Lakers season preview: More of the same?
The Lakers had a very exciting 2021 offseason when they acquired Russell Westbrook and signed many big-named veterans to minimum deals. The reality of the team far outweighed their expectations as their season slowly dug into lower lows.
Their roster construction had an extremely high downside associated and it’s safe to say they experience one of the worst-case scenario outcomes, especially since it impacted their flexibility to improve the roster this offseason. The Lakers made some moves to address needs and improve their depth, but it’s hard to say if they will get back into the playoff mix, especially with the Western Conference getting stronger.
Roster changes
Returning: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Kendrick Nunn, Wenyen Gabriel, Austin Reaves
Additions: Patrick Beverley (Utah), Lonnie Walker IV (San Antonio), Damian Jones (Sacramento), Troy Brown Jr. (Chicago), Thomas Bryant (Washington), Dennis Schroeder (Houston), Juan Toscano-Anderson (Golden State), Max Christie (Michigan State), Scotty Pippen Jr. (Vanderbilt), Matt Ryan (Boston), Dwayne Bacon (Monaco), Cole Swider (Syracuse), Jay Huff (South Bay Lakers), Javante McCoy (Boston University).
Subtractions: Malik Monk (Sacramento), Talen Horton-Tucker (Utah), Stanley Johnson (Utah), Kent Bazemore (Sacramento), Mac McClung (Golden State), Carmelo Anthony, Avery Bradley, Wayne Ellington, Dwight Howard, DJ Augustin, Mason Jones
Strengths
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
* Their younger bench makes them more athletic… The Lakers going all-in on big-name veterans in their mid-to-late thirties tremendously backfired. Not only did these players not contribute in the areas they’re best at, but they were complete negatives when on the floor. While their new younger and more versatile bench is unproven, they have more upside and bring much needed athleticism. These players should bring a lot more effort crashing the boards and helping on defense, among other small things.
* Improved playmaking… Apart from James and Westbrook, the Lakers were devoid of any other primary or secondary playmakers on the roster. They made some big steps to improve that with the acquisition of Beverley and the return of Schroeder. This should help keep their bench lineups flowing and they could have enough passing now to survive without Westbrook should they trade him without taking back another point guard.
*Star power… Both James and Davis missed significant amounts of time in the previous two seasons and couldn’t make it work with Westbrook. Injury luck has to eventually swing back to the Lakers’ favor, and it’s hard to envision Westbrook not making some sort of improvement from last season. If enough things go right for them, including getting enough players from their bench to step up, the Lakers should still pose a threat in the playoffs if James and Davis both play like they did in 2019-20.
Weaknesses
(Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
* What kind of LeBron James and Anthony Davis will we get?… We are now about to be three seasons removed from the Lakers championship season where James and Davis played like unquestioned Top 5 players. The theory of the Lakers is that as long as they’re playing at that level they are contenders, but that hasn’t been the case recently. Injury concerns aside, Davis’ scoring has tumbled since and his three-point shot has lost all respectability. James is still producing at an elite level, but the possibility of any slight regression entering year 20 could allow several other top stars to pass him on the upper echelon list. If they don’t get back to the level they were playing in 2020, it may not matter what other trades they make to improve the rest of the roster.
* Bench is still light and questionable… While their bench should certainly be an improvement from last year, they still lack attributes on the offensive end. The Lakers were once again forced to load their roster primarily with minimum players, and if last season proved anything, you get what you pay for. Also, Darvin Ham is a first-year head coach. He will have a big challenge ahead of him trying to get their offense and defense to higher levels.
* Below average shooting… Losing Malik Monk will hurt their three-point shooting and while a healthy Nunn could help fill that void, he also hasn’t played in a full year. The rest of the roster is filled with average-to-slightly below-average three-point shooters. They’ve been linked to many different shooters throughout the offseason like Bojan Bogdanovic and Buddy Hield but no deal has materialized.
Depth chart
Lakers 2022-23 Depth Chart by Dionysis Aravantinos
Possible moves
Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
The Lakers are heading into the season with a $39.4 million luxury tax payment and a $207.7 million tax and payroll combination. They are at the 14-player roster requirement and could keep the 15th spot open to limit any additional spending. They could be looking at decreasing their penalties in a Westbrook trade, largely because he is one of the league’s highest earners and a team taking him back only needs to send out $37.6 million to match salaries.
Aside from a potential Westbrook trade, there aren’t many other avenues for them to make significant trades since most of their players have much smaller salaries. They can trade a maximum of two first-round picks in 2027 and 2029 but have been reluctant to move both without a return that significantly boosts their title odds. They have also been reluctant to add significant long-term salary so they could preserve the $30 million or so of cap space they have left.
Salaries
Prediction
4th in the Pacific division, 9th in the Western conference (as voted by the HoopsHype staff)
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