Frank Vogel declaring the Lakers’ top ranked defense or deep and talented roster is their third star makes for a great sound bite but the truth is none of the team’s role players have the skillset or mindset to be the ‘ Next Man Up.’
In the end, the Lakers’ opportunity to repeat as champs may fail due to their lack one or more players with star potential willing to accept a lessor role to win a ring but capable of taking their game to another level when needed. Robert Horry, Dennis Rodman, Tony Parker, Andre Iguodala, Rajon Rondo. Players who can step up and play like a star and save the day. Players who become stars given the opportunity. That’s what the Lakers are missing.
Playoff Rondo is now playing for the Clippers. Maybe Kenny will suddenly find his mojo again and we’ll see Playoff KCP or maybe Kuz will wake from his funk and finally deliver the promise he showed early. Maybe. Maybe.
The injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis have exposed the Lakers’ Achilles heel, which is they are overly reliant on their two superstars and don’t have any other players on the roster capable of rising to the occasion.
No disrespect but Dennis Schroder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Alex Caruso, Wesley Matthews, Markieff Morris, Marc Gasol, Talen Horton-Tucker, or Andre Drummond are not potential stars. They’re a collection of flawed role players whose skills and abilities are expanded and magnified playing with LeBron James and Anthony Davis but diminished and limited when forced to play outside their roles.
That was painfully obvious watching the Lakers lose to the Bucks last night. While they might be able to pull out a win here or there against a team like the Cavs or Magic, they have no chance of beating a team with a superstar. Unless one of their role players suddenly transforms into a star or the team miraculously clicks and synergy overpowers reality, the Lakers are headed for 7th or 8th in the West at best and a ticket to the Play-In Tournament.
Dennis Schroder and Montrezl Harrell can create energy and get you points but they’re not what the Lakers need at point guard offensively or center defensively. They’re short term solutions that will move on this summer. Kuzma and Caldwell-Pope were hoped to be long term parts of the puzzle but are looking more and more like trading chips the Lakers will be forced to cash in this summer to solve their problems at point guard and center.
Bench GOAT Caruso and budding star Horton-Tucker will be free agents looking for raises this summer. Both are fan favorites whom the Lakers have rights and are expected to go over the cap to retain on the roster. Then there are Gasol and Mathews, both of whom are older veterans who have struggled to live up expectations but have little value as trading chips and are likely to be odd men out come the stretch run and the playoffs.
The Lakers deep and talented roster is a mirage that disappears without LeBron James and Anthony Davis. There’s simply nobody on the roster who can be counted upon to take his game to the next level with needed.
Jeanie Buss, Rob Pelinka, Frank Vogel, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Laker players to a man still believe they can still win the championship regardless of where they’re seed or who the opposition turns out to be.
The Lakers hoped Andre Drummond might be third star they’ll need should they make it to the NBA Finals and get an opportunity to play the Nets and their Superstar Big Three of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden. Based on what we saw last night against the Bucks, it looks like Drummond won’t be the third star the Lakers were hoping and praying would solve their rim protection and low post scoring woes until LeBron and AD return.
That’s disappointing but not unexpected. The Los Angeles Lakers’ front office apparently believes all the team needs to repeat is for LeBron James and Anthony Davis to be healthy and ready to play in time for the playoffs. The problem is this is not last year in the bubble where the Lakers luckily avoiding playing the Clippers and Bucks, their top two competitors. The Lakers will likely face a playoff quarter of the Suns, Clippers, Jazz, and Nets.
The Lakers had a chance to trade some of their role player depth and talent to add a second tier star like Kyle Lowry or Victor Oladipo to their roster but opted instead to gamble that Andre Drummond could be that third star. While the Lakers bet on Andre Drummond, the Nets added Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge, the Clippers Rajon Rondo and DeMarcus Cousins, the Heat Victor Oladipo and Trevor Ariza, and the Nuggets Aaron Gordon.
The Lakers have one roster spot left and would be smart to be patient and use it on a player who could be a difference maker, who could be that third star they need to run the playoff gauntlet and match up with Brooklyn.
At the heart of the Lakers lack of a third star who can pick up the slack and be the ‘next man up’ when a superstar goes down is the Lakers always deciding not to add that player because of fit. Well, we’ve seen now that fit isn’t what the team needs when LeBron and AD are missing. They need guys who want to be alpha players, not guys who want to ‘fit.’ Chemistry is a poor substitute when what you need is a guy who fill it up or get buckets. Trezz is the closest we have for that and maybe the worst fit. Dennis comes in second but neither can carry water for LeBron or AD when it comes down to it.
The Lakers looked at several guys who could have and rejected them at the time, usually with my agreement. DeMar DeRozan, maybe LaMarcus Aldridge, Victor Oladipo, Kyle Lowry. All of these were guys whom you could count to step up and keep you winning until LeBron and AD returned. In retrospect, maybe star potential or “next man up’ potential is something the Lakers should have valued more as part of a great roster because shit always seems to happen. Counting on two years straight with no major injuries was probably unrealistic.
There’s little we can do about it right now but it’s something that’s likely to be a dominant part of the conversation come this summer, especially if the Lakers don’t win it all. LeBron will be another year older and we will desperately need a new starting point guard and center to threepeat or win two out of three. Whomever we pursue has to has to be able to take over for LeBron or AD if they get injured. He has to have star potential.
Where this lack of a third star who can elevate his game when needed is going to come back and haunt the Lakers is if we make it to the Finals and play the Nets. Right now, that’s a series where the Lakers are always going to be playing 2 against 3 or 1 against 2 superstars.
The only guy on the roster (LBJ & The Real AD) I would try to kkep if not too much $$ would be Trezz. EVERYONE else would be out the door if need be to sign a Super.
While I agree that the Lakers are certainly lacking in star power this level of injury, to the 2 specific players who generate the Laker offense via their talent and skill, is an un-absorbable issue without adjustments from the coaching staff. It’s silly to think the status quo in terms of offense will work without AD and LBJ. That’s almost 50 ppgs that’s out of the line up and they don’t really need a scheme to score. Other guys aren’t so dynamic.
Curious to see how this shakes out if we tumble so low as the playin and don’t make the Finals. Does Rob continue or does Jeannie give him a demotion and bring in a more GM-savvy type person? Sometimes dual roles isn’t a strength.