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Westbrook was the first step in ensuring a repeat of that campaign is impossible. LeBron James scored the game-winning three with less than one minute to go as the Los Angeles Lakers booked their spot in the NBA PlayoffsĪdd to that Dennis Schroder's inconsistency as a third option, particularly his woeful shooting performances without Davis in Games 4 and 5 against the Suns (there is a reason he remains unsigned at the moment of writing) and back-up plan Andre Drummond's, shall we say, supreme and perpetual ineffectiveness when it comes to playoff basketball, and it seems evident Pelinka is attempting to pre-emptively mitigate against these doomsday scenarios as much as possible. Whatever their prestige and expectation, last season's team never actually looked like getting anywhere close.

Let's not forget they faced the eventual Western Conference champions in the first round, and that they needed a 34-foot miracle three from LeBron to beat the Warriors to even get that far. That alone is enough to derail any title run. Neither James nor Davis were anywhere close to fully fit entering the post-season, or during it. The Lakers, who were widely expected to cakewalk to a back-to-back championship at the start of the season, fell apart in last season's playoffs for a few reasons. Experience, short-term contracts and huge amounts of player upheaval each offseason to maximise this, the home stretch of James' storied career. Open Privacy OptionsĪdd to that general manager Rob Pelinka's decision not to use their bird rights (meaning they could go over the salary cap) to re-sign Alex Caruso, 27 years old and a key bench piece, and it is clear the team is trending in only one direction. Twitter Due to your consent preferences, you’re not able to view this. That move caught even the apparently omniscient Wojnarowski napping as he tweeted about interest in Kings guard Buddy Hield instead. Russell Westbrook, who was added in an earth-shattering trade last Friday, is 33 in November, a relative spring chicken.

Starting center Marc Gasol is the same age. They join a Lakers roster headlined by LeBron James, who is 36 years old himself.

The 26-year-old is a polished offensive weapon who's averaging 17.9 points and 6.2 assists, making him a strong third option behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis.īamba, the No.
#La lakers depth chart upgrade
PF: Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Wenyen Gabrielīy adding Russell, the Lakers are getting a major upgrade at point guard over Beverley, who was more of a defensive specialist.
