Aloha,
AD has always preferred the 4 over the 5. And even when used as a 5 he was positioned out on the perimeter like a stretch 5. This was problematic the last few years considering he has lost his 3 point touch.
Coach Ham said enough. We are making you a low post center. And like a true center you will also anchor the defense. The result?
1st in the NBA in defensive rating.
1st in rebounding.
3rd in Blocks
Oh ya, he is averaging 27.5 a game to boot.
Last night not only did he have Poeitl, one of the best defensive centers in the league on him but he was also doubled every time he touched the ball. He still scored 25 on just 13 shots and just for fun, he added 15 boards
This is the blue print for any Laker success we have going forward. Now there isn’t a trade that will turn this team into a true contender. But if we could find a trade for a wing defender with size that can shoot, that is what we should spend trade assets on.
With AD playing this way, if we can see a little more of last years version of LeBron and if kids like Lonnie, Austin, Troy and Bryant can grow, this could be a fun team to watch.
Next summer we will have caps space with 2 way forwards like Jamari Grant, Dillion Brooks and Kuz among others available. We could sign one of those guys and probably retain Lonnie. I just want us to be very careful on who we trade for because we could build a very competitive team if we are smart. But then, we have Rob in charge… Oh well….
Currently mirroring my opinion. We don’t need Kyrie or another ball-dominant player. LeBron is that guy and we can probably retain Russ, or a similar player, for next seasons’ MLE or a reasonable sum. If I had to say right now : keep LW4, keep Bryant (vet min), keep TBJr. (Vet min), extend Reaves, and whatever on PatBev ( No higher than vet min). I’d even keep Wenyan on a vet min deal. I’d love to bring Kuzma back in all honesty. Fewer questions about fit.
Kuz is interesting. With the way he has played he will definitely opt out of his 13 mil contract. Right now the Wiz are playing okay at 10-9. If they start to go south will they trade a Kuz? That could be a possibility. If we are going to trade I would like to find a forward like Kuz with size and either under a reasonable contract, say 15 mil or a pending free agent with bird right. We could upgrade our weakest position and retain Lonnie if he continues. With the parity in both conferences this year, I don’t see a lot of big trade for a while. Not even around the 15th. When you look at it even the Lakers at 6-11 only have 2 more losses than the 6th seed Jazz. For the Lakers it’s always is about championships but for a lot of teams making the playoffs is a big deal. So unless there are injuries I don’t see many big trades until there is some separation in the standings.
I’d do PatBev and one of our FRPs for Kuz.
I don’t think this FO’s ego lets them trade back for the guys they stupidly let go.