After an eventful offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers were expected to get back to being title contenders. That has not been the case thus far as they sit one game below .500 at 8-9. The Lakers have dealt with injuries to start the season with Talen Horton-Tucker and LeBron James just returning, but that is no excuse for the slow start.

Los Angeles made a shocking offseason trade by acquiring star point guard Russell Westbrook. Westbrook's fit with LA was questioned, and he has yet to find his rhythm with the team. Having only three players from last year's roster return (THT, LBJ, and AD) has led to some early-season issues.

That being said, here are three adjustments the Lakers need to make to get back on track.

3. Limit turnovers

A huge problem early on in the season has been the turnovers. As a team, they are the second-worst in turnovers with 16.8 per game. It's hard to win games when constantly losing the turnover battle to opposing teams. The Lakers have Westbrook and LeBron as the primary playmakers, who are always looking to make a play, sometimes leading to mistakes.

Getting Westbrook comfortable in the offense could help LA limit the turnovers moving forward. They don't need to become a team near the top in not turning the ball over, but rather near the middle of the league.

2. Crash the defensive glass

It is astonishing how many offensive rebounds the Lakers allow for a team with so many great rebounders. Frank Vogel's group ranks fifth-worst in the league, allowing offensive rebounds as opponents averaging 11.5 per game. This was evident in Los Angeles' loss to the Boston Celtics as they racked up 12 offensive rebounds, including pivotal ones in the fourth quarter.

Heading into the season, head coach Frank Vogel said, “We want to be the best fast-breaking team in the NBA. We have dynamic players, and then adding a guy like Russ and the speed that he brings to the table, we want to support him and get everybody running. That's when we're going to be at our best…” (Lakers outsiders).

If the Lakers want to be a great fastbreak team, it all starts with crashing the defensive glass. This can lead to easy buckets in the fastbreak, and highlight plays from the big three. Doing a better job boxing out will eliminate the opposing team's offensive rebounds and help Los Angeles get out in the fastbreak.

1. Play better defense

One of the strengths during the Lakers 2020 championship run was their incredible defense. This season, they are in the bottom half of the league with the 18th best defensive rating. LA has talented defensive players on the roster but have not communicated well on the defensive side of the ball.

Davis is the defensive leader for the Lakers, as he is usually in Defensive Player of the Year conversations.

After the brutal loss to the Celtics, Frank Vogel said, “And then defensively, guys are going to have big roles if they commit to the defensive side, and if they don't, they're not. It's that simple because we didn't get it done anywhere near the level that we need to on the defensive side of the ball, and there's going to be some growing pains with cohesion and habits, but that definitely was not good enough tonight.” (Lakers nation).

It seems Vogel and Davis are on the same page that the defense needs significant improvement. Now it will come down to execution and players buying into the defensive system. If the Lakers can get on track defensively, it will go a long way.

Los Angeles has a difficult task at hand to make these adjustments and get back on track. It will take the whole team buying in, but if they do, the Lakers will be title contenders once again.