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Los Angeles Lakers: 5 takeaways from the 2018-19 NBA season

By Tony Pesta

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 24: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during a game against the Sacramento Kings at Staples Center on March 24, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images,)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 24: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during a game against the Sacramento Kings at Staples Center on March 24, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images,) /
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Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images /

2. The young core is not to blame

It is understandable that many people have been blaming the young core for the Lakers’ lack of success in 2018-19. The inexperienced players and a lack of development are easy scapegoats. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

The Lakers’ young core now consists of Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart. This group isn’t filled with superstars, but it is without a doubt one of the league’s strongest lineups of youth.

The two most promising players of this core are Ingram and Ball. Ingram showed flashes of offensive greatness for stretches of the season, while Lonzo was an elite perimeter defender at all times. If it wasn’t for injuries to both of these guys, the Lakers might have won more games.

Where the blame should be placed is on the veteran players that the Lakers foolishly signed last summer. Lance Stephenson, Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee and Michael Beasley had no place on this team. The signings of all of these players made very little sense, as most people could quickly see this collection of players would not work well together at all.

When asked about the front office’s “experiment” of signing these players, LeBron James simply made a raspberry sound. This should be enough to show how incompetent the signings were.

Luckily, the Lakers were at least bright enough to sign each of these veterans to one-year deals. This means L.A. can let them walk in free agency while shifting its attention to adding more 3-point shooters.

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