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Lakers ignoring changes challengers embrace make it tougher to repeat

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This season, it’s happening more than ever. It’s why the symmetry between the two Wizards games is so foreboding. The Lakers are struggling through a four-game losing streak — including an ugly loss Wednesday night to the top-ranked Utah Jazz — and weeks of offensive discord, yes, but that’s not exactly unfamiliar territory for this team, which just won a championship despite a rickety half-court attack. No, the truth is that the Lakers are, practically to a tee, the same offensive team that they were a year ago. 

Before the Orlando bubble, the 2019-20 Lakers scored 112.6 points per 100 possessions. Prior to this four-game losing streak without Davis and Schroder, the 2020-21 Lakers had scored 112.2. Compare the two teams in just about any offensive category and you’ll see such similarities. The Lakers improved from 94.4 points per 100 possession on half-court plays to 95.2 this season, per Cleaning the Glass. They took 31.6 3-pointers per game last season and they’re taking 31 per game now. The list goes on and on. Some categories tilt toward one team and some the other, but in almost all of them, the margin is minimal. A few stylistic changes aside, the Lakers have the same general strengths and weaknesses they did on offense a season ago. 

And yet, on a relative basis, they’re struggling. The pre-bubble Lakers ranked fourth on offense last season. The current iteration is ranked 17th. They are scoring more in the half court, but their rank has fallen from 17th to 20th. The problem isn’t that the Lakers have gotten worse. The problem is that everybody else has gotten better, and they’ve all gotten better in the same way: They’re shooting historically well from behind the arc. 

The average NBA team shot 35.8 percent on 3-pointers last season. It has jumped over a full percentage point this season up to 36.9 percent. We’ve seen a similar jump in 3-point rate, as 39.5 percent of field goal attempts this season have come from behind the arc compared to 38.4 percent last season. These trends are especially prevalent among contenders. The Clippers, Nets and Jazz are the NBA‘s three leaders in 3-point percentage. 

That doesn’t quite do their success justice. With all three now shooting at least 39.8 percent from behind the arc, they are all currently on pace to finish among the top-20 3-point shooting teams in NBA history. Here’s where things get scarier: In addition to that efficiency, the Clippers, Nets and Jazz are on pace to average more 3-point attempts per game than any other team that has matched their percentage in history. The Jazz currently lead the NBA in 3-point attempts. The Nets are in eighth. The best teams this season also happen to be among the best shooting teams in NBA history. 

Los Angeles Lakers Extreme Makeover to Fix 3-Point & Rim Protection Woes

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While it’s highly unlikely Rob Pelinka would consider risking an extreme makeover of a defending NBA championship team, you could easily argue LeBron James and Anthony Davis are the team’s only untouchable players.

You could also suggest the Brooklyn Nets with their Big Three of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden have raised the bar and upped the stakes for what it’s going to take to win the 2020-21 NBA championship. Throw in the league leading Utah Jazz, crosstown Los Angeles Clippers, resurgent Phoenix Suns, and physical Philadelphia 76ers and suddenly the idea of the Lakers needing an extreme makeover doesn’t seem so silly.

A makeover could be just what the Lakers need as they’re mired in a 4-game losing streak without superstar center Anthony Davis for the next three weeks and with their once top five 3-point shooting now last in the league. The Lakers supposedly deep and talented roster was flawed. Anthony Davis’ unfortunate injury loss and Dennis Schroder’s untimely contact tracing loss have exposed the Lakers’ lack of capable rim protectors and shot creators.

So where does Rob Pelinka start? The Lakers need volume 3-point shooting, a modern center who can protect both the rim and perimeter, and dynamic guards and wings who can create quality shots for themselves and others. Pelinka won’t find players with those skills and talents on the waiver wire so they have to be willing to trade core members of their championship team if they want to fill the holes in their roster and repeat as champs.

Here are two trades that together would solve all of the team’s pressing roster needs and comprise an extreme makeover to transform the current struggling Los Angeles Lakers roster into the championship favorite:

  1. TRADE FOR CENTER KRISTAPS PORZINGIS

The Dallas Mavericks have apparently become disenchanted with 25-year old 7,’ 4″ 240 lb center Kristaps Porzingis and have been testing the waters with teams to see what they might be able to get back for him in a trade.

The above trade would immediately upgrade the Mavericks’ depth and talent and give superstar point guard Luka Doncic a trio of talented young starter or rotation players who can score the ball and defend at a high level. Caldwell-Pope or Kuzma, both on favorable 3-year deals, would be strong candidates to start at shooting guard and small forward while Harrell, who’s a free agent, would be an instant offense option off the bench.

The Lakers would get the perfect modern two-way stretch five center in Kristaps Porzingis to play alongside superstar Anthony Davis and give Los Angeles the third star they need to match Brooklyn Superstar Big Three. Porzingis is averaging 20.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 29.9 minutes per game while shooting 47.3/35.2/80.5%. Most importantly, Kristaps is volume 3-point shooter who averages 6.4 threes per game.

While Porzingis averages 1.6 blocks per game, his defensive rating has been extremely poor and the Mavs’ defense is much better without him on the floor, which is why Dallas no longer believes he is the right fit next to Luka. Playing for a defensive coaching guru like Vogel and alongside an elite defender like Davis could be the perfect situation to redeem Porzingis’ defensive chops and take advantage of his 7′ 4′ height and 7′ 6″ wingspan.

The Lakers are giving up a pair of proven championship contributors in Caldwell-Pope and Kuzma and the reining 6MOY in Harrell but they’re also getting the perfect young modern center to complement LeBron and AD.

2. TRADE FOR POINT GUARD DEVONTE GRAHAM

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With LaMelo Ball now the Hornets’ point guard of the future Terry Rozier enjoying a career season, the Hornets can afford to move Devonte Graham to land a potential future superstar in 20-year old Talen Horton-Tucker.

The above trade gives the Hornets the equivalent of a top five draft pick in the uniquely talented 20-year old Talen Horton-Tucker, who forced his way into the championship Lakers’ rotation and has legit superstar potential. Talen will be heavily pursued next summer as a restricted free agent but the Hornets will have his early Bird and Arenas rights, which will let them match any offer and limit his first two years’ salary to the league average.

A 3-year veteran, Devonte Graham is the perfect starting backcourt mate to pair with Dennis Schroder. His ability to create shots for himself and others along with his volume 3-point shooting are exactly what the Lakers need. Devonte’s averaging 13.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 5.7 assists in 32.8 minutes per game. His strength is his playmaking and 3-point shooting. He takes 8.1 threes per game, 11th most in the league, and shoots 34.7%.

A starting backcourt of Schroder and Graham would give the Lakers two lightning quick guards who can create plays for themselves or teammates. They’d turbo charge the Lakers’ offense when LeBron was not on the floor. The biggest benefit would be the Lakers ability to stagger their minutes like Vogel does LeBron’s and AD’s minutes to enable the team to always have a dynamic point guard and superstar on the court all 48 minutes.

While they give up 20-year old budding superstar Talen Horton-Tucker to acquire 25-year old point guard Devonte Graham, the move would give the Lakers’ offense the dynamic shooting, playmaking, and scoring it needs.

The Lakers have experienced first hand just how valuable Anthony Davis and Dennis Schroder are to the team. The goal of the above two trades was to duplicate the skillsets and talents that make AD and Dennis so valuable. While giving up Caldwell-Pope, Kuzma, Harrell, and Horton-Tucker is a huge price to pay, Porzingis and Graham make the Lakers a more dangerous team and give them a stronger starting lineup and more diverse bench.

LAKERS DEPTH CHART
— — — — — — — — — —
PG: SCHRODER, Caruso
SG: GRAHAM, Matthews
SF: JAMES, McKinnie
PF: DAVIS, Morris, Dudley
CE: PORZINGIS, Gasol

The Lakers still have four proven starter quality reserves in Caruso, Matthews, Morris, and Gasol who can fill minutes and create lineups to match anything contending teams might come up with to challenge them. They also have four open roster spots for a third point guard, shooting guard, small forward, and center for possible buyout candidates like Isaiah Thomas, Wayne Ellington, Trevor Ariza, and Dewayne Dedmon.

The Lakers’ new starting lineup could be the best offensive and defensive lineup in the league, with two new volume 3-point shooters, two lightning quick point guards, and a pair of modern 2-way centers to protect the rim.