Lakers' Top Takeaways from 1st Month of 2021-22 NBA Season

The Los Angeles Lakers are in a rough spot.

While it's far too early to panic about anything, this on-paper contender has limped through the early portion of the 2021-22 NBA season and posted a forgettable .500 record over its first 16 games.

LeBron James has already tussled with the injury bug. Russell Westbrook has encountered a rocky transition to his hometown team. The offense has too often been stuck in the mud, and the defense hasn't been good enough to cover for it.

Those are the broad bullet points on the campaign's first month, but let's take a closer look at the top takeaways for this team.

Carmelo Anthony Is Becoming Invaluable

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The story of Carmelo Anthony finally joining forces with LeBron James seemed like it might be a bigger deal than the on-court impact of 2003's No. 3 pick. Anthony, who turned 37 in March, was effectively out of the NBA for a year from 2018 and 2019, and while he spent the past two seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, his role was reduced in his second go-round there.

Turns out, the scoring forward has plenty more points to provide, and the purple and gold have needed every one of them.

His production has served as an unlikely barometer for the team at large. If he plays well, the team typically does too, and vice versa. Entering Wednesday, he was averaging 18.8 points on 59.6 percent shooting in wins and only 11.9 points on 34.1 percent shooting in losses.

The Lakers are built to be top-heavy, so if Anthony can deliver from his supporting role, this club can be hard to handle for opposing defenses.

The Russell Westbrook Gamble May Never Work

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It might be too early to make sweeping proclamations about Westbrook's tenure with the Lakers, but it's not too early to worry this may never come together like the front office hoped.

Granted, this was always bound to be a tricky transition, as the former MVP faced a situation unlike any he had encountered to this point of his career. He's the third option for the first time, and no longer his offense's primary quarterback.

All of that said, even optimists are having a hard time keeping their cups half-full about the future of this partnership. Westbrook's points and assists are down, his turnovers are up and his close-range finishing is at its worst since his rookie season. The Lakers are better at both ends without him and 9.0 points worse per 100 possessions when he plays, per NBA.com.

While the passage of time could theoretically improve the chemistry, it's hard to tell what (if anything) can quiet the concerns about poor spacing and leaky defense.

Injuries Will Define This Season

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The offseason concerns about the age of this roster weren't just a way for basketball fans to test out their joke-telling abilities. They also highlighted the injury risks associated with a group this...let's say experienced.

While the injury bug has seemingly attacked as many young players—Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn and Austin Reaves—as older ones, the ones going after James are particularly worrisome.

Once an NBA ironman, the 36-year-old could be en route to encountering significant injury problems for the third time in four seasons. A sore ankle shelved him for two tilts early in the year, and he has missed the past eight outings with an abdominal strain.

To put this simply, the Lakers can't contend for the crown without the King at 100 percent. There are other factors that would go into a championship chase, but his availability is a non-negotiable.