The Lakeshow Review

The Los Angeles Lakers are 10-4 through their first 14 games of the season. Following an opening night clunker against the Golden State Warriors, the team managed to find its footing and settle into a consistent groove. The Lakers haven’t lost consecutive games so far in the young season, which is not too shabby considering many of the media’s experts prognosticated their ceiling as that of a play-in squad. They currently sit as a top four seed in a jam-packed Western Conference, which is promising seeing as how the team has yet to play their best basketball, in my opinion. While we can certainly look at the Lakers’ output thus far and be reasonably optimistic, there is still plenty of room for improvement. With that said, it’s not a stretch to surmise that this team could be a move or two away from being a legit championship contender.

To start with, it’s clear that the team needs an upgrade at backup center. Jaxson Hayes is a nice player. And for as much hustle as he plays with, he simply isn’t the ideal big man to supplant Deandre Ayton, who at 16 points and 8 boards per game, has played great for LA. However, the ideal foil for Ayton would be a center that’s a bruising and physical presence on the interior. Someone like Steven Adams, or a Nikola Vučević. Jaxson lacks the physicality and rebounding prowess to complement a center like Ayton. It’ll be interesting to see which names become available as the season rolls along, but such acquisitions for backup bigs are usually done via the waiver wire. Which is why it’s important for the Lakers to retain an open roster spot post-trade deadline, which will allow them the flexibility to execute these types of moves. While Hayes has been a great pickup and is playing quality basketball, the center position remains an area that the Lakers can improve on.

Offensively, outside shooting remains an area that leaves some to be desired. The team currently ranks 25th in the NBA in three-point shooting percentage, and 29th in three-point field-goals made. They’re simply not producing the requisite floor spacing to consistently be a top flight offense in the modern game. Marcus Smart is currently shooting 23% from deep. Jake LaRavia is at 33%. Dalton Knecht? 32%. Jarred Vanderbilt? 29%. What about Gabe Vincent? 20%. The only player shooting the lights out from range currently is Rui Hachimura, who is converting at a blistering 50% shooting on four attempts a night. And as good of a shooter as Rui is, we can still expect those numbers to cool off slightly. Even Austin Reaves and Luka Dončić are shooting below the league average from beyond the arc this season. The Lakers rely heavily on those two’s offensive excellence, but they can still further optimize their offensive production with improved floor spacing. For instance, it would certainly dissuade teams from constantly blitzing Luka on the pick-and-roll, as they could swing the ball to an open shooter for a high percentage look. It would also help against the elite defensive teams like the OKC Thunder who like to pack the paint, with the Lakers unable to make them pay. Perhaps we can expect a positive reverting to the mean with the current players. Guys like Dalton Knecht, Austin Reaves, Luka Dončić and Gabe Vincent are all better three-point shooters than they’ve shown. But alas, the team should still be proactive as far as making the necessary upgrades should the right opportunities present themselves.

Defensively, one glaring area that seems to rear its head frequently is the lack of athleticism on the perimeter. The Lakers’ defense, on a bad night, gets broken down at the point of attack by athletic wings far too often. Their best defensive weapon on the perimeter is Jarred Vanderbilt, but the main issue with Vando is that the coaching staff is starting to lose faith in him due to his offensive limitations. LA simply does not have the type of two-way players that can compliment their stars and be productive on both ends of the floor. Against the elite teams, this becomes glaringly obvious. The Lakers will have their hands full when looking to add these types of talents, given that they’re such rare commodities and are always in high demand. LA will have some ammunition for trades this season, with Dalton Knecht, Rui Hachimura ($18M expiring contract), Gabe Vincent ($11.5M expiring), and several draft picks being amongst their best bargaining chips. However, in the most optimal scenario, the Lakers should look to move LeBron James’ $56M expiring contract to bring back the requisite complimentary pieces to take this team to the next level. James, at 41, brings a somewhat redundant skillset to this team, a team that has proven it can win without him. He also happens to make the type of salary that can fetch the high-level talent that will compliment Luka Dončić and the rest of the core. It’s all a matter of finding the right destination for LeBron, given that he does possess a no-trade-clause, but if the stars align, then it’s worth the trouble.

When looking at trade scenarios, it’s easy to throw in Rui Hachimura’s name into the mix. Seeing as how he’s playing on a reasonable expiring contract, and he’s insanely productive on the floor, which could make him a coveted piece. However, the Lakers should be wary of trading away a player the caliber of Rui because of what he brings to this team. He is the only knock-down shooter that is presently on the roster. This is something that has great value to a Luka Dončić-centric offense, given that any time Luka draws an extra defender, particularly if it’s Rui’s defender, that will yield a high-percentage shot for Rui every time. Help off of Rui in the corner? That’s almost an automatic three points. He’s the only player on the roster with that type of impact. Additionally, he also shoots the mid-range at a remarkably high level, which comes in handy as a high-level bailout option late in the shot clock. LAs offense can stagnate at times, and shot-makers like Rui are tend to show their worth in those moments. The only scenario in which you move Rui is if he can bring back a player of equal offensive value, that is also an upgrade defensively.

Another area this team can improve, although it would be more of a luxury, would be in acquiring a pick-and-pop stretch big man. Perhaps Maxi Kleber can step into this role, if he manages to stay on the floor. With that said, a big man that can set a screen and then float out to the perimeter would do wonders in terms of floor spacing and forcing the defense to make concessions. The Lakers currently don’t run many pick-and-pop actions, and when they do it’s usually with guard to guard (for example Austin Reaves setting a screen for Luka, and then popping behind the arc). We’ve also seen them occasionally run Spain pick-and-roll with AR setting a back pick on the screener’s defender, then popping out in space. However, a big man that can be a threat to both roll and pop would help out tremendously, as it would make opposing defenses think twice before packing the paint on ball screens, thus forcing them to cover all areas of the floor.

As this team currently stands, they can certainly compete. But are they amongst the upper level elite teams? Probably not. But they can get there with a couple of shrewd moves should the right avenues come their way. For the short-term, the Lakers can definitely keep stacking wins with the current group, and it’s important that they do so that when the trade deadline comes along, they’ll be incentivized to pull the trigger on a potential move. JJ Redick and his coaching staff have done a laudable job in pushing the right buttons and getting players to play motivated team basketball. Health permitting, they can certainly continue doing this for a couple more months, after which they’ll have the opportunity to assess their position and look for the necessary trades if need be. With that said, the organization certainly shouldn’t rush to make moves just for the sake of making moves. As much as they’re playing for the present, they’re also playing for the future. The last thing you’d want to see is the team make a trade that marginally moves the needle, while also financially handicapping them in future off-seasons. It’s got to be the right move, for the right price. Short of those two things, they’re actually better off standing pat. The organization’s patience has payed dividends as of late, and they should remain of that mindset. However, if the right move presents itself that would vault this roster into legitimate contention, then by all means jump all over it. In the meantime, hopefully the team can continue winning games and getting the most out of their current group. Go Lakers.