Well, that was quite a season. Seismic trades, surprise playoff exits, devastating injuries and a new champion crowned. 9th different champ in the 12 years under Adam Silver (8 in 30 under Stern, I believe). Now comes the mania, the endless clickbait articles proclaiming this master trade can reshape the course of human history if you are willing to suspend all logic and disbelief! For my part, I expect a fairly quiet Laker summer. I’ll be content if we retain Dorian Finney-Smith and fill the center position with a suitable compliment to Luka’s playing style. Still, everyone will try and scream and yell about how anyone can replicate the Thunder’s blueprint for winning and I’m just here to tell you now that’s a giant, steaming pile of…
Dookie.
- Replicating the Thunder’s path to success is impossible. It was forged in failure, tempered with the kind of patience rarely seen nowadays in pro sport, and was not borne of any single defining philosophy other than not wasting money. From the moment they chose cap space over James Harden and watched their first drafted core walk away one by one, or get traded for the current core, the Thunder have been a model in the one thing most sport analysts and fans seem to abhor: patience. You could argue that moss was growing on the Thunder after Russell Westbrook asked out but all that did was put the final nail in the coffin of the old Thunder that was built around Westbrook, Durant, Ibaka and Harden. Of that core, only Durant and Ibaka have won rings. Sam Presti, and the Thunder ownership, should be commended for the patience and logic they’ve deployed over the last 10 years to get to this exact moment. So, unless you have the organizational patience to wade through several losing seasons, not trade draft picks out of habit, and patiently build a complimentary and affordable roster, nobody will be replicating the success of the Thunder the way they did it any time soon.
- Same goes for Indiana. I can’t count the number of fake trades I’ve seen here proclaiming that the Pacers have NO CHOICE WHATSOEVER but to trade Myles Turner for a couple of feeble draft picks and 3 broken down players. They ignored all of that noise, also chose to move on from the same superstar talent known as Paul George and, in doing so, paved the way for all of their current success. Trading Sabonis and George were the two catalysts for the Pacers to assemble the roster of talent that they have. They kept the defensive specialist who can, sometimes, hit a three and built around the electric Haliburton with long, gritty, defense first players who can also sometimes hit a three. The defense on both teams, came first and defined their team identity. And, yes, sometimes you need to make a three. Certainly not all the time, though.
- The three point revolution stalls out in the NBA Finals. Again. Every season you hear it all regular season long…”the three point revolution is here to stay!”, “we need more three point shooting!”, “that guy only plays defense and can’t hit the three…” and so on. Yet every time the playoffs, and especially the Finals, roll around suddenly the midrange game and scoring in the paint return to dominance. I get it, and I even agree to a point: sometimes you need to make a three pointer. But to rely on it as the penultimate offensive option is as foolhardy as relying on backdoor cuts and lobs as your path to a banner. In the playoffs, those long misses lead to opponent fastbreak points and those run you right out of a series. The Lakers saw that first hand as we shot the 5th most three pointers/game at 36.4 our 36.6% accuracy was good for 14th…out of 16 playoff teams. The Timberwolves turned that futility into fastbreak points, often at the rim. The Lakers need to have a better balance on offense as we struggled to get to the rim in the playoffs when the lob game stalled out and our paint drivers were hobbled. The Thunder do not rely on the three ball, when it falls for them they generally blow you out. But they don’t need it to fall, they’re dominant defensively and have several guys who can attack the rim. Sometimes they make a three. More often and not, they pass it up for a better shot.
- Fewer max contracts. This one is why the Lakers can never be expected to follow the blueprint of the Thunder, they do it The Lakers Way which is big, splashy…and expensive. OKC has zero players on max contracts after Shai who signed his back in 2022-23 when he had fewer than 6 years of NBA experience under his belt, hence the $35 mil (which looks like an absolute bargain and he will definitely make a ton more on his net extension). That alone allowed OKC to retain key drafted players or sign elite role players like Alex Caruso and Isiah Hartenstein. Holmgren is a particularly cheap and effective player (also soon to be due for an extension) who came even cheaper due to past injuries and slow start to his NBA career. The Lakers aren’t ever going to follow this path because they never draft young players if they can avoid it in any way. They trade for their stars, they’re homegrown a lot more rarely. This means we’re often shipping out our own elite role-players, or letting them walk for nothing and having to reform a team every few seasons around one or two massive contracts. In the modern NBA that’s a tight path to navigate smoothly. Rob hasn’t really proved he’s capable of it as he dismantled the team he basically inherited from Magic that won a banner.
- Luck. Especially in the healthy players department. We just saw how one injury can completely alter a series (but go ahead and tell that to the Bad Boy Pistons who certainly didn’t put an asterisk next to their win against us when our guys all had bad hamstring pulls, a title is a title). The Lakers haven’t had the best luck but they also haven’t maxed out the resources or capabilities of a truly modern training staff and so, with the new owner, perhaps that could start to tilt back in our favor sooner than later. A healthy team is a good team and OKC had good health at the right time and it showed. they also hustled the hardest, played with the most grit, and adapted better than anyone else. So, while luck is certainly apart of it, so, too is toughness and tenacity.
In short I don’t expect the Lakers to be able to replicate anything the Thunder have done and anyone who says otherwise is really just full of it. The Lakers need to do it their way, within the confines of the current CBA. They need to retain their current key contributors and improve around the margins. A lot of money was tied up in players that didn’t really play in the playoffs (Kleber) or have much of an impact (Vincent, Vando, Knecht, Hayes). Some of the guys who were ineffectual didn’t get much run and some didn’t do much with what they got. That’s something for the staff to mull over and figure out. A full training camp with Luka and LeBron and some chemistry could go a long way. Internal improvement from guys like Knecht and Hayes on defense or Vando and Goodwin on offense could go a long way to closing some of the roster gaps we currently have. Regardless, whatever moves we make they won’t be seismic like the Luka trade unless we trade Luka or LeBron which we all know ain’t happening. Getting Luka was our “all in” move.
Great post Jamie, one word you used several times was patience. The Lakers need to have it and keep an eye on the future because it’s unlikely that there is any moves that can get us past OKC in one off season. I believe if we can find an adequate center rotation, add a little depth and some internal improvements from the guys you mentioned will make us a top 4 seed again. But not a champion. Now we saw how injuries can alter the playoffs, so there is always that. For the Lakers, they will need to lean on free agency to build because we don’t have draft picks. We can have a lot of cap space in the future, depending on LeBron, to add to what is a solid core. It would be foolish to blow it all on an attempt to win it all this coming year.
If you’re a top 4 team you always have a shot. Boston was supposed to be the next dynasty and one injury and a couple underwhelming playoff performances changed that convo real fast. OKC has laid the groundwork for some sustained potential success, one could say the same about Boston.
Boston’s salary situation was always unsustainable. Two guys making over $50mill, another two making over $30mill, and Derrick White right behind with $28mill. OKC is constructed much better….for now.
Next season and after that they start paying the piper and we’ll see just how far OKC owners are willing to go.
My best guess is that they pay SGA, JDub, & Chet. Maaaaybe hold onto Caruso who they have for 4 more years at around $20mill per. Hartenstein & Dort probably have to go. Could possibly flip them next summer for lower priced replacements and expiring contracts…sprinkle in some of those draft picks to make the deal more enticing. Rinse & repeat. But if they fail to pay any of their Big 3 then all bets are off. Can’t make that same mistake again….
First, I would like to congratulate the mighty Thunder for their exceptional season. We are talking about one of the youngest teams in the NBA with an average of 25 years.
I absolutely love the breakdown, Jamie—eloquent as ever. But here’s the thing: just because the Thunder’s path worked for them doesn’t make it the only way forward. The Lakers’ DNA is different—yes, splashy, sometimes messy—but it also won a title in 2020 and has been to the mountaintop more often than most. Patience is a virtue; banners are forever.
Building slowly and methodically is admirable, but the Lakers have proven that if you land the right stars and make smart tweaks on the margins (think Reaves, Rui, or even a healthy Vando), you can contend fast. We don’t need to be OKC to beat OKC.
And as for the three-point game “stalling out”? Let’s not overcorrect—balance is key. Defense and paint touches matter, absolutely, but teams still need shooting to stretch the floor, especially when LeBron’s gravity is warping the court. Think Warriors in their dynasty days.
Let’s borrow the discipline of these new-era contenders—but let’s do it, Lakers Way. Stars, swagger, and when we get the balance right—rings.
Honestly, I just wish the Lakers had kept our “Baby Lakers.”
As for the Pacers, yes, it is generally accepted that the Indiana Pacers have not engaged in tanking in the way other teams have, particularly in recent years. While they haven’t always been at the top, they have consistently strived to remain competitive and avoid intentionally losing to secure higher draft picks.
Here’s why this is the case:
Ownership Philosophy:
The Pacers’ owner, Herb Simon, has a history of prioritizing competitiveness and avoiding the strategy of intentionally losing games to get better draft positions.
Focus on Player Development:
Instead of bottoming out, the Pacers have focused on developing players and making smart trades to improve their roster.
Avoiding the Lottery:
The Pacers haven’t had a first-round draft pick higher than 7th in the last decade, demonstrating their commitment to remaining competitive and not relying on the lottery for success.
Recent Success:
The Pacers’ recent success, including reaching the NBA Finals in 2025, is seen as a testament to their approach of not tanking and building a competitive team through other means.
Middle-of-the-Pack Playoff Team:
While not always title contenders, the Pacers have often been a playoff team, proving they can compete without bottoming out.
But what a Finals! The Thunder clinched their first NBA title in OKC with a thrilling Game 7 win. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was electric—Finals MVP, regular season MVP, and scoring champ all in one. The Pacers’ underdog run was gutsy, even with Haliburton’s heartbreaking Achilles injury. This series had grit, drama, and history in the making. Absolute classic.
Thanks for the great post, Jamie!
Yep!
Great reply, thanks Buba.
You’re catching my drift, the Lakers have to do it their own way. They will never re-create the Thunder blueprint because the patience trait is lacking here. That’s neither good nor bad, more of a reflection of us being the largest market and the Thunder one of the smallest.
I don’t want to over-correct anything regarding threepoint shooting. I just don’t, and will likely never, see it as the be all end all of skills required for being a good NBA player. It helps, so, too, does boxing out and defensive fundamentals.
You’re spot on regarding the Pacers. Every word you typed was spot on.
Re: “That’s neither good nor bad, more of a reflection of us being the largest market and the Thunder one of the smallest.”
Excellent point!
The 3 point thing. The greatest trick the Warriors ever pulled (usual suspects) was convincing the league they could shoot the 3 like they could. Took awhile for everyone to realize they didn’t have Step & Klay on their squad…lol. Hell OKC let the Pacers back in that game last night because they started settling for 3’s after building that big lead. 3 is greater than 2….until you shoot 11 for 40. Or miss like 20 something in a row like Houston a few years ago.
This. It’s like people can’t fathom the difference between 2 guys who shoot 40%. Rui and Steph both shot over 40% on threes. That means nothing after you factor in Steph’s greatness and the fact Rui stands, feet set, waiting for someone to create his shot. Nobody can shoot like Steph and Klay did and that even proved unsustainable.
The reason I like 3-point shooting is because Championship DNA is built on floor spacing, and those three-point snipers were the secret sauce. Defenders couldn’t collapse on Shaq or double Kobe without paying the price. Guys like Robert Horry, Glen Rice, Rick Fox, Derek Fisher, Brian Shaw, Shasa (the machine) and the rest of our long-range bombers during our 3-peat era didn’t just stretch the floor—they shattered defenses with clutch daggers. You don’t win rings without range. Yes, there is a saying you live by the 3 or die by the 3. It is worth the risk. The truth is if you are not making your 3s, don’t overdo it. Otherwise, you are going to end up letting your opponent back in the game.
On the other hand, we must first keep in mind that defense is the backbone—lock in, wear teams down, and let your shooters punish them from deep. You don’t gamble on the three, you earn it by dictating the game on both ends. Championships aren’t won by firepower alone—they’re sealed by stops.