The Los Angeles Lakers, now 0-4, have a litany of problems. The Russell Westbrook conundrum, the subpar roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis, their historically abysmal 3-point shooting, a tough schedule and stacked Western Conference, the front office's post-bubble losing streak, their inability to win basketball games, the vibes, man.

Following a 110-99 loss to the Denver Nuggets, let's focus on a more specific problem: the lack of production from two key guards — neither of whom is named Russ, who was a DNP on Wednesday due to hamstring soreness.

Patrick Beverley, who talks a lot of sh*t, has started all four games. Historically, Beverley is more valuable in the playoffs, when the refs allow more leeway and mental and physical hounding is more impactful. That said, upon his arrival, he proudly planted his flag as a game-changing culture-setter. Rob Pelinka hyped the 6-foot-1 veteran — the fourth highest-paid player on the team ($13M) — as a key 3-and-D wing.

Offensively, he has been atrocious. In contrast to Russ, this isn't a chemistry or fit thing. Beverley has missed 13 of 16 shots from 3-point range — many of which have been open — and he has attempted as many podcasts (three) as 2-pointers.

On defense, his longtime calling card, Beverley has been more useful, like his best bud Westbrook. He deserves credit for assisting in the Lakers' highly competitive, fourth-ranked resistance. He has excelled as a chaser in Ham's “centerfield” system. He has seven steals, contributing to the Lakers' league-best turnovers-created rate.

On the flip side, he has committed 15 fouls in four games (it should be 17, per the NBA). Damian Lillard (41 points) and Stephen Curry (33 points) toasted him, though there's no shame in that.

Beverley has been a microcosm of the Lakers' troubles. Their defensive effort is admirable and noteworthy, yet it has been unable to overcome their cold shooting.

Kendrick Nunn has been equally frigid. The Lakers banked on the combo guard to be a major factor in 2021-22 when they made him their fourth highest-paid player. Those expectations were rain-checked due to a lingering bone bruise.

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This past summer, Jeanie Buss name-checked Nunn (instead of Russ) when previewing the team's focal pieces. The Lakers essentially considered him to be a significant offseason upgrade. The internal expectations were sky-high.

Nunn shot 5-0f-9 on opening night against the Golden State Warriors, though much of that came in garbage time. In his 40 minutes since — not counting two garbage time buckets in Denver — he has missed 22 of 24 field goal attempts and 11 of 12 from 3-point range. His shot selection has been detrimental and weirdly voluminous in spurts. He's averaging 4.3 points and 1.7 assists in 14.7 minutes per game.

Last month, Ham — who said Nunn looked “phenomenal” in camp — called him a “water bug” on D, noting his ability to move through screens and chase. Yet, Nunn has particularly lagged in that department:

Both players have excuses for their poor play. Nunn is rusty. Beverley is new to the Lakers. That doesn't explain their porous shooting.

The Lakers are dependent on Pat Bev and Nunn to raise their floor. Everybody knows the team is better with Westbrook either off the court or quarterbacking the second unit — but that fantasy is premised on Nunn and Beverley being reliable defenders, ball handers, and floor spacers.

Unlike most of the Lakers' issues, Beverley and Nunn's struggles are individual; they can find a groove with reps. Unfortunately, with each loss, L.A.'s sense of urgency heightens. The Lakers need to start winning games, ASAP, if they want LeBron's 20th season to include a playoff push. To do so, they're going to need (arguably) their two best guards — both free agents next summer — to step up.