What Should the Lakers Do This Offseason?
After being eliminated in the first round of the NBA Playoffs in a disappointing way to end their season, the Los Angeles Lakers will look to retool their roster in the offseason. However, not only are they looking for players to add to the roster, but they should be looking for coaches as well. The Lakers now have a hopeful future; however, their new head coach, JJ Redick, lacked coaching experience. However, he led the team to adjust to one of the biggest mid-season trade moves in NBA history in the Luka Doncic trade. Despite not having coaching experience, the Lakers and their new head coach adjusted on the fly and found a promising effect going forward. Here are some things they should do to capitalize on this new, hopeful future next season.
First, it is surrounding their new head coach with more experienced head coaches. Why not bring back Frank Vogel, who coached the Lakers to their last NBA Championship in 2020? His head coaching resume, plus familiarity with the Lakers, can help provide the experience that Redick lacks and catapult a new winning formula. Similarly, they can also look to bring in former Sacramento Kings Head Coach Mike Brown. Not only does he have a history of coaching Lebron James early in his career with the Cavaliers, but he also had a stint with the Golden State Warriors, a very familiar foe the Lakers always run into. That turnaround can help their future matchups.
The most important thing they need is a big man who can benefit from Doncic's passing. If they can’t bring back Jaxson Hayes, who was developing very good chemistry with Doncic. Then aim for a big man similar to Clint Capela. Capela is used to playing a similar style with Trae Young in Atlanta. He’s also used to his name being mentioned in trade talks because of his outstanding play and teams wanting him to win a championship. He would fit nicely with the Lakers' offense on a short-term deal.
The next thing the Lakers should do is surround Luka and LeBron with better shooters. On the market this offseason, you have Malik Beasley and Gary Trent Jr., two guys who shot the ball very well and played great in the postseason. Acquiring even one of those guys, plus other shooters who can benefit from Luka and Lebron’s passing, will create spacing. The two superstars need to make their game easier. These are some of the big adjustments the Lakers can make this offseason to develop even more and bring championship aspirations to fruition next season.
