Despite Luka Dončić playing in just half of their games and LeBron James yet to even suit up, the Lakers are 6-2 and drowning their opponents with buckets.
Tuning into this team on a nightly basis feels like landing on rerun after the actors swapped roles mid episode. Out of necessity, head coach JJ Redick has trotted out different starting lineups, has handed the keys to different players and rewritten lines on the fly. But the results have remained the same.
Points. And lots of them.
As of this article, the Lakers have the second-most efficient half-court offense in the NBA and fifth-best overall. Surely, witchcraft or extraterrestrials must be involved, given their inauspicious bill of health, right? Not quite.
The Lakers’ offensive success this season is not a matter of who, what or why, but where.
While most of the league has pointed their compass north and south toward the rim and 3-point line, these Lakers have trekked toward the equator, sticking their flag down in the midrange.
When removing garbage time out of the equation, a staggering 35.7% of the Lakers’ shot diet has come from the midrange this season. That is currently the second-highest mark behind only DeMar DeRozan and the Sacramento Kings.
Floaters, push-shots and turnarounds. These are the looks the Lakers are taking and, more importantly, making. At least for now.
Through eight games, Los Angeles is home to the best midrange shooting team in the NBA. And it’s not particularly even close. Thus far, the Lakers are shooting an unholy 60.3% on those attempts, which is not only nearly 5% higher than the next closest team, but also 17% better than the current league average.
As with any early-season sample, these numbers will likely normalize over a larger sample. However, there is enough reason to believe the team’s fondness for and effectiveness in the midrange won’t experience as steep of a fall as assumed.
For one, the roster is uniquely constructed to take advantage of this area of the floor compared to other teams.
Between leaning more crafty than athletic top to bottom, the Lakers have a collective elite level of touch that enables them to burn drop defenses, in particular, to a crisp. This can be seen most via their two superstar offensive engines.
While Dončić and Austin Reaves have shown an ability to get to the rack or to their 3-ball at will, they are also more than comfortable taking what defenses give them. Which is more often than not, a midrange look.
The duo’s early-season success is probably no coincidence given the Lakers have run more pick and roll than any other team and have played against drop-heavy squads like Portland and Minnesota twice already.
That said, their effectiveness also applies in non-drop scenarios as well. Given Dončić’s masterful ability to create space through his frame and shake and Reaves’ downhill burst and unexpecting handle, both can get to and finish in the middle of the floor against switches as well.
Beyond Dončić and Reaves, the two other regulars in the Lakers’ starting five, Rui Hachimura and DeAndre Ayton, are also longtime subscribers to midrange monthly.
Prior to his arrival to Los Angeles, Hachimura was one of the most midrange-focused players in the league as he ranked in the 89th percentile or higher in terms of shot frequency among his position in each of his first four seasons.
In Ayton’s case, his preference to operate out of the midrange as a big has been so historically publicized that his critics have used it as evidence for a perceived lack of aggression despite a clear talent shooting from there.
While individually there are setbacks if Hachimura and Ayton lean too far toward dependence in the midrange, on this team and next to Dončić and Reaves specifically, there is value in both being able to execute and score out of a short roll given how much defenses have blitzed the two stars.
There is also a level of variety that should be acknowledged when discussing the midrange as a catchall. While most will instinctively think of the long twos of yesteryear when they hear the word, these Lakers have dominated with floaters/runners in the short midrange of the court.
The foursome of Dončić, Reaves, Hachimura and Ayton have shot a combined staggering 67.2% on floaters to start the year. And as a team, the Lakers’ 63.3% conversion rate on chances inside the free-throw line leads the NBA and is also nearly 20% better than the current league average (44.4%).
This is an especially helpful tool against the aforementioned drop coverages and simply as a counter to every defense’s natural goal to take away rim chances. It is also critical given the team’s athletic limitations. The Lakers are not going to out-run or out-jump you, but they are going to out-skill you if the opportunity arises.
Given the talent on the roster and how defenses will likely continue to scheme against Dončić and Reaves specifically, the Lakers’ reliance on the midrange could be more of a staple as opposed to just another early-season blip. Although, some degree of regression is likely on the horizon.
Variety, of course, will then be key. Only 29% of their shots coming at the rim for example, is not sustainable long term. They will also have to do a better job keeping defenses honest from beyond the arc in order to create space for the stars to explore.
But until then, the shots they are taking are going in. And given the deluge of bodies in and out of the lineup, it doesn’t matter where they’re coming from.
All stats courtesy of Cleaning the Glass unless otherwise stated. You can follow Alex on Bluesky at@alexregla.bsky.social.