The Los Angeles Lakers are currently 3-11, in a season where Kobe Bryant averages more than 27 points a game. But what exactly is the problem with purple and gold?

Aside from the dismal defense of Los Angeles as a team, another major reason why the Lakers are where they are right now is Jeremy Lin's inability to deliver consistent numbers. 

During the team's last game, Lin scored 18 points, while registering 4 assists. The game before that, he scored 17. Several games before that the 26-year-old star scored 15 and assisted 10 times. 

However, there were also games where Lin has been inefficient, including a 3 point performance against Houston, and an embarrassing zero-point performance against the Warriors. 

Of course, we can always say that Bryant's average of more than 25 shots a game affects Lin's impact in the game. 

As a point guard who loves having the ball in his hands, Lin can only do so much when he's not holding the ball. 

While there is no stopping Bryant from piling up the shots every night, Lin should be able to prove a worthy ballhandler for most of the game. He should be able to assert himself, and if challenging Bryant is the only way to earn his respect, that is what he should do night in and night out. 

It's just almost a month since the NBA season began, and Los Angeles still has a long way to go. But if Lin does not find a way to bring out his own game, then this season will just resemble his first with the Rockets.