The Los Angeles Lakers came into this offseason with a lot of cap space, which meant that they could finally build a team around Luka Doncic. LA promised Doncic that this summer would be the one where they upgrade the roster in a meaningful way and so far, they have done that.
Maximizing Doncic’s prime is the number one goal for the Lakers and after the departure of LeBron James, it is truly Doncic’s team now.
In a tough Western Conference, LA had a lot of work to do and while they still have their flaws, they are in an overall better spot.
The Lakers’ roster has improved a lot since the end of the season
Their big move was acquiring Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz. Kessler missed most of last season due to a shoulder injury, but has quickly emerged as one of the better rebounders and rim protectors in the league, two areas the Lakers needed an upgrade in.
They also brought back Austin Reaves, replenished their guard depth by signing Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton, brought in low budget wings in Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle, and signed big men Sandro Mamukelashvili and Kevon Looney.
They also drafted Cameron Carr, who has a lot of upside and can become a rotation piece on day 1 and a long-term starter down the line.
LA has a nice blend of shooting and shot creation next to their star backcourt of Doncic and Reaves, showing that the team is going to lean into their offense more than ever this season. While the addition of Thybulle, Williams, and Kessler help with the defense, the Lakers do need more on that end of the floor, especially given the fact that neither Doncic or Reaves are strong defenders.
Nonetheless though, this team will have an explosive offense and will be very fun to watch. Doncic and Reaves showed great synergy together last season, Grimes and Sexton have shown that they can fill it up off the bench, and Carr will benefit from an off-ball role that includes shooting and cutting for easy dunks. One miss for them though was not bringing back Rui Hachimura and Marcus Smart, both of whom signed cheap contracts in free agency. They would have added even more to this roster.
This roster for LA is by no means perfect, but they are deeper than they were at season’s end, and with Doncic and Reaves leading the way, they should have one of the best offenses in the West. They do need more on the wings, but the hope is Carr develops into the long-term answer there and he has all the tools to do so. Overall though, they used their space wisely this summer.
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