Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott dismissed the idea that his team had chemistry issues on Friday, but he did say that they have trust issues on the court. The team is 2-12 on the season, with the second-worst offensive rating and third-worst defensive rating in the NBA.
"We don't have chemistry problems," Scott told reporters, via Lakers Nation. "Our guys get along. They just don't trust each other on the floor. It has nothing to do with chemistry. They do, I think, enjoy being around each other. They just don't trust each other completely right now. And that’s a hard thing to deal with when you're a young team. Guys sometimes want the ball in their hands, they don't trust making passes to other guys. And we gotta get to a point where the ball just doesn't stick and it finds open guys."
While Scott seems to imply that "chemistry problems" have to involve players not getting along as people, I'd argue that a lack of trust is a chemistry problem in itself. Professional athletes don't have to be the best of friends to play well together, but they do have to know how to play with each other and, to a certain extent, like playing with each other. That's the type of chemistry that is most important. Generally, the best teams have players who make their teammates better and share the ball willingly.
The frustrating part about the Lakers' lack of trust or lack of chemistry: this was extremely predictable. Los Angeles started the season with a roster full of guys who are used to having the ball in their hands: Kobe Bryant, Jordan Clarkson, Lou Williams, D'Angelo Russell, Nick Young and Marcelo Huertas. With Bryant struggling to find his rhythm and Scott demanding that Russell earn his minutes, the situation has been even worse than anticipated.
Perhaps the Lakers can do a better job with defining roles as the season goes on. Perhaps they can collectively improve when it comes to ball movement. The way this team was built, though, it's unlikely that they ever really put it together and become more than the sum of their parts.