EL SEGUNDO, CA – The Los Angeles Lakers held their annual Media Day for the 2022-2023 season this week and amidst the whirlwind that was the offseason featuring numerous rumors, blockbuster trade proposals, and a Lakers social media timeline that was thirsty for something big to happen, but it was all smoke and no fire.
While the rumors centered around the dumping of Russell Westbrook and that $47.1 million contract he opted into this summer, he still dawns the purple and gold…for now anyway.
No Kyrie Irving…or Buddy Hield…or even Bojan Bogdanovic who was recently dealt to the Detroit Pistons for almost nothing.
In the end, the Lakers front office led by president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka decided to not mortgage the future (mainly his remaining first round picks) for the present that still would’ve had questions.
Instead Pelinka and company opted to use what little cap space they had to improve on the margins signing hungry, young players like Lonnie Walker IV, Thomas Bryant, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones, and Troy Brown Jr. to short term deals.
They traded promising, yet struggling prospect Talen Horton-Tucker along with journeyman Stanley Johnson to Utah for a professional irritant in Patrick Beverley to improve the defense, intensity, and be the pitbull on this team. Pelinka also re-united with guard Dennis Schroeder, who turned down an $84 million extension to stay in LA in 2021 and opted to bet on himself, which backfired badly on him. He essentially comes back for $82 million less.
The cherry on top of this interesting collection of players is that they will be led by a talented coach in Darvin Ham, who will have his hands full in his first season with the Lakers and first year as a head coach.
The roster additions addressed some issues, but there are still several questions surround this squad like:
Do they have enough outside shooting?
Do they have enough length on the perimeter to matchup with other star wings? What will Westbrook’s role be with the team and will he bounce back after a nightmare ’21-’22 season?
How long before the team gives up on him and tries to unload him?
When looking at this flawed roster with all these questions, it’s obvious the Lakers will have to lean on their two superstars in LeBron James and Anthony Davis more than ever this season.
James and Davis are still one of the premier superstar duos in the league that can be matchup nightmares for the opponent. However, even this aspect is unclear considering both missed a combined 68 games last season (26 from James and 42 from Davis).
Since winning the title in 2020, both LeBron and AD haven’t shared the court much over the last two seasons, and that’s a big reason why the Lakers struggled. Not to mention, James is entering his 20th season and has been more prone to injuries in recent seasons while the oft-injured Davis has played in just 76 of 154 possible games the last two years earning the nickname “Street Clothes.”
However, their health is going to be integral to any success the Lakers are hoping to have this season, because it’s also unclear who can be a reliable third option to give The King and The Brow the support they’ll need.
Bron and AD will have to do all they can to elevate this group and get the best out of them, especially the mercurial Westbrook, who still doesn’t seem like a fit next to these two even with a new coach.
Time will tell what we see from these Lakers and whether they can be what Pelinka and Ham envision, but we know one thing as training camp starts, those smoke and mirrors are the only clarity this team has right now.
