General manager Rob Pelinka and the Los Angeles Lakers have had an interesting but ultimately unsuccessful offseason thus far. The Lakers created noises by firing Darvin Ham and his staff and bringing in JJ Redick, as well as drafting Bronny James; yet, Pelinka’s team does not appear to be any closer to championship contention now than it was three months ago.
In fact, the situation in Los Angeles is so dire that NBA writer Howard Beck of The Ringer, who covered the team during the golden days of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, wonders if the Lakers are still aiming to win a title.
“Are the Lakers even attempting to win another championship with LeBron James on their roster? “Because I don’t think it’s clear that they are,” Beck told the Rich Eisen Show on YouTube. “They required additional firepower, wing support, defense, and shooting capabilities. This club was not designed to compete last season, and they have done little to improve. The Lakers are capable of outstanding performance, but their actions this offseason have not demonstrated that. They’ve done nothing to suggest that they can or will compete for titles.”
How close are the Lakers?
LeBron James (6) and Anthony Edwards (5) speak from the bench during the fourth quarter of the USA Basketball Showcase against Canada at T-Mobile Arena.
Probably not terribly.
Last season, the Lakers fell to the Denver Nuggets, who lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were destroyed by the Dallas Mavericks, who were then obliterated by the Boston Celtics. While there isn’t a clear hierarchy and matchups are important, the Lakers are arguably three or four tiers below real NBA title contenders.
During the regular season, Los Angeles shot the ball well from beyond the three-point line but had little hope of competing on defense with D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves in the starting lineup. In the playoffs, practically all of the Lakers’ role players, including Reaves and Russell, went cold at the worst possible time, squandering a beautiful opportunity, while the Nuggets’ role players suffered immensely.
While Bronny James is an entertaining story, and JJ Redick may theoretically be a fine coach, the reality is that the Lakers have done nothing to address the shooting, defensive, and depth deficiencies that put them behind the eight ball last season.
It doesn’t help that numerous clubs in the West have objectively improved.
In any case, the 2024-25 season is planned to begin in October.
