Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

The great David Aldridge at The Athletic has a review of the summer's activity around the NBA, ranking teams by how successful an offseason they had. That doesn't mean teams finishing higher are better overall, just that the offseason was relatively speaking more productive. The Lakers came in at 11th, which seems pretty fair, all things considered. 

On the one hand, you can argue that in raw terms, they might not be quite as good as they were last season (this is, more or less, a referendum on the impact of losing LeBron James, because there are areas where the Lakers have definitely improved, like at starting center). On the other hand, if you're trying to envision what a long term vision for the squad might look like in the Luka Doncic era, that's a lot more clear now. The Lakers are also a lot younger, and seem to have hit on their first round pick in Cam Carr. 

Overall, there's a lot to feel good about! 

Does Aldridge get his evaluation right? 

The answer does in some ways get to a fairly pervasive criticism of Rob Pelinka's work, hsitorically and this season, about a proclivity for player options. Sometimes, they've been mystifying. This year? Maybe not? 

Finally, Luka finished in the top 10 for NBA2K's 3-point ratings. This is cearly not meant to be a reflection of raw percentages or efficiency, because Doncic doesn't measure up in that regard. But swag? Audaciousness? That he's got in excess. So what was 2K factoring in? And what do things look like when you dig a little deeper into his percentages? 

 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

 

SEGMENT 1: The Athletic looks at LA's offseason. 

 

SEGMENT 2: Why the Lakers gave away the contracts they did. 

 

SEGMENT 3: Luka and NBA2K. 

 

Photo Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

 

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The Lakers have a hole at forward. Most people think that hole is at power forward, more specifically. And no question, it would be great to fill it with a high end, versatile defender who also comes with a good skill set offensively. Scottie Barnes or OG Anunoby, or a top shelf defender/ball mover like prime Draymond. 

But of course, those guys are really, really hard to find. 

And as the offseason moves along, it's more likely the Lakers will hold off on filling that spot until the season is underway, or the deadline, or even next offseason. So in the meantime, what do they do with what they have? Well, one thing to consider is the role of Luka Doncic. He is a force offensively who can make a lot of disparate parts work well together, as long as everyone understands his role. But he's obviously not a traditional point guard, because he's so flippin' large. So when people talk about that last starting spot, are they really just talking about defense? 

How does Luka fit in? 

Is what they need not so much a power forward, per se, but a versatile wing who can take on multiple matchups and allow the Lakers to slot players like Luka and Austin Reaves in more suitable ways? 

 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

 

SEGMENT 1: Is Luka part of the solution? 

 

SEGMENT 2: What do the Lakers need at PF? 

 

SEGMENT 3: How versatility on D is much more important than skill on O. 

 

Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

 

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Maybe it's because his dad is a broadcaster for the Lakers, but Klay Thompson has been connected via rumors to the purple and gold for years. And now, at 36, he's reportedly on the trade block with the Mavs. 

So once again, the question is asked, how would Klay look on the Lakers? 

He's a long way from the elite shooter/defender of his prime, but Klay still does have some utility as a high volume 3-point shooter (still around 40% pretty consistently), and given that he now plays off the bench, the expectations for his performance is much more in line with what he's capable of delivering. Plus, he's been relatively healthy over the last few seasons, meaning even at an elevated age, he's a decent bet to give the Lakers 70 games. 

On the other hand, Thompson doesn't really fit the team's timeline, or positional need. He's not a piece that will help bring them significantly closer to the upper crust of the West, and would put bodies in front of players like Cam Carr and Adou Thiero. Is that someone the Lakers should be pursuing, if it's not directly addressing a position of need? 

It gets to a core question - are the Lakers better off doing what they can to get the best player at, say, power forward, even if he's not a great fit or comes with question marks because he does more for the team RIGHT NOW, or should they hold off and try to find a player is a better fit long term, even if it causes some pain in the interim? 

The answer to that question largely dictates whether the Lakers are essentially done with big swings this summer. 

 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

 

SEGMENT 1: Dallas is shopping Klay, reportedly. Should LA bite? 

SEGMENT 2: Logistics aside, what would Klay look like on the Lakers? 

SEGMENT 3: Mr. Right, or Mr. Right Now? 

 

Photo Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images

 

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The Lakers had a very eventful offseason, leading to what could rightly be called a radical roster makeover. Whether you like, dislike, or remain undecided about Luka Doncic's new look running mates, one thing's for sure: Rob Pelinka and company were not content to sit on their collective hands and play things safe.

 

But did they actually do a good job with their moves? NBA Front Office Podcast co-host Keith Smith has a new piece for Spotrac, compiling anonymous (and therefore candid) thoughts from Lakers assistant coaches and rival execs/scouts around the league on what they're expecting from this new team. What are the strengths? The Weaknesses? The potential.

 

Hosts: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

 

Segment 1 Do the players around Luka make sense?

Segment 2: Walker Kessler's importance.

Segment 3: New roster, better offense?

 

(Keith Smith's article: https://www.spotrac.com/news/_/id/3424/2026-nba-western-conference-summer-league-notebook)

 

Photo credit:  Rob Gray-Imagn Images

 

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The Lakers are a radically different team this year than last. Better? Worse? About the same? 

You could make an argument for all three. But at the least, it's easy to say that the team's floor could be a little higher, assuming good health. And any drop off really depends a lot on your thoughts about losing LeBron. What does it mean that he's no longer on the roster, even as the Lakers arguably improved in a lot of other places? 

There's definitely a blueprint in place, even if the construction isn't complete at this point. 

At the same time, the Western Conference itself has been pretty radically reshaped. While the teams at the top are still quite elite (San Antonio had a very low stress offseason, and the Thunder have so much depth they can handle a little bit of roster attrition), there are big question marks in Denver and Minnesota, at the least. Meanwhile, teams like Portland (post Ja Morant trade), Dallas (trying to win now, plus Kyrie is back) and Utah (trying to win now, have a solid roster) could/should win more (or even a lot more) games than last year. 

So where do the Lakers fit in? 

We discuss. 

 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers are much different. Are they better? Worse? About the same?

SEGMENT 2: What might make you more comfortable about their chances? 

SEGMENT 3: What about the rest of the West? 

Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub

 

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Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Join all the action at https://FANDUEL.COMto play Daily Dingers and make your free pick on who’s hitting a homer this MLB season.

 

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

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