Lakerholics

If the red-hot Lakers hope to repeat the 18–8 post All-Star run that carried them to last season’s conference finals, they’re going to have to do it amidst a brutal 12-game schedule where they will be the underdogs in 10 games.

The Lakers will not only be underdogs in 10 of their next 12 games but 9 of those 10 games will be against those same Western Conference teams who are tied or ahead of them in the standings based on total losses for season.
Those 2 games vs. the Warriors, 2 games vs. the Kings, and 5 games vs. the Suns, Clippers, Nuggets, Thunder, and Timberwolves will be the measuring stick that tells us whether the Lakers’ championship hopes are realistic.

Here’s the schedule for the next 12 games that’s likely to determine whether the Lakers are legitimate championship contenders or simply pretenders. The Spurs and Wizards are the only games where Lakers would be favored.

The problem the Lakers face is not the 3.5 games that separates them from 5th or 6th place in the West and an automatic playoff seed, it’s the 5 teams they have to climb over to get to 5th or 6th place with only 26 games left.

The Lakers’ next 12 games will decide their season. They must finish the next 12 games with an 8–4 record, which means winning 6 out of the 10 games in which they will be underdogs, an almost impossible challenge.
Frankly, the Lakers need to win more than they lose of the next 12 games to still have any realistic chance to make the top-6 in the West and get an automatic playoff seed. Finishing under .500 will doom them to the play-in.

The Lakers will need to come out of the All-Star break playing their best basketball of the season with their new starting lineup and rotation continuing to be the offensive juggernaut that’s found out how to win.

Tonight’s road game against the Warriors is a perfect example of the tough challenge the Lakers will face over the next 12 games. After 7 days off, L.A. is still struggling with injuries as LeBron James and Chris Wood will be out.

The Los Angeles Lakers start their challenging 12-game stretch with back-to-back road games against the Warriors and Spurs, missing James, Wood, Vincent, and Vanderbilt and with Christie and Reddish still questionable.
The Lakers and Warriors are tied for 9th in the West as each have 26 losses but Golden State has been one of the hottest teams in the NBA having won 8 of their last 10 games. Lakers won only match this season 145–144 in OT.

The Lakers desperately need to win tonight’s game against the Warriors, who will clearly be favored with the game in San Francisco and LeBron James out. Win tonight, and Lakers go up 2–0 vs. Warriors for the season.
Split the remaining 2 games with Golden State and Los Angeles would win the season series 3–1 and get home court advantage over the Warriors should the two teams end up meeting in the Western Conference playoffs.

At this point in the season, the Lakers currently own tie breakers against the Warriors, Thunder, Suns, Clippers, and Pelicans while the Nuggets, Timberwolves, Mavs, and Kings now own tie breakers over the Lakers.
How the Los Angeles Lakers fare over the next 12 games, including 9 games against their direct Western Conference competitors, will surely determine whether they’re legitimate contenders or simply pretenders to the throne.

The good news for the Lakers is they have the 4th easiest remaining schedule in the NBA for their last 26 games, which means after the next 12 extremely tough games, L.A.’s schedule down the stretch will be easier.
If LeBron and AD can remain healthy and D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura elevate their games to another level, the Lakers could be the lethally dangerous team nobody wants to meet in the playoffs.

The Lakers must play the best basketball of their season over the next 12 games if they want to have any chance to meet the Boston Celtics in the 2024 Finals in an epic battle to see which team wins their 18th NBA title.

The challenge for Darvin Ham will be how to integrate 4 defense-first role players returning from injury into the offense-first 9-man starting lineup and rotation that has transformed the Lakers into an offensive juggernaut.

There’s no question the Lakers’ new starting lineup of Russell, Reaves, Hachimura, James, and Davis and 4-man bench of Dinwiddie, Prince, Wood, and Hayes have been magnificent, winning 6 of their last 7 games.
The Lakers’ new 9-man rotation has increased their offensive rating to top-5 in the league with only a minor decrease in defensive rating in the 16 games since Ham decided to start Russell and Reaves as team’s backcourt.

But the likely need for better point-of-attack perimeter defense than what a Russell and Reaves backcourt could provide and the possible return from injury of Reddish, Christie, Vincent, and Vanderbilt could portend change. Everyone knows defense wins championships but the offensive talent in the NBA is now so dominant that ‘great offense beating great defense’ has become the norm, which is exactly what we’re seeing from the Lakers.

After struggling to build a defense-first starting lineup and rotation that could win games, Ham was forced by injuries to return to the same starting lineup the Lakers used to make it to the conference finals last season.
That current starting lineup of Russell, Reaves, Hachimura, James, and Davis and 9-player rotation with Dinwiddie, Prince, Wood, and Hayes as primary backups has been playing great during the last 16 games stretch.

Darvin Ham’s biggest mistake was forgetting how important great offense is to winning in the NBA. In retrospect, you build championship starting lineups by understanding that great offense usually beats great defense.
Ham should have prioritized continuity and stuck with the starting lineup that carried the Lakers to the conference finals instead of deciding to break up the Russell and Reaves starting backcourt because they couldn’t defend..

Let’s look at the options Ham could have to tweak the starting lineup and rotation with the signing of Spencer Dinwiddie and possible return from injury of Cam Reddish, Max Christie, Gabe Vincent, and Jarred Vanderbilt.

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Starting Lineup Options

While there are concerns whether D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves can be a championship backcourt, reports indicate the Lakers would prefer to retain the current starting lineup for continuity for the foreseeable future.

There’s no question experience playing with each other was a major factor in how quickly and easily it was for the core group from last year’s starting lineup to immediately click and gain rapport when playing together again. Considering DLO’s evolution as third star, Reaves’ resurgence after a tough start, Davis’ emergence as a legitimate point center, and Rui’s embrace of full playoff-mode attack, this could be LeBron’s best supporting cast ever.

The only reason the Lakers should consider changing the current starting lineup of D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis would be for better point-of-attack perimeter defense.
There certainly will be matchups where the Lakers could benefit from having a better point-of-attack perimeter defender like Dinwiddie, Vincent, Reddish, Christie, or Vanderbilt if he can return before the end of season.

The single obvious move the Lakers could consider would be to revert to the starting lineup they used to get to the conference finals last season, which would mean Jarred Vanderbilt replacing Rui Hachimura at the three.
That’s a change the Lakers would be smart to consider heading into the playoffs should Vanderbilt’s injury turn out not to be season-ending. Vando is the one defender who is a big enough difference maker to be a starter.

The other possible starting lineup the Lakers should consider is Spencer Dinwiddie replacing Rui Hachimura, which would essentially have the Lakers playing a three-guard lineup with Russell, Reaves, and Dinwiddie. Everybody knows Darvin Ham loves 3-guard lineups so expect to see a lot of Russell, Reaves, and Dinwiddie lineups, especially when teams go small. Dinwiddie just has a bigger bag of skills to impact teammates than Rui.

In the end, the Lakers are likely to continue Russell, Reaves, Hachimura, James, and Davis as starters for the remaining 26 games on the regular season schedule and trust they have the bench to backup their starters.

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Primary Backup Options

The Lakers current 9-man rotation includes a bench of new point guard Spencer Dinwiddie, former starter Taurean Prince, stretch four Christian Wood, and athletic rim protector and offensive rebounder Jaxson Hayes.

The challenge facing Lakers’ coach Darvin Ham is what does he do when Cam Reddish, Max Christie, and Gabe Vincent are finally healthy and ready to go or if Jarred Vanderbilt’s injury is not season-ending and he’s available?
Ham would be smart to not try and force Reddish, Christie, or Vincent into the current rotation unless there’s an injury. Frankly, Vanderbilt is the only one of the four returning defenders that clearly deserves rotation minutes.

The 30–26 Lakers have won 3 in a row and 6 of last 7 games. They’re 9th in the West and with 26 games left, 2.0 games behind the Kings for 8th, 2.5 behind the Mavs for 7th, and 3.5 games behind Pelicans and Suns for 5th. Last season, the Lakers were 25–31 after 56 games and 13th in the West, forcing them to go 18–8 over last 26 games to finish 43–39 and 7th in West. If the Lakers can go 18–8 this year, they’d finish 48–34 and be 5th in West.

The Lakers need to commit to the current offensive-oriented starting lineup and 9-man rotation. Right now, the best backups for Russell and Reaves are Dinwiddie and Christie, who are both better defensively.
While the Lakers could certainly use the defense Christie and Reddish could provide now and Vincent and Vanderbilt might be able to provide later, Ham needs to be careful not to stifle their offensive juggernaut.

Ham’s best strategy is to limit changes to the Lakers’ current 9-man rotation to adding one additional perimeter defender to create a 10-man rotation, which could be scaled down further once the team makes the playoffs.
The key to the Lakers being able to replicate last season’s stretch run is health. Right now, the team is close to being as healthy as they have been all season. Their path to the playoffs should be much easier this season.

The Lakers should commit to a new 10-player rotation with Russell, Reaves, Hachimura, James, and Davis as the starting lineup and Dinwiddie, Prince, Vanderbilt (Christie if no Vando), Wood, and Hayes coming off the bench.

The Lakers used D’Angelo Russell’s evolution, Austin Reaves’ resurgence, Anthony Davis’ playmaking, an all-offense starting lineup, and a 3-point shooting revolution to reinvent themselves as an offensive juggernaut.

After spending the season’s first 40 games trying to build a defense-first starting lineup and rotation, the Lakers suddenly surprised everybody and spent the last 16 games reinventing themselves as an offensive juggernaut.
With injuries to the team’s top defenders like Vanderbilt, Vincent, Reddish, and Christie, Ham was finally forced to play his top offensive players in a move that may have changed everything and saved the Lakers’ season.

For the first 40 games of the season, the 19–21 Lakers were firmly mired in 13th place in the Western Conference with a low offensive rating of 112.2 (#23), fair defensive rating of 114.0 (#14), and poor net rating of -1.8 (#21).
Over the last 16 games, the Lakers turned their season around, winning 11 of 16, solidifying 9th place in the West, and posting elite offensive rating of 120.2 (#4), defensive rating of 116.5 (#21), and net rating of +3.7 (#8).

The Lakers raised their offensive rating from 112.1 the first 40 games to 120.2 last 16 games, an offensive boost of 8.1 points per game at a cost of just 2.5 points per game on defense, for a net improvement of +5.6 points.
The 30–26 Lakers have won 3 straight and 6 of last 7 games, They’re 9th in the West, 2 games behind Kings for 8th, 2.5 games behind Mavs for 7th, and just 3.5 games behind Pelicans for 6th and Suns for 5th seed in the West.

So let’s take a deeper dive into how the Los Angeles Lakers reinvented themselves as an offensive juggernaut and repositioned themselves as the NBA team that other playoff teams do not want to meet in the playoffs.

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D’Angelo Russell’s Evolution

D’Angelo Russell’s evolution into the difference-making third star and elite volume 3-point shooter the Lakers desperately need has been the driving force behind their emergence as a legitimate championship contender.

During the season’s first 40 games, Russell posted 15.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks in 29.1 minutes per game, while shooting 47.1% from the field, 39.4% from deep, and 76.0% from the line.
During the season’s last 16 games, DLO averaged 22.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks in 36.4 minutes per game, while shooting 45.5% from the field, 45.3% from deep, and 88.2% from the line.

It’s no coincidence that the Lakers rise from the dead began when Darvin Ham decided to give the starting point guard job back to D’Angelo Russell 17 games ago as L.A. fell 2 games under .500 despite DLO’s 39-point night.
What changed that night was Russell deciding the best way he could complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis was to always be in attack mode to take advantage of them rather than always deferring to them.

As simplistic or naive as that decision might have been, give D’Angelo credit for going out over the last 15 games and proving that his theory was right and triggering a dramatic Lakers turnaround over the last 16 games.
During that 16 game run, Russell’s ppg jumped from 15.4 to 22.3, mpg from 29.1 to 36.4, FGA pg from 12.4 to 17.0, 3PA pg from 5.5 to 8.5, and 3PM pg from 2.2 to 3.9, 3P% pg from 39.4% to 45.3%, FT% from 76.0% to 88.2%.

Whether D’Angelo Russell can sustain this level of play will be a major factor in the Lakers becoming a legitimate championship contender the second half of the season and DLO earning a home in purple and gold.

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Austin Reaves’ Resurgence

Austin Reaves’ resurgence over the last 15 games, following a subpar first 40 games of the season and concerns over his defense, eased any concerns the Lakers had about his future as they refused to trade him for Dejounte.

During the season’s first 40 games, Reaves posted 15.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.1 blocks in 30.0 minutes per game, while shooting 48.7% from the field, 34.4% from deep, and 86.9% from the line.
During the season’s last 16 games, Austin averaged 17.5 points, 3.1 boards, 6.2 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.4 blocks in 33.8 minutes per game, while shooting 49.5% from the field, 40.1% from deep, and 85.0% from the line.

While Reaves did not need to reinvent his game like Russell to secure his starting role, he did need to show he could be counted on to be a strong enough scorer, playmaker, and defender to start on a championship team.
While Austin raised his level of play over the last 16 games, the Lakers may still want better perimeter defense than a Russell and Reaves backcourt could deliver, especially when defenders like Vando and Reddish get back.

Right now, Reaves is playing like he did during last season’s playoffs. His pairing with Russell has been special, shooting lights out from deep and showing his skill in getting buckets, free throws, and dimes in the paint.
Reaves’ biggest problem is his team-first attitude and willingness to come off the bench could make him vulnerable to being replaced as a starter by a better defender like Vanderbilt, Reddish, Vincent, Christie, or Dinwiddie.

Austin Reaves continues to grow in his role as the Lakers’ fourth star behind LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and D’Angelo Russell. He’s met the challenge by giving the Lakers’ starting lineup a fourth offensive star.

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Anthony Davis’ Playmaking

The development of Anthony Davis as an elite playmaker not only elevated his offensive repertoire to the superstar level of his defensive arsenal but also turbo charged the Lakers’ elite new AD-centric half-court offense.

During the season’s first 40 games, Davis posted 25.1 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.6 blocks in 36.1 minutes per game, while shooting 55.1% from the field, 33.3% from deep, and 81.0% from the line.
During the season’s last 16 games, Anthony posted 24.4 points, 12.4 boards, 4.7 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.4 blocks in 34.7 minutes per game, while shooting 55.6% from the field, 20.0% from deep, and 80.7% from the line.

The big statistical difference for Anthony Davis between the first 40 games and the last 16 games was the jump in assists from 3.5 to 4.7 per game. Through his 12-year career, Davis has averaged only 2.5 assists per game.
Davis’ improved passing has also caught the eye-tests of the announcers and pundits covering the NBA. Per Lakers, Davis been working a lot with James this season to improve his passing as a counter to double teams.

During their first 40 games when defense took priority over offense, the Lakers averaged 114.1 points per game, 19th in the league. During the last 16 games, the Lakers averaged 124.2 points per game, 2nd to Warriors.
During the Lakers’ first 40 games, the Lakers averaged 27.7 assists per game, which was 8th in the league. During the last 16 games, the Lakers have averaged 30.6 assists per game, which was 1st in the entire league.

Anthony Davis’ improved playmaking has transformed the Lakers’ half-court offense. AD’s ability to playmake at a superstar level has transformed their moribund half-court offense into a championship caliber attack.

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All-Offense Starting Lineup

After 40-games of constant starting lineup tinkering and controversy, injuries to defenders finally forced Lakers’ head coach Darvin Ham to return to a D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves offense-first backcourt.

The benefits of the Lakers finally having a modern lineup with five players who can space the court, make plays for their teammates, and were key to making last year’s conference finals were obvious over the last 16 games. Suddenly, the lack of continuity and chemistry that plagued the first 40 games seemed to magically disappear the last 16 games with the Lakers’ new starting lineup of Russell, Reaves, Hachimura, James, and Davis.

One of the major coaching challenges in the NBA is finding that critical balance between offense and defense that would optimize winning and Lakers’ head coach Darvin Ham has certainly struggled with that issue.
While there’s truth in the cliche that defense wins championships, the goal of the game of basketball is to put the ball through the hoop more times than your opponent does. That’s a lesson Darvin Ham needed to learn.

The Lakers’ new offense-first starting lineup may still need better perimeter defense down the line but for now it’s brought desperately needed continuity and stability for the team’s entire 12-man rotation.
The bigger challenge will come when the Lakers return to play the remaining 26 games on the schedule with a goal of at least climbing into the top-6 teams in the West to get a guaranteed seed in the playoffs.

Injuries and coaching inexperience led the Lakers to struggle with their starting lineups during the first 40 games but their new all-offense starting lineup of Russell, Reaves, Hachimura, James, and Davis is a big winner.

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3-Point Shooting Revolution

What D’Angelo Russell’s evolution, Austin Reaves’ resurgence, Anthony Davis’ playmaking, and an all-offense starting lineup have done is launch a 3-point revolution to transform the Lakers into an offensive juggernaut.

During the first 40 games of the season, the Lakers were 28th in the league with only 10.9 made threes per game, 30th in the league with just 30.5 attempted threes per game, and 22nd in league shooting 35.8% on threes.
During the last 16 games, however, the Lakers ranked 16th in the league with 12.4 made threes per game, 25th in the league with 31.2 attempted threes per game, and 3rd in the entire league shooting 39.9% on threes.

The main benefit of the Lakers’ 3-point revolution is how it changes their blueprint of how to win games, which is dominate points-in-the-paint and made-free-throws to overcome their usual negative 3-point differential.
While sustaining this level of 3-point shooting may be hard, the Lakers’ enhancements were due to better process, more spacing, fewer turnovers, smarter shot selection, improved ball movement, and increased assists.

During the first 40 games, the Lakers 3-point differential was -10.5 points per game. During the last 16 games, that same differential was just -3.6 points per game, a 3-point differential improvement of 6.9 points per game.
During first 40 games, Lakers lost 3PM by 10.5 points but won PIP and FTM by 8.6 points for a -1.9 net difference. Over last 16 games, they won 3PM by 6.9 points and PIP and FTM by 9.5 points for a 16.5 point net differential.

The Lakers have parlayed D’Angelo Russell’s evolution, Austin Reaves’ resurgence, Anthony Davis’ playmaking, and a new all-offense starting lineup into a 3-point revolution that’s transformed their blueprint to win.

The Lakers need a 3&D starting point guard to anchor their perimeter defense, a starting shooting guard to provide high volume, high percentage 3-point shooting, and a backup center to protect the rim when AD rests.

The above photo presents the Lakers three best options for starting point guard (Murray, Smart, Brogdon), starting shooting guard (Bogdanovic, Hield, and Kennard), and backup center (Olynyk, Gafford, and Claxton).
Strategically, the Lakers need to spend whatever draft capital is necessary to pull off blockbuster trades that bring back one of the three candidates for starting point guard, starting shooting guard, and backup center.

With just 4 days until the trade deadline, there will be heavy pressure on Rob Pelinka to somehow, someway replicate the great trade deadline moves from last season that turned the Lakers into a playoff juggernaut.
While last trade deadline only included one first round draft pick, L.A. will have to spend more draft capital this trade deadline, including their 2029 first round pick plus pick swaps for their 2028 and 2030 first round picks.

With their recent impressive wins over the Celtics and Knicks, the Lakers may have turned the corner with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Austin Reaves playing like they did to make the conference finals last season.
LeBron James has once again used social media to put pressure on the Lakers’ front office to pull off a series of blockbuster trades to upgrade the roster and give the team a chance to go after their 18th NBA championship.

Here are the Lakers’ best options for a starting point guard who’s an elite point-of-attack defender, starting shooting guard who takes and makes volume threes, and a backup center to protect the rim when Davis rests.

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Starting Point Guard

The Lakers’ greatest need is to replace D’Angelo Russell with a legitimate two-way point guard who can create plays for teammates, shoot the three with volume and accuracy, and anchor the team’s point-of-attack defense.

Frankly, there simply aren’t many point guards who meet those criteria. For the Lakers, Dejounte Murray is the premier choice because he has the needed speed and athleticism plus shooting stroke and defense mentality.
While he’s not as good an offensive player as Murray, Marcus Smart is a former DPOY and the best defensive oriented point guard the Lakers could trade for. Smart would be a great second option if L.A. cannot land Murray.

Should the Lakers be unable to work out a trade for Dejounte Murray or Marcus Smart, then their next best point guard option is probably Malcolm Brogdon, who would be a more trustworthy version of D’Angelo Russell.
With just four days remaining before the trade deadline, the Lakers have reportedly made Austin Reaves untouchable unless for a legit superstar and are looking to trade Russell, Vincent, Hachimura, and Hood-Schifino

Trading D’Angelo Russell has become a perplexing challenge for the Lakers in multiple ways. First, DLO has been playing so well that he’s making it difficult to let him go much less to find a replacement that’s an upgrade.
Second, Lakers desperately need to improve their backcourt defense but do not want to sacrifice desperately needed backcourt offense to get better defensively. That’s the conundrum of trying to upgrade D’Angelo Russell.

In the end, Dejounte Murray is the only point guard candidate who will be an upgrade offensively as well as defensively over D’Angelo Russell, which is why he is the player who’s at the top of the Lakers trade board right now.

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Starting Shooting Guard

Next to a new two-way point guard, the Lakers’ greatest need is a starting shooting guard who can take 7 to 9 and make 3 to 4 threes per game to help reduce the team’s current 9-points per game negative 3-point differential.

The Lakers 3-point shooting percentage has actually gotten much better over the last stretch of games. The Lakers as a team are currently shooting 37.0% from deep, which ranks as the league’s 13th best 3-point percentage.
Unfortunately, the Lakers shoot and make so few 3-point shots that they’re outscored by 9-points per game from deep and rank dead last in the NBA in 3-point shots taken and dead last in the NBA in made 3-point shots allowed.

What the Lakers need is a starting shooting guard who takes and makes enough 3-point shots to cut the Lakers negative 9-points per game 3-point differential in half by adding 3 to 4 threes to their 11.3 makes per game.
Bogdan Bogdanovic should be the Lakers’ new starting shooting guard and volume 3-point specialist because he takes and makes the most 3-point shots per game of the three candidates and has rapport with Murray.

Bogdan Bogdanovic is averaging 17.2/3.1/2.7 with 1.3 steals in 28.8 mpg. He ranks 15th in 3PM with 3.1 per game on 8.4 attempts for 37.0%. He’s clearly the perfect backcourt complement to Hawks’ point guard Dejounte Murray.
Buddy Hield is averaging 17.0/3.2/2.6 with 0.6 steals in 25.7 mpg and ranks 32nd in 3PM with 2.6 3PM per game. Luke Kennard is averaging 10.4/3.1/3.0 with 0.4 steals in 24.4 mpg and ranks 30th in 3PM with 2.7 3PM per game.

The Lakers should expand their trade for Hawks’ point guard Dejounte Murray to include Hawk’s shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, which would give the Lakers their first modern championship backcourt of the future.

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Backup Rim Protector

Besides a new starting backcourt, the Los Angeles Lakers other major rotation need was for a second big who could either start next to Anthony Davis in a two-bigs lineup or back him up when he rest on the bench.

The Lakers top candidate to be backup rim protector is Nic Claxton, who averages 12.4/10.5/2.0 with 2.2 blocks and 0.7 steals in 29.6 mpg. 24-year old Claxton is 6′ 11″ and 215 lbs and is a ferocious rebounder and shot blocker.
Claxton’s two competitors are the Wizards’ Daniel Gafford, who averaged 10.7/7.9/1.6 with 2.1 blocks and 1.0 steals in 26.3 mpg and the Jazz’ Kelly Olynyk, who averages 8.1/5.1/4.3 with 0.3 steals and 0.8 blocks in 20.5 mpg.

While Claxton and Gafford are perfect fits as backup rim protector, Olynyk is really a totally different kind of option for backup center, which is a big who can stretch the floor, attack the paint, and make plays for teammates.
The Lakers also have interest in Kris Dunn, a combo guard who could help replace the lost point-of-attack defense L.A. has lost due to Vanderbilt’s injury. A trade for Olynyk and Dunn could be something L.A. might do.

Whom the Lakers chose to be their backup center will likely depend on who can be acquired for the least amount of draft capital. All three centers earn around the MLE. The Lakers would likely take whomever costs less.
It’s even not impossible that the Lakers trade for two centers. I could see a scenario where L.A. traded for Olynyk to start and Claxton to backup.

Bottom line, the Lakers need an upgrade at backup center that is a better rim protector than Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood or has the versatile offensive game of Kelly Olynyk that could transform the Lakers’ offense.

The Los Angeles Lakers must go-all in on a blockbuster trade before the deadline because they won’t have many more, if any, seasons like this left where both LeBron James and Anthony Davis are healthy and thriving.

The Lakers understand that the roster they’ve built around superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis has seriously flaws. They need better point-of-attack defense, 3-point shooting, and backup rim protection.
L.A.’s’ top options to fix their perimeter defense, long range shooting, and rim defense when AD rests are 3&D point guard Dejounte Murray, volume 3-point shooter Bogdan Bogdanovic, and defensive center Nic Claxton.

Strategically, the Lakers don’t have coveted mid-sized or large expiring contracts to trade, which means young players with upside like Austin Reaves and Max Christy or first round picks and swaps are their chips.
Since there will probably be more buyers than sellers at the trade deadline, the Lakers best trade strategy should be hold onto Reaves and Christie but give up their 2029 or 2030 first round pick plus a couple of pick swaps.

While it always seems like the Lakers’ chips are undervalued while their trade targets overvalued, Pelinka got great value for the pieces he moved last trade deadline so hopefully he’ll be able to repeat that strategy again.
The Lakers are counting on Rob Pelinka being able to replicate his trade deadline magic from last season and somehow, someway pull off a mega trade for Dejounte Murray, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Nic Claxton.

Let’s take a look at what a trade for Dejounte Murray, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Nic Claxton could look like, what their roles on the Lakers would be, and how each could individually help the Lakers win the championship.

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Lakers, Hawks, & Nets 3-Team Trade

The Lakers trade a package of D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Jalen Hood-Schifino, their protected 2029 pick, and 2028 and 2030 pick swaps for Dejounte Murray, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Nic Claxton.

Dejounte Murray gives the Lakers the speedy and athletic point-of-attack defender they need to transform their perimeter defense while Bogdanovic fills their need for an elite high volume, high percentage 3-point specialist.
Claxton gives the Lakers an elite rim protector and athletic dunker who could start alongside Anthony Davis in a two-bigs starting lineup and/or anchor the team defensively whenever Davis goes to the bench to rest.

The blockbuster trade gives the Lakers their new 3&D backcourt of the future with Dejounte Murray and Bogdan Bogdanovic, a major upgrade offensively and defensively over D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves.
The trade improves the Lakers by adding three rotation players, including two upgraded starters, while losing just two rotation players in Russell and Hachimura, since Hood-Schifino and Vincent have been non-factors.

Most importantly, the trade goes a long way towards fixing the Lakers three major issues: point-of-attack defense, 3-point shooting, and rim protection when Davis is on the bench, without sacrificing roster depth or diversity.
Imagine Lakers’ starting lineup of Dejounte Murray, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Jarred Vanderbilt, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis, backed up by Austin Reaves, Max Christie, Taurean Prince, Christin Wood, and Nix Claxton.

While costing Russell and Hachimura, one of next summer’s three picks, and two of the team’s six potential pick swaps, the trade would transform the Lakers from a play-in squad to a legitimate championship caliber team.

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Dejounte Murray, Point Guard of Future

The key player in the 7-player trade between the Lakers, Hawks, and Nets is without question Dejounte Murray, whom Los Angeles is hoping will have a breakout season and become the team’s two-way point guard of the future.

The Lakers are hoping Dejounte, freed from having to share the ball with Trae, will enjoy a season like his final season with the Spurs when he was the primary point guard and won NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors. Murray averaged 21.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 9.2 assists, and 2.0 steals in 34.8 minutes per game that season, was traded to the Hawks for filler and 3 first round picks, and then signed a 4-year $114 million extension with Atlanta.

While he’s maintained his shot attempts and points per game playing with Trae, Dejounte’s rebounds and assists per game have declined from 8.3 and 9.2 per game when with the Spurs to 5.1 and 5.2 per game with the Hawks.
The Lakers hope Dejounte Murray’s game will be unleashed by not having to share the ball with Trae Young in the same way that Tyrese Haliburton’s game was unleashed by not having to share the ball with De’Aaron Fox.

While there are concerns that Dejounte’s defense may have regressed while playing for the Hawks and that his dramatically improved 3-point shooting this season may not be sustainable, L.A. still believes Murray’s the answer.
The challenge will be convincing the Hawks to give up Dejounte Murray and Bogdan Bogdanovic without receiving Austin Reaves as part of return. I’m hoping Pelinka can somehow get the Hawks to agree to the deal.

With the recent injury news about Jarred Vanderbilt, the pressure on the Lakers to trade for Dejounte Murray is only going to increase as they now desperately need an elite point-of-attack defender to be a legit contender.

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Bogdan Bogdanovic, Volume #3-Point Shooter

Bogdan Bogdanovic is the perfect high volume, high percentage 3-point shooter to give the Lakers the 3 or 4 made threes per game they need to reduce their 10-points per game negative 3-point shooting differential.

Despite ranking 14th in the league with a 36.9% percentage from deep, the Lakers still rank 30th or dead last in the league with just 30.7 attempted threes per game and 28th in the league with 10.8 made threes per game.
The Lakers problem is they simply do not take enough 3-point attempts per game to make enough 3-point shots to keep pace with their opponents. Instead, the try to offset poor shooting with paint points and free throws.

What the Lakers need are players who take 8 to 10 threes per game and make 3 to 4 of them. Bogdanovic currently makes 3.2 out of 8.4 threes taken per game (both more than anybody on Lakers) for a 37.5% clip.
Add those stats to Murray’s 2.3 makes out of 6.2 takes for 37.6% and Lakers’ new backcourt makes 5.5 threes out of 14.6 attempts for 37.5% vs. 4.3 makes out of 10.9 attempts for 39.4% for Russell and Reaves combined.

That’s 1.2 made threes per game or 3.6 points. Were the Lakers to increase their made threes per game from its current 11.3 per game to 12.5 per game, they would jump from 28th to 15th in the league in made threes.
Having just one high volume 3-point shooter like Bogdan could cut the Lakers’ usual 10-point per game negative 3-point shooting differential in half and eliminate a lot of those losses because Lakers cannot shoot.

The Lakers can transform their winning blueprint by adding a proven high volume, high percentage 3-point shooter like Bogdan Bogdanovic who can cut their 10-point per game negative 3-point shooting differential in half.

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Nic Claxton, Rim Attacker and Protector

Word that Brooklyn is willing to consider trading center Nic Claxton could be the news the Lakers were waiting to hear as the Nets’ defensive center is exactly what the Lakers need a second big to play with and backup AD.

Claxton is 24-year old, 5-year veteran center averaging 12.4 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 2.1 blocks, and 0.7 steals in 29.8 minutes per game. Nic could start alongside Anthony Davis or back him up off the bench.
Nic’s 6′ 11″ and 215 lbs would give the Lakers another elite defensive big to help them deal with teams with jumbo big centers like the Nuggets with Jokic, Celtics with Porzingis, 76ers with Embiid, and Bucks with Lopez.

Having a second elite rim protector would allow Lakers’ coach Darvin Ham to have a proven quality shot blocker on the court all 48 minutes of a game, Right now, the Lakers leak points in the paint like water when Davis sits.
Having Claxton to anchor the defense when AD is on the bench should be a major upgrade over Christian Wood or Jaxson Hayes. It will enable Wood to focus on continuing to be the Lakers stretch big when they need spacing.

Rebounding is the other area where Nic Claxton will be extremely valuable. Having a second big who can average double-digit rebounds can only help the Lakers generate more dominant offense and defense in the paint.
Claxton’s 3.0 offensive rebounds per game will also be a big factor as well his ability to throw down monster dunks and create highlight reel blocks to thrill and excite his teammates. Nic’s sure to become a Lakers fan favorite.

While the Lakers major need was to upgrade their offense, choosing Claxton over a stretch center like Kelly Olynyk would essentially be the Lakers doubling down on defense being the team’s primary identity.