Los Angeles Lakers: 2017-18 player grades for Brook Lopez

Weaknesses

A great deal of Lopez’s weaknesses shown this season are out of his control. The lack of playing time shows two separate aspects of the changing NBA that magnify the shortcomings of being a slow-footed big man that needs touches on the offensive end to exert the most production out of his game.

The Lakers’ quick tempo isn’t the end-all, be-all to Lopez’s downturn, but an inability to consistently stay in front of quicker opponents in the Lakers’ switch-heavy defensive scheme makes him tough to play late in games. With younger, more agile players like Julius Randle and Kyle Kuzma showing promise as perimeter defenders in the frontcourt, it’s tough to fault head coach Luke Walton for opting in their favor.

Outside of the defensive issues, the offensive system limited the post touches Lopez received, a place where he did his most damage throughout his career. The 6.6 shots inside the 3-point line I touched on show a player that didn’t fit in seamlessly with this team unless the ball was stagnant or the team was struggling mightily to create their own shots.

It’s tough to put these as weaknesses given they seem more circumstantial than player production, but the numbers and defensive struggles compared to other members of the Los Angeles Lakers highlight a player that could be on the downslide of his career.