As the Heat were busy waiting for Damian Lillard, and the Warriors trading for Chris Paul, the Los Angeles Lakers decided to go a different route by building around their championship core instead of tearing it down to try and rebuild something better.
Speaking to the media on the Lakers’ summer of moves and the season ahead, GM Rob Pelinka expressed optimism about the team’s chances to succeed in 2024.
“The big word for us was continuity. We had 5 players that were free agents/eligible for extensions and they chose the Lakers,” said Pelinka. “We were able to retain everyone. It was amazing to watch LeBron attack the off-season. He was the 3-4 in the morning working with Rui. It defines his leadership. We were able to add around the edges with Prince, Wood, Gabe. It solidifies our depth and guys are confident in what they want to do this year.”
The Lakers started last season 2-10 before a series of mid-season trades turned things around. By the end, they were able to make the playoffs where they made a run to the Western Conference Finals. For Pelinka, it was important for him to keep this group together so they could keep the team chemistry intact without sacrificing depth or flexibility on the court.
Last Season Was A New Low For The Lakers Franchise
For a team that is accustomed to great success, falling short of expectations can be devastating and often excruciating. For the Lakers, last season’s disastrous start brought out the worst in the fans and team owner Jeanie Buss later admitted that she received death threats for her role in the dysfunctional situation.
“I was like, ‘I’m not gonna survive this,’” Buss told The Athletic. “This is gonna be really rough. I was getting death threats — and then something just clicked.”
The biggest problem for the Lakers last season was a lack of chemistry between players. And without the depth to help overshadow some of the misfits, the flaws became far too glaring to overcome. Fortunately, we all saw how things ended last season, and that late push is party what inspired Pelinka to take action this summer with a slew of signings to bolster the supporting cast.
Lakers Are Among The Top Contenders For The 2024 Championship
The Nuggets, Suns, and Clippers cannot be ignored in the Western Conference this season, but the Lakers stand as good a chance as anyone to make it out on top. Despite going on 39 years old, LeBron James is still among the best in the world and he showed that last season with averages of 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game on 50% shooting.
There’s also the Anthony Davis factor. When healthy, Davis is easily one of the five best players in the game and he’s more than capable of taking the reigns from LeBron. If he can stay healthy and find consistency throughout the season, it will unlock the ultimate version of this Lakers team.
Of course, the role-players may end up making the biggest difference for the Lakers this season. Besides returners like Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and D’Angelo Russell, the Lakers also got some backup in the form of Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, and Christian Wood. The hope is that it will be enough for the Lakers to bounce back into contention — and that’s probably too far off given what he saw from them late last season.
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