Remember when the Los Angeles Lakers were 10-10 through one-fourth of the season, rejuvenated by Luke Walton and loved playing basketball again?
Those were simpler times.
Since then, the Lakers have been the worst team in basketball by every conceivable statistical metric. Teams are outscoring Los Angeles by 9.3 points per 100 possessions since December 1, the worst-mark in the league, due in large part to the Lakers giving up 112.6 points per 100 possessions, just a shade better than the Nuggets’ 30th-ranked defense. The eye test, too, reaffirms these metrics.