The Los Angeles Lakers have many needs to address this offseason after going 33-49 in 2021-22. In a June 2 column, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley detailed three specific types of players the franchise needs around stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis to compete for a championship.
According to Buckley, the Lakers need players who can play on-ball defense, stretch the floor with perimeter shooting and create their shot off the dribble. James, Davis, Talen Horton-Tucker and Austin Reaves (non-guaranteed) are the only Los Angeles players under contract for next season.
Russell Westbrook has a player option worth $47,063,478 for next season and he’s expected to pick it up. Unless the Lakers trade the one-time MVP this summer, Westbrook will be back next to James and Davis in 2022-23.
Lakers Need Better On-Ball Defenders
The Lakers gave up 115.1 points per game in 2021-22, 28th of 30 in the NBA. According to Buckley, Los Angeles needs more lockdown defenders around James and Davis.
“If the Lakers want to reverse their fortunes next season, this is the first place to start,” Buckley wrote. “They can’t be in a position where they’re counting on Stanley Johnson and Avery Bradley to make their most critical stops. They have to snag some lockdown defenders, ideally while getting longer and more athletic on the perimeter.”
The Lakers traded Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Washington Wizards last summer in the blockbuster Westbrook deal and let Alex Caruso walk in free agency to the Chicago Bulls. Caldwell-Pope and Caruso were part of the 2020 championship team. They played excellent on-ball defense and hit open 3-pointers, two things Westbrook didn’t do in 2021-22.
Lakers Need More Shooters & Playmakers
Buckley thinks the Lakers need more shooters and playmakers around James and Davis. Although Westbrook averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 2021-22, he shot only 29.8% from beyond the arc and was second in the NBA in turnovers.
“The simplest formula for winning big with James is surrounding him with shooters and letting him attack,” Buckley wrote. “It puts opponents into one can’t-win situation after the next. Crowd James, and he’s a good enough quarterback to find open teammates. Stay at home on the shooters, and he will obliterate his matchup.
“There are enough lights-out shooters in the modern NBA that this problem should be correctable. The challenge, though, is finding sharpshooters who can bring something else to the table. Having a specialist such as Wayne Ellington doesn’t offer much assistance when his limitations are too great to give him a regular rotation role.
“L.A.’s offensive menu needs more options. Especially since one of last season’s key ingredients, the rapidly rising Malik Monk, may have priced himself out of Hollywood as an unrestricted free agent. A ball-mover would help keep things humming when James needs a breather. A bucket-getter would make this offense harder to handle. A player who checked both boxes would be ideal—and, if we’re being honest, probably more expensive than the Lakers can afford.”
James, a four-time Finals MVP, will turn 38 in December 2022. He averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 2021-22. However, the future Hall of Famer played in only 56 games due to injuries and one suspension. James has played in 223 out of a possible 307 regular-season games since signing with the Lakers in 2018.
Meanwhile, Davis played in just 40 games in 2021-22 due to injuries. He averaged 23.2 points and 9.9 rebounds, but the Brow has appeared in just 76 regular-season games since the Lakers won the 2020 title.
James and Davis need players around them who can shoot, play defense and score off the dribble if they want to win another title together. Since both All-Stars have been prone to injuries the past few years, the Lakers could benefit from adding a young superstar who can carry the load offensively in the regular season.
Lakers Urged to Add 3 Specific Types of Players Around LeBron James & Anthony Davis