LA Lakers: 7 Improvements Lakers Must Make Before Postseason

The Los Angeles Lakers are a title contender, but how serious a contender depends on their ability to make adjustments and improvements prior to the NBA Playoffs.

Kobe Bryant and company currently head the Pacific Division and have a grip on the Western Conference's third seed, but the Clippers are closing in.

This Lakers team is as inconsistent and vulnerable as we have seen from purple and gold over the last decade. Their older, slower and unable to keep pace for a full 48 minutes against the West's top dog in the Thunder.

However, all hope is not lost. As long as they understand what needs to be done leading up to the postseason, the Lakers have a chance to make a serious push.

A Little Less Kobe

The Lakers lean on Kobe Bryant, and expecting anything else is unrealistic. However, they must find a balance in their offensive attack.

Bryant leads the league in scoring at 28.1 points per game, but he's shooting just 42.7 percent from the field, the worst mark since his rookie season. 

The Black Mamba is also hoisting up over 23 shots a contest, the most in the league. 

Taking the ball out of Bryant's hands would be detrimental to Los Angeles' offensive success, but too often the team idly stands by, expecting him shoot, and so he does.

Bryant is going to have the ball a majority of the time—that's just how it is and arguably needs to be—but Los Angeles cannot rely as heavily on him as they have.

Just as Bryant needs to pass more, the rest of the Lakers need to play off and involve those not named Kobe more.

Play Better on the Road

The Lakers have been solid at home, going 23-5, but their just 11-15 on the road, a statistic they must change if they wish to make a championship run.

Away from the Staples center, the Lakers are lost. Their ball movement on offense is non-existent, evident by their 19.1 assists per road game, nearly five light of their average at home.

Los Angeles also has a tendency to rely on the three-ball too much to keep them in games while on the road. That's passable when a team is knocking them down, but the Lakers convert on just 28.9 percent of their three-pointers when traveling.

Their defense is also more susceptible to being picked apart away from home as well.

Truly elite teams, like the Spurs and Thunder, find ways to win on the road. Those are the teams that win championships.

If the Lakers wish to even make a play for a title this year, they've got to play at least .500 road ball from here on.

Run More Pick-and-Rolls

Now that the Lakers have a formidable point guard running the offense, the pick-and-roll needs to become a staple in their offense.

With offensive threats like Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant running alongside Ramon Sessions, Los Angeles has the ability pick apart opposing defenses on a consistent basis. Thus far, though, they have failed to take advantage of such a dynamic.

Both Bryant and Gasol create their own offense a majority of the time, but it's been a while since either had a floor general in his prime to play off. And even before Sessions, Bryant and Gasol should have run it more.

The pick-and-roll has helped many a tandem play their way toward success. Should they opt to utilize its existence more, the Lakers will prove no different.

Feature Pau Gasol

Pau Gasol is averaging a double-double, but his contributions fluctuate far too much.

Part of this can be attributed to Gasol failing to look for his shot, but a larger concern is the Lakers' penchant to leave him hanging, a tendency they cannot afford to have in the playoffs.

At 51 percent from the field, the power forward is Los Angeles' second most efficient shooter behind Andrew Bynum. That's saying something, considering how versatile a scorer he is compared to Bynum.

As previously mentioned, part of the offensive burden must be removed from Kobe Bryant's tired shoulders.

And it placed in the open arms of Gasol.

Self-Restraint from Three-Point Range

The Lakers may be exceptionally abysmal from behind the rainbow when on the road, but their overall execution from long range has been regrettable.

Los Angeles is shooting just 31.7 percent from beyond the arc for the season, the fourth-worst percentage in the league.

In the Lakers' case, it's not solely executing better from three-point range, but perhaps exhibiting some self-control.

Los Angeles jacks up over 17 threes per game, but make fewer than six. The biggest culprit of all is Kobe Bryant, who accounts for five of those attempts per contest, but only one conversion.

No, the Lakers should not be passing up open shots, but it's clear they should be attacking the rim as opposed to launching threes.

Sometimes less is more, and that certainly applies here.

Ensure Ramon Sessions Becomes Fully Acclimated

Ramon Sessions has been great for the Lakers, but there's potential for him to be even better.

Since coming to Los Angeles, Sessions has posted an array of double-doubles and taken both his scoring and facilitating skills to a different level. That said, it's clear there are still chemistry issues to resolve.

Sessions has had a number of miscues where passes have gone awry or he and one of his teammates aren't on the same page. And it's more than understandable.

For the first time in his career, Sessions is unquestionably tasked with leading an offense. He has to adjust his game to that of his teammates and figure out ways to make everyone around him better.

However, the Lakers, as a whole, have to ensure the point guard's continued integrations goes off without a hitch. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum must navigate the paint better to ensure there's room for Sessions' drive-and-kicks, and Kobe Bryant and the rest of Los Angeles' wings must space the floor better to allow their floor general to maneuver from the top of the key.

Sessions' development is the key to the Lakers returning to postseason prominence. And that's why, when it comes to establishing a sense of familiarity between him and the rest of the roster, there's no time to waste.

Increase Sense of Urgency

While the Lakers are currently latched on to the Western Conference's third seed, this is not a time to become complacent.

Pau Gasol said it best when he concluded the team is liable to exude overconfidence and selfishness. At this juncture, that's simply unacceptable.

The Lakers desperately need to create a sense of urgency within the locker room and on the hardwood. They have won four in a row, but have been inconsistent at best all season.

Far too often, the Lakers play disinterested basketball. They deviate from proven game plans, abandon defensive assignments and appear to possess a certain sense of entitlement that suggests they believe they will win no matter how poorly they execute.

As painful as it is to admit, though, Los Angeles is not a team that can afford such a luxury. 

Kobe Bryant is playing nearly 40 minutes a night, Andrew Bynum is a walking health risk, Ramon Sessions is still adjusting to the bright lights of Tinseltown and the team's depth on the bench is as shallow as ever.

Before the Lakers can improve upon their measurable shortcomings, they must first adopt a new team philosophy—one that makes it clear they still have a wealth of doubters to prove wrong.

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