Swaggy P on Lin's struggles: 'He could have focused on passing a little bit more'

Trouble is abound in Los Angeles.

At the All-Star break, the Los Angeles Lakers sit well outside the playoff picture at 13-40 and have endured disappointment after disappointment en route to their second-straight losing season.

All the losing has players looking for answers and with regard to point guard Jeremy Lin's struggles, Lakers shooting guard Nick "Swaggy P" Young had a solution: Be a point guard.

"I know it’s his contract year, but he could’ve focused on passing a little bit more," Young told the Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. "Especially when Kobe (Bryant) was out there, (Lin) needed to drop dimes."

Lin was acquired in the offseason in a salary dump trade by the Houston Rockets. Given the Lakers' lack of starpower beyond Kobe Bryant, many expected Lin to recapture the form he found during "Linsanity" in 2012. Instead, Lin was demoted to the bench midway through the season and is averaging just 10.2 points and 4.6 assists.

As told by Lin, his struggles have come in part because of his inability to practice with Bryant, who often sat out of practice either due to rest or injury. Lin also pointed out the lack of spacing in Los Angeles' offense.

“This is a new system and the least amount of space I’ve played with on the floor. So I’m trying to adjust,” Lin said.

However, head coach Byron Scott disagrees.

"I don’t know if you can make it easier," Scott said. "We go over it pretty much every single day with the way we’re going to play and the style we’re going to play. That adjustment is basically up to the player to take it, buy into it and run with it."

Despite the verbal crossfire, each person involved has a point. Lin's right: The Lakers have very little floor spacing, which isn't a surprise given Scott's disdain for 3-pointers. At the same time, Young has a point as well. Lin averaged a pedestrian 6.4 assists per 36 minutes played. Finally, Scott has a point too, in that it's up to Lin to adjust.

But the elephant in the room with respect to the Lakers is just their lack of talent. Schemes matter, but given the Lakers' injuries and overall subpar talent level, their woeful record is no mystery.