The Los Angeles Lakers created a substantial amount of noise by signing all-stars, Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook and Dwight Howard this season. Word went around that this new Lakers roster would be bringing home another ring to the great city of Los Angeles. However, all this hype was quickly silenced after fans realized that this team is not what they seemed to be. Fans got a quick glimpse as to what their team is going to look like through the NBA’s preseason.

Russell Westbrook, the player who was expected to lead the team as a point guard, failed in every aspect. In fact, he hurt the team. Westbrook, in his first preseason with the Lakers, had a shocking 14 turnovers in 39 minutes in one game and shot extremely poorly throughout the preseason. He averaged a 40% effective field goal percentage according to Fox Sports.

Rather than having a strong and impactful preseason, the Lakers only proved that their team is no match for the new and younger teams in the NBA. The Lakers held the record of 0-6 and were ranked last in the Western Conference. They consistently lost games by more than 10 points and barely scored a total of 100 points per game. For a team that was supposed to dominate every other team due to having a stunning roster, they failed and disappointed in every way possible.

Some may say that the preseason doesn’t really matter or that it doesn’t really show how the team is, however this is just not true. How a team performs in the preseason gives a small glimpse to how they are going to perform in the regular season, which seems to be exactly the case for the Lakers. They are currently ranked seventh in the Western Conference and hold a record of 11-11 according to the NBA. The Lakers are just barely hanging onto a playoff spot, and seeing how they are playing now, that spot will be quickly filled by a team that is more deserving of that spot.

Overall, the Lakers created a lot of hype but failed to deliver to the expectations of their fans. Although the team may consist of some of the greatest players to play the game, they unfortunately lack the skills to bring home another ring or even possibly make the playoffs this season.