Three words: Age, Bad Defense, and Unfamiliarity. These are crucial things for a team’s success that can make a championship team not get a chance to participate in the playoffs. With time passing the Lakers’ chance of going to the playoffs is getting lower and lower. They are on the verge of dropping off the play-in (Teams seeded 7-10 in each conference will compete in a play-in tournament at the end of the regular season for the 7 and 8 spot).

The average age for an NBA team is 26.4, in this era up and coming talent have been dominating the season: Memphis Grizzlies, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers and many others. 56% of teams have an average age lower than the average age of the season and 73% for teams under or around the average age. Although the Lakers have the average age of 30.6 on their team, it’s the highest age of the season. Most if not all of their star players pass the age of 26. Combine the three highest paid players in the team, LeBron James, Anthony Davis,and Russell Westbrook you get an age of 32.6. The importance of age is the endurance to last the grueling workout. Not only that but the more you age the more chances of you having an injury.

Bad defense is a very important thing, “Defense wins championships” . We all know that slogan and Lakers are 27th in this category allowing 112 points a game. It is not that they are any better in the scoring regard they have shooters on shooters, and are only placing 11th. If we have a closer look at their defense, the two centers Deandre Jordan, and Dwight Howard are terrible. Howard is 77th in rebounding and Deandre is no better. Additionally, they don’t contribute to the offensive either. My opinion might be too harsh; however, considering Howard’s scoring is so low that he didn’t even place top 150th. Also, Jordan is so bad that I am not even going to talk about him.

Unfamiliarity is another major aspect. There are so many trades in this superteam that practically most of the players on their 2021-2022 roster are new. This causes them to have problems on the offense and defense end. The team doesn’t have chemistry and will take time to gain some sort of connection. Another thing to add is that some trades need to happen if the Lakers have any chance to make the playoffs. If I was the owner I would trade Russell Westbrook and get a good floor spacer. Like Karl-Anthony Towns, who can pass to the open man and spread out the court. Also, get Deandre Jordan, and Dwight Howard the heck off that team. There is no use of them being players, so just  trade them for 1st and 2nd round picks to get some younger talent on the Lakers team.