Even if the Lakers get their groove back, it won't matter

LeBron James is in a place with the Lakers (0-4, 15th in Western Conference) that he hasn't been since his rookie year with the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

The Lakers' offensive rating (97.1) is not just the worst for a team with James on it. Their level of ineptitude has been historic.

James is averaging 25.3 points and 10 rebounds per game, but his three-point percentage (25.7) contributes to the team's league-worst three-point percentage at 22.3 percent. 

Anthony Davis is shooting 18.2 percent on 2.8 three-point attempts per game and Russell Westbrook is at 8.3 percent on 4 attempts per game.

ESPN suggests the Lakers "might be the worst-shooting team in NBA history." 

Per Kirk Goldsberry:

They're shooting 23 [percent] on all jump shots and 40.7 [percent] overall. No team has shot under 41 [percent] for a full season since the 2014-15 Philadelphia 76ers, a team intentionally constructed to lose as many games as possible in an attempt to get the No. 1 overall pick.

While that's great news for the New Orleans Pelicans, that's not the vibe the Lakers are going for as they try to build the core of James and Davis back into a contender.

James isn't getting younger, and there's a reason Charles Barkley goes on "Inside the NBA" and refers to Davis as "Street Clothes."

The season is quickly falling apart, and history suggests that even if Los Angeles improves, it won't shift the balance of power in the western conference.

For Lakers fans, there's always next year. 

That's starting to feel like a threat.