The Los Angeles Lakers made several changes to the roster in the offseason. They will only bring back two returning starters from a year ago. The big move that the Lakers made was to execute a sign-and-trade to bring in Walker Kessler.
Kessler is supposed to help LA’s issues on defense. With Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves as the starting backcourt, they need as much defensive help as possible. While the roster has been in flux during the offseason, they have now made a change to the staff, as well.
Los Angeles Lakers Hire Pooh Jeter
According to Marcus Spears of ESPN, the Lakers have decided to bring in Pooh Jeter as the new Director of Pro Scouting. He was previously working with the Trail Blazers organization, as he was a Player Development Coach and was the Assistant GM of their G-League team.
Jeter played overseas from 2006 until 2023. Since then, he has only worked for Portland. Now, he gets an opportunity to help the Lakers’ front office. Los Angeles is hoping that Jeter can help them identify some good talent, especially with his background in overseas and G-League development.
Los Angeles is in a period of transition after the franchise was sold again. This time, Mark Walter decided to sell the franchise to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner. There will likely be more changes made once the sale of the franchise becomes final, which will be in a few months.
Jeter will work under Assistant GM Eric Amsler. Amsler and Rob Pelinka are in danger of being fired once new management comes in. The front office is usually the first to undergo some changes. However, it’s unclear when or if that will happen this season.
The Lakers are putting a lot of faith in the moves that Pelinka made this offseason. Those moves don’t only have ramifications for this season, but for the next few seasons, as well. The Kessler move makes it extremely difficult for trades to be made in the next few years.
Los Angeles is Confident in Its New Approach
The new approach to building the team is something that the Lakers have a lot of confidence in. They believe that building up the bench and inserting three new starters will help them win more games. Last season, the Lakers were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.
Health continues to be at the forefront of what the Lakers have in mind. They have struggled to stay healthy in the last few postseasons. Doncic missed all of the playoffs, while Reaves missed the first round. Kessler has only played 63 games in the last two seasons.
Figuring out a way to keep all of their core guys healthy and playing at a high level in April will be the only way they have a chance to compete for a championship.
Lakers Add a New Member to the Staff Right Before Training Camp