Russell Westbrook may have been the perennial man in the headlines for the Los Angeles Lakers, but the fans feel their roster looks much better than the previous season when they failed to make the playoffs.
There have been some notable additions to the squad this season, especially with Patrick Beverley coming in. Dennis Schroder’s good run for Germany in the Eurobasket 2022 saw him get another run with the Lakers.
On Lakers Reddit, the fans were optimistic about the changes that were rung in despite the uncertainty of Westbrook’s time with the side. One of the threads looked at the replaced players from last year:
“Talen Horton Tucker for Beverley, Malik Monk for Lonnie Walker, Dwight Howard for Bryant, Trevor Ariza for Troy Brown Jr., Carmelo Anthony for Juan Toscano-Anderson, Jordan for Jones, Avery Bradley for Schroder, and Bazemore for Max Christie.”
These were some of the noteworthy changes made to the roster that includes a new coach in Darvin Ham. Some of the comments on the thread were fairly positive, despite the doubts that lingered:
“I don’t know what the results will be, but I think I will enjoy watching this year’s group a hell of a lot more.”
“We upgraded at center and point guard which was extremely important. Lacking wings but I think it’s overstated tbh.”
“This team is definitely a big upgrade over last year’s team. I’m not expecting a championship but I definitely want to go into the season with at least a positive mindset for the first 25 games.”
“Personally, I think this has been a major improvement, especially considering our limited options. PLUS actually having a full offseason of healing for AD and LeBron for the first time in 3 years will be great, and getting Nunn back is a cherry on top.”
“I predict Bev to be like the 19-20 Bradley pick-up full-court being a pest and hitting open 3s.”
“We definitely improved but we’re not contenders yet.”
“We underestimate just how well young players have played alongside LeBron.”
“Bev, Schroder and Nunn are all new and upgrades over last year’s guard group.”
“At least this year’s team will have more hustle and grit, hopefully.”
“Yea, liking the Bev and JTA pickups in particular. Kind of wish we had a body for the top centers though.”
The optimism stems from a number of factors, most notably the presence of younger and hungrier faces in the squad.
Anthony Davis Feels The Youth In The Side Will Push Him
Talking to reporters on Media Day, Davis, per a Silver Screen and Roll report, shed light on how the young blood in the side could help the quartet of LeBron James, Westbrook, Beverley, and himself.
“These guys are going to be running, and it’s going to push me, LeBron, Russ, Pat, to play at their speed, at their level. And I think it’s going to help us at the end of the day.”
The roster is a major upgrade from an age standpoint. Last year, a major chunk of the players on the roster were a lot older, and while that may have helped with the experience, it did little to help the team on the court against younger and faster opponents.
With the emphasis on fast breaks and defensive play, Ham has been positive about how his team is shaping up, and much of how the new-look Lakers will be seen when they fare defending champions, the Golden State Warriors in an away fixture on opening night on October 18.
