Los Angeles Lakers: What now?

 

Another season with so many expectations for the Los Angeles Lakers ended in the most Lakeshow fashion: A gentleman's sweep in the first round by the MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.

In the summer of 2023, Lakers made some moves to frame the roster around their stars, LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

At first, many thought those moves were enough to make Lakers championship material team but as we all know, that's not how the 2023-2024 season went for them. 

Mediocrity for most of the season and trying to catch up after the all star game. That's what the Lakers did this year and are doing for the last 2 years actually. Of course this worked against them.

So in this article, we are going to analyze what went wrong for LeBron and the Lakers and what they can do to become a legitimate championship contender for the 2024-2025 season.

Let's get started!

Free agency

Lakers made some good and some not so good moves the previous free agency. Let's break it down real quick.

Good moves

- Re-signing Austin Reaves

- Re-signing Rui Hachimura

- Re-signing Jarred Vanderbilt

Neutral moves

- Signing Taurean Prince

- Signing Jaxson Hayes

Bad moves

- Re-signing D'angelo Russell

- Signing Christian Wood

- Signing Gabe Vincent

- Signing Cam Reddish

Good moves

Austin Reaves (left) and Rui Hachimura (right)

Let's start with the obvious ones. Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura were two of the most important players in the roster and crucial parts for the 2022-2023 Lakers playoff run. So it was a wise move signing both to long-term contracts. Vanderbilt, although he missed most of the season, he is a great defensive minded forward when healthy so keeping him was the right choice.

Neutral moves

D'angelo Russell (left), Jaxson Hayes (middle) and Taurean Prince (right)

Taurean Prince with 40% from the three point line, he provided a good scoring option off the bench. The problem is that he had a defensive rating of 117.5. That's not an ideal stat from a player who is back up to LeBron by any means. That's the reason he is considered a neutral move. 

As of Jaxson Hayes, he is as neutral as it goes. He wasn't bad or good either but somewhere in the middle. He is only 23 years old so why not keep him around for another year to see if he develops into something.

Bad moves

Cam Reddish (left), D'angelo Russell (middle), Christian Wood (right)

Now let's get to the bad moves. Re-signing Russell was not the best move and let me explain why. Yes, DLO at his best is a great offensive player and facilitator. At his worst though...a streaky shooter who struggles a lot on defense. In 2023 playoffs Russell's defensive liability became evident when Nuggets kept exposing him since he was unable to stay on his man. 

Same goes with Christian Wood. Wood is an offense-no defense type of player. Lakers need a defensive minded center who can guard the best center of the other team. Wood only played 17 minutes per game this year because he was a black hole on the defensive end.

Gabe Vincent missed most of the season due to injury. When he was on the floor he didn't contribute to his contract standards. A one-season wonder player who is a below average on defense. 

Cam Reddish was brought for defense and 3-PT shooting. What he actually offered? None of that. Many times he seemed lost on the court and he didn't meet the expectations. He is not a player that you want to keep around for the next year.

What to look for in the upcoming FA

Alex Caruso (right) guarding Trae Young (Left)

Lakers biggest issue is the lack of defense. The team finished 16th on defensive rating. That's not the worst but not the best either. 

2024 free agent market is weak and the options are limited but you can still struck gold. Players like Kyle Anderson, Robert Covington and Delon Wright can be a good minimum contract 3 and D players.

The best option for Lakers is to trade for players like Alex Caruso or De'Anthony Melton to close out the rotation on the guards. 

Andre Drummond, a player that Lakers must pursue for the Center position.

The last piece is a good reliable center who can play the 5 position allowing Davis to return back to the 4. A name that is being heard a lot is Myles Turner, if indiana Pacers make him available on the trade market. If not, Lakers can turn to some more low-risk high reward players, like Andre Drummond and Mason plumlee.

Call timeout Coach!

The most recent meme that comes to mind when I hear about Darvin Ham, is this: 

Many things have been heard about Darvin Ham. Ham is not the worst coach in the league but he was not the right choice for the Lakers. A rookie coach is still a rookie coach. 

If you have seen some of the Lakers games then you know what I'm talking about. Ham faced difficulties in understanding the rotation he had. Not only that but he didn't knew when to call timeout. He just let the opponents get on a huge run and when he finally called a timeout it was too late.

Knowing how to manage your players, especially your superstars in this particular case, LeBron James and Antony Davis, you need experience and Ham lacked that skill. He didn't have their respect and eventually lost the locker room.

What's the best coach available for the Lakers?

Stan Van Gundy, a well respected head coach in the NBA

A name that has been heard a lot the last few days is JJ Redick. But as I said earlier a rookie coach is not the right solution for the Lakeshow. The Lakers, with LeBron having 2 more years before retirement they are in a win-now situation so they need a coach for that.

A great available option is Stan Van Gundy. Van Gundy last coached in 2021 for the New Orleans Pelicans. He is considered a good head coach with experience in managing superstar players (except Dwight Howard of course), who knows how to utilize his offensive weapons.

Having coached succesfully teams like 2004-2005 Miami Heat and Orlando Magic during the years 2007-2012 with one finals appearance as well, Van Gundy emphasizes on both ends of the floor and most importantly knowns how to handle the team's rotation.

Only red flag is that he never coached a top ten team in pace which Lakers ranked 4th the past season.

The time is now!

(Image source: ESPN.com)

Lakers do not have much time. Let me explain. Their biggest concern has a name: LeBron James turns 40 this upcoming December and according to some reports he will play for two more seasons.

He is still a dominant player and has shown no signs of slowing down. But still the time is ticking and if the Lakers want to be something more than a first round exit, they have to make some changes.

The most probable scenario is that James will sign a two year deal. Lakers are willing to draft his son Bronny James to keep him around for the remaining years of his career.

With the right moves and if healthy, Los Angeles Lakers can become a serious threat and a true championship contender. The 2024 offseason is maybe the most crucial of the LeBron era in LA. The time is now or...never. 

The Sports Bust - James Bartzis