As he constructed seemingly an entire new roster in the past week, Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has become a mad scientist.
He has assembled another NBA super team with star power, familiar faces and distinct skillsets that inevitably make the Lakers championship contenders. He has also assembled a team that could self-destruct because of personality clashes, injuries and chemistry issues.
That makes this both exciting and excruciating for a Lakers franchise eager to win its 18th NBA championship after failing to defend their 2020 title with a first-round playoff exit to the Phoenix Suns. They really won’t know how this will play out until the actual games start. They really won’t know if early-season hiccups will lead to postseason failure. They really won’t know if early-season promise will lead to postseason prosperity. It seems that unpredictable.
With the past two years’ success and failure revolving around LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Pelinka has added two future Hall of Famers to their orbits. That includes Russell Westbrook, the nine-time All-Star who has climbed to the top of the NBA’s all-time triple double list by playing with fury at break-neck speed. That includes Carmelo Anthony, the 10-time All-Star and three-time Olympic gold medalist who has climbed to No. 10 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with his dominant post presence. After the Lakers’ supporting cast failed to offset either a limited or injured James and Davis consistently during the regular season and playoffs, Westbrook and Anthony have much more talent and mettle to relieve their burden. But after showing mixed progress during a two-year partnership in Oklahoma City, do Westbrook and Anthony have what it takes to share one ball with James and Davis en route to an NBA title?
The initial skepticism toward Westbrook does not just have to do with his mixed track record of playing with star players in Oklahoma City (Kevin Durant, Paul George, Anthony), Houston (James Harden) and Washington (Bradley Beal). It also has to do with what the Lakers gave to Washington, including the No. 22 pick in last week’s draft, an emerging young player (Kyle Kuzma), a dependable outside shooter and defender (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) and a bruiser whose offensive dominance became compromised with his defensive deficiencies (Montrezl Harrell). What’s the point in the Lakers adding another star player when they have limited cap space to address their outside shooting and defensive needs?
The Lakers answered those concerns, however, soon after free agency started. They landed a player who offered plenty of outside shooting and defense on their 2009 championship team (Trevor Ariza). They landed another player that offered the same qualities during rebuilding seasons in 2013-14 (Kent Bazemore) and 2014-15 (Wayne Ellington). They landed another player they may have regretted not keeping after helping them with rim protection on their 2020 title team (Dwight Howard). But that only sparked more concerns.
With Anthony (37), James (36), Marc Gasol (36), Ariza (36), Howard (35), Ellington (32), Bazemore (32) and Westbrook (32) either past or nearly past their prime, does it not seem inevitable that Father Time will deliver a lethal punch this season? With the 28-year-old Davis also nursing a checkered injury history, wouldn’t it be advisable to add more youth so the trainer’s room does not become so crowded?
On the second day of free agency, the Lakers seemed to address those concerns. They retained Talen-Horton Tucker on a three-year, $32 million deal after showing promise as a scorer and defender. The Lakers also added Kendrick Nunn and Malik Monk, two emerging young players who can offer the same qualities.
So where does this leave the Lakers? On paper, they have the NBA’s best roster. They have nearly as much star power as the Brooklyn Nets and certainly much more depth. But in reality? No one know for sure.
The only definitive conclusion on the Lakers’ offseason moves points to one they did not make. No matter what they have done before and after, it remains inexcusable not to re-sign Alex Caruso. He already had chemistry with the Lakers’ star players. Though his outside shooting touch came in waves, Caruso could always be relied on for his defense. And debate all you want about the Chicago Bulls offering Caruso too much with a four-year, $37 million deal. The Lakers could spend all they wanted on Caruso since they have his Bird rights, and salary cap rules restricted the Lakers from spending that money elsewhere. So the move reeked of wanting to save money, a disappointing development considering the Lakers historically have been willing to reward home-grown talent and spend more in pursuit of an NBA title.
Regardless of Caruso’s departure, the Lakers still put together a roster that yields both high reward and high risk.
The high-reward?
Westbrook and Anthony will offer their Hall of Fame talent while having a role player’s ego. Westbrook could reduce James’ ball-handling burden without recklessly forcing the issue and embolden Davis finally to become a full-time center. Just as he did in the past two seasons in Portland, Anthony could provide instant offense both as a starter and reserve without complaint. Collectively, Westbrook and Anthony could make it easier for the Lakers to limit James and Davis either for rest or an unforeseen injury. Heck, James and Davis could do the same for Westbrook and Anthony. Meanwhile, the Lakers’ veteran and young role players maximize their strengths and shield their weaknesses, while becoming ready to play in any rotation combination.
The high risk?
The Lakers’ star players get too much in their way. Even with the right intentions, James, Davis, Anthony and Westbrook could become an uncomfortable match. They could struggle with when to play fast and when to play slow. They could become paralyzed with determining who runs the offense and who scores. They could become frustrated with unforeseen injuries giving them little time to form chemistry. As for the role players? Some could become upset with inconsistent playing time. Some could become sluggish with various rotation combinations. Coach Frank Vogel could feel the strain of teaching, managing and learning about too many new players at once.
My hunch?
The Lakers’ high-stakes poker game will more likely lead to championship riches than a poor hand. Westbrook mostly showed he could coexist with Harden and Beal and will have every intention of doing the same with James, Davis and Anthony. Anthony has remained a proven scorer and even become a decent defender. The Lakers immediately addressed their 3-point shooting and defensive needs with familiar faces. As soon as I became worried with the team having too many veterans, the Lakers soon injected more youth. Still, they have so many moving parts that it should surprise no one if this ended in disaster.