Lakers’ New Team Building Strategy Adopts Modern ‘Ten Deep’ Rotation The OKC Thunder made it totally clear last season that a modern ‘Ten Deep’ team of talented tall, long, athletic, physical players has now surpassed a superstar ‘Big Three’ as the smartest team building… pic.twitter.com/EWfIiEvXKn— LakerTom (@LakerTom) August 3, 2025
This isn’t the Lakers discovering something, OKC did that already, but I’ll give them credit for seeing the writing on the CBA. This is what it was designed for and it’s working. The CBA was meant to do one thing: spread out elite talent. All the fears it would dilute the middle class proved unfounded, it has, however, helped move elite talent (or at least max money contracts) around.
Now wether people like seeing talent distribution being equitable is a different story lol
You can’t just throw a team together in one summer and think they’re gonna rival OKC. Folks don’t seem to realize how long it took to get where they are. Three seasons of missing the playoffs preceded by 4 seasons of 1st round exits. One of the best GMs in the league in Presti who was given the leeway to do all that losing while building that roster. A young coach who is now 5 years in and who has built a real culture in that organization. If the goal is to win a title next year then this is basically the antithesis of how OKC did it. And then the whole thing will get flipped over again when LeBron leaves. Be careful when trying to imitate somebody else…..make your own way with what you have to work with.
I read some of this stuff and it starts to sound like some weird Star Trek fan fiction with guys imagining they’re actually in the room with Rob and the rest of the front office…lol
While it’s difficult to put together a great roster in one summer, it’s not impossible, especially if you have a superstar to build around. We’ve seen the Lakers do a great job doing just that in 2020 but then injuries in 2021 and ultimately Westbrook derailed that train. Boston also did a great job two years ago when they went out and got Porzingis and Holiday. So it can be done and frankly Rob has done a great job so far adding four quality rotation players.
You’re right though that duplicating what OKC has built will take more time and patience than I think the Lakers will have under Jeanie or Mark. Lakers are about superstars and championships and Mark Walter is only going to double down on that objective. While the rules aren’t the same as the NFL, spending to win can still work in the NBA.
The team I think the Lakers will try to copy won’t be the OKC Thunder. That’s a path the Lakers will not have the patience to take. The team they will copy in my opinion will be the New York Knicks, who’ve loaded up with defensive wings and a pair of big men to complement their offense-first point guard. The Lakers will try and do the same thing with Luka Doncic. Marcus Smart was just the first elite defender.
One of the things the Rams have done is not only raise the quality of their starters but really invest in making sure their backups can really fill in for a starter if needed. Considering the growing injury and availability challenges in today’s NBA, building a ‘Ten Deep’ rotation that has backups who can hold the fort as starters is the key to smart roster building in today’s NBA.