and get back to playing like champions in a rematch with a red hot Denver Nuggets team they dominated on their way to their 17th championship last season. The 12–8 Denver Nuggets are fresh off a big win that ended the 16–5 Utah Jazz’ 11-game winning streak with center Nikola Jokic matching a career high 47 points in a 128–117 win where their lead was as high as 28 points.

The Lakers need more than great play from leading MVP candidate LeBron James and bench GOAT Alex Caruso. They need the entire team to get back on track and play with the true focus and fervor of a championship team. That means Anthony Davis needs to start playing like the second best player on the planet, slumping starters like Marc Gasol and KCP need to shed the cobwebs, and key reserves like Kuzma and THT need to contribute more.

It also means the Lakers need to start playing more like a team instead of just throwing the ball to LeBron or AD and standing around. They also need to play faster as they played at the second slowest pace the last 4 games. The offense is stagnant. The team needs to run plays rather than relying on isolation basketball and LeBron James passing. The coaching staff needs infuse some diversity in the plays as the offense has become predictable.

Right now, the Lakers no longer look like the best team in basketball, which is something I never thought I would be saying after just a 4-game stretch early in the season. The truth is the problems we’re seeing are not surprises. They’re issues that everybody had before the season started but have been covered up by a strong start, unsustainable elite 3-point shooting, and unbelievable MVP quality play from 36-year old superstar LeBron James.

Time to find out if this new Lakers squad is for real. No more excuses about the short turnaround, compressed schedule, challenge of being on the road, not being able to bond or have fans in the stands cheering because of Covid. The Nuggets are ready to rock and roll tonight and knock the Lakers off their throne. They’re primed to for revenge and eager for redemption from their 5-game bludgeoning in last season’s Western Conference Semifinals.

How the Lakers respond tonight will tell us whether the last 4 games were just a glitch in a long season or an early sign Lakers fans should recalibrate their championship expectations. Tonight’s a game the Lakers need to win.