Although we are only a month into the NBA season, every win for the Los Angeles Lakers feels significantly more important than it normally should.

In what was another nail biter for the purple and gold, this time ended in a 114-110 victory over Jimmy Butler and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday evening.

The team has now won three of their last four games and is hopeful they have turned a corner after what had been an initial poor start to their season. There was plenty to feel optimistic about after the home win, but there are still questions that continue to linger.

ADVANCED BOX SCORE RECAP:

Via: Jacob Goldstein
Game MVP: Josh Hart: 21 Points | 4 Rebounds | 1 Steal | 16.8 Control% | 108.9 TS% | +14.5 AuPM | +6.2 Points Added.

3 OBSERVATIONS:

Boxing Out

Heading into the contest the Lakers looked to make a concerted effort to rebound better. Currently 24th in the league in opponent’s offensive rebound percentage (28.2%) the team has struggled tremendously in keeping their opposition off the glass.

With the recent Tyson Chandler signing, the team hoped that the additional size and veteran-ship would help in this area. Despite it being a single game, Chandler did just that.

One of the glaring reasons for the team’s weakness on the boards has been their poor/non-existent box outs. Per NBA’s tracking data, the Lakers average the third lowest amount of box outs per game (25).

This was where Chandler made an immediate impact. In his 23 minutes of action, the 36-year-old gobbled up nine rebounds but more importantly chipped in with a team high: seven box outs.

The Lakers ended the night with 28 box outs, and out-rebounded the Wolves by seven. This marked the first game since October 22nd’s Spurs game where the Lakers won the rebound battle.

The Hart Foundation

Josh Hart continued his scorching 3-pt shooting this season against the Wolves. Pouring in five threes in the win, and four in the first quarter alone, the sophomore wing continues to shoot the ever living lights out.

On the season the Lakers have seventh-fewest 3-pt frequency in the league (28.9%) according to Cleaning the Glass but are about league average in their efficiency. Arguably their most impressive shooter through 11 games has been the aforementioned Hart.

Among wings, Hart is currently in the 94th percentile (50%) in above the break threes this season and in the 90th percentile in overall threes (46%). In terms of spotting up, Hart is posting a CPOE of  +5.7.

Lost in Transition 

In what may be surprising given their league leading 20.7 percent transition frequency, the Lakers have not been offensive juggernauts when on the run.

Compared to the rest of the league, the team is only 12th in terms of transition efficiency (points per 100 transition plays) which is somewhat surprising given the team’s level of playmaking and LeBron James still operating with a pulse.

Often the team exhibits poor transition technique with a glob of purple and gold jerseys running to the same point of the floor. There is also simply a deficiency in creating three point opportunities in these sequences, mostly due to the lack of a concerted effort in relocating behind the arc.

On the other end, the team has struggled containing their opposition’s running game. It was only a game ago where the Toronto Raptors severely exploited the team’s poor defense when on their heels in route to a historic first quarter beat down.

Unfortunately this has become a trend. On the season the Lakers are 27th in the league in opponent’s transition efficiency, and allowed the Wolves to outperform their season average in transition points (14.8) with 24 in their matchup.

2 QUESTIONS:

Why are the Lakers allergic to shooting threes?

Many mocked the Lakes’ roster construction heading into the season due to their assortment of non-decorated/proven perimeter shooters. While valid criticism, the team simply has not actively made the three ball a primary component of their offense thus far.

The Lakers are currently 24th in the league in 3-pt frequency (28.9%) which is only slightly behind their frequency percentage last season (30.3%). Counteractively, the team has the 17th highest frequency of the dreaded long twos.

It would be somewhat understandable for the team to steer away from the perimeter if they felt it was a glaring weakness, yet they have been surprisingly decent when they have let it fly this season.

In terms of their efficiency, the Lakers are 14th in overall efficiency on their three point attempts, and are eighth-best in above the break threes.

From the 11-game sample that is available, the team has simply not schematically sought out these attempts but have instead decided to absolutely detonate the rim with every opportunity. In theory, the two should work in unison.

Once the help defense comes over in the paint, kick outs become available. In order for this to change, there needs to be a emphasis on the importance of the perimeter and buy-in from the players to put themselves in position to take these looks.

What’s the deal with first quarters?

The Lakers have come out slow out of the gates in nearly every game this season. According to NBA’s tracking data, the team has a -10.7 net rating in first quarters this year (which is 26th in the league).

For whatever reason it may be, the team’s lackadaisical starts to games have become an frustrating habit for the club early on. Their opposition often builds a considerable lead and the duration of the rest of the game thus involves a considerable exertion of energy spent in digging out of the hole.

The Lakers have a bizarre dichotomy at the moment in these terms. In their second quarters, the team has a net rating of +11.4. In third quarters, +7, and in the forth, -9.2.

Starting and finishing poorly has cost the team multiple wins already this season and needs to get shored up as the year goes on if they want to reach their playoff goal.

1 PREDICTION:

The Lakers should be expected to rack up some wins in their next ten games.

After a brutal slate of games to open the season, the team’s next batch are much more forgiving. With the rotations seemingly more set, and the addition of Chandler, the team should start to show a little more on-court chemistry and begin to perform better.

Although it’s early, this feels like a prime opportunity for the Lakers to start to prove themselves.

Statistics provided by: NBA.com, and Cleaning the Glass. Data helped compiled by: Ben Holz.

Featured photo courtesy of: Andrew D.Bernstein/ NBAE via: Getty Images.

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