Los Angeles Lakers: Time To Shake Things Up
The Los Angeles Lakers are not a good basketball team. You don’t need to look much further than their 1-9 record or their dead-last standing in the Western Conference to tell you that. The bottom of the barrel defensive rating is just further proof of their ineptitude, and while the offense is slightly above mediocre in terms of production, the club is far too reliant on Kobe Bryant — a strategy that will not hold up all season long if he’s forced to carry such a burden.
Sure, it’s early in the season. Sure, Nick Young is coming back soon. And, sure, this is the first year under a new regime, and things should get better over time.
But what’s the point?
Nick Young’s return is not going to make up the defensive deficiency that plagues the Lakers, and with their loss Sunday against the Golden State Warriors, the club fell 5.5 games out of the eighth seed in the Western Conference. That deficit wouldn’t be impossible given a team of competence, but with one win through 10 games, there is no hope for a playoff push. In the Western Conference, it’s more than likely the Lakers will be double-digit games back by early December.
So, what can this team do for progress? Shake things up.
More from Hoops Habit
- The 5 most dominant NBA players who never won a championship
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
Ronnie Price and Carlos Boozer likely will not be with the franchise next season. Combined these two players play about 50 minutes per contest; a total that is far too high for a team that should be focused on the development of younger players.
While I am not suggesting that Boozer stop seeing the floor entirely, it would benefit the Lakers in the long run to give Ed Davis or Ryan Kelly more playing time at the four position. These two could possibly help the Lakers going forward, and are young enough to improve to the point they become legitimate assets. Boozer, 32, has a contract that expires after the season, and it would be considered an off-season failure if he opened next season as a starter back with this team again.
Ronnie Price made the team because of Steve Nash’s injury, and he played well enough in the pre-season to make the team. He also hasn’t played terribly in his stint with the Lakers, but with a talent like Jordan Clarkson sitting behind him it just doesn’t add up to continue forward with the veteran. Of course, Clarkson seems to be playing a bit more than he was early on, but it’s entirely possible this is a future rotation player for the Lakers, and he should be getting as much run as he can handle at this point.
Jeremy Lin falls into this category as well, but depending on the market that forms for him, it’s possible he could be back next season or traded; and it’s likely in the Lakers best interest to develop him in their system as well as try to get his trade value up as much as they can.
In the end, despite being early in the campaign, it’s time to make some changes for the Los Angeles Lakers. The development of key young players will determine the success of this “lost” season, and the movement must come sooner rather than later.