The Los Angeles Lakers made some bold moves this offseason that has led to a polarizing divide from fans and media alike. Losing LeBron James and other talented proven NBA players caused criticism for the names to replace them. Walker Kessler must be a top three player on a great team, or things will go poorly for the team. Injuries or offensive limitations have been the biggest criticism for the Lakers trusting Kessler.
Lakers legend Derek Fisher agreed with the critics who say the Lakers just don’t stack up to the elite teams:
“NBA rosters very rarely are missing pieces necessarily. I mean, the question is, what are we comparing it to? Like missing compared to what? To Oklahoma City? Oh, yeah… To San Antonio? Oh, yeah.”
Fisher made it clear that he doesn’t believe the Lakers have a roster that can compare to the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs. Both teams had incredible seasons last year and battled it out in a seven-game Western Conference Finals series. Young rosters give both teams hope that they will be equally great this season. The Lakers can’t seriously compare to these two juggernauts unless they make another move or these teams fail.
Why The Los Angeles Lakers Keep Getting Criticized
Last season showed that the Lakers could be a top four seed with Luka Doncic leading them. The dream trade that landed Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Anthony Davis gave the Lakers a top five superstar who can lead the team every night.
However, the team lost a lot of pieces outside of just LeBron who Luka relied on to help him. Names like Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart, and Luke Kennard played a huge role in the team’s success by fitting perfectly around Doncic.
The Lakers will put their faith in new additions like Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton to become strong impact players. Unfortunately, the roster looks flawed on paper compared to the top echelon of Western Conference teams with true NBA Championship goals. The contracts also put them in a bad spot of making it hard to trade for someone after giving up picks for Kessler.
Luka Doncic Must Have MVP Caliber Season
Many pundits name Luka as the best player in the NBA yet to win an NBA Championship and MVP Award each. Doncic does have a trusted offensive co-star in Austin Reaves, but he’s the only surefire superstar on the roster.
Luka must carry this team to over 50 wins by getting the most out of teammates like Grimes and Kessler. The problem is the West depth will make that quite hard. Even outside of the top two teams, the West has teams like the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves closer to the title.
Some have forecasted a disappointing season for the Lakers that ends with them having to make changes during next offseason. Trading Reaves is the only easy method to adding talent and that would be a tough blow for fans. Fisher’s words are right that the Lakers roster lacks something compared to other contenders.
Los Angeles Lakers Legend Gives Negative Update On Future