As the Lakers struggle to turn their season around, the NBA community continues to look for an explanation.
For some, the coaching of Frank Vogel is the team’s biggest issue. His supposedly flawed and outdated schemes have been criticized and it has been reported that Vogel’s job could be on the line.
For others, health is what is really holding L.A. back. Anthony Davis has missed most of the season already and LeBron James was compromised at the start. Perhaps when the team is at full strength, things will start to improve.
JJ Redick, meanwhile, has a different theory. According to him, the roster itself is the problem. In a segment on First Take, he explained why he has lost faith in the Purple and Gold, and why their situation will not change for the foreseeable future.
“We’re 44 games into the season. The Lakers have shown us who they are. They’re 24th in offense, 18th in defense. They’re a bad team. This roster was constructed with players that are past their prime. I’m not gonna single anybody out but these are guys that are past their prime. That’s the reality.
It came out this morning that Frank Vogel’s job is clearly in jeopardy, he almost got fired the other night after the Denver loss. I don’t think this is on him. This roster is very poorly constructed and when you talk about change, I wanna say something real quick: the Lakers don’t have a lot of options to make any changes. Who is taking on Russell Westbrook’s contract?”
“[The Lakers] are a bad team! … These are guys that are past their prime, that’s the reality.”
—@jj_redick pic.twitter.com/VMzY26su1B
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 18, 2022
There is no denying the truth in Redick’s words. Besides LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers are full of has-beens. Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo, and Dwight Howard are all past their prime and not nearly as effective as they once were.
In light of their performance so far, that reality is really starting to hit home for the Lakers and their fans.
Sadly, they might be stuck with their guys for a while longer. Unless Rob Pelinka can work a miracle, the Lakers will have to find a way to make things work with the people they have.
