Following a 4-1 gents’s sweep by the fingers of the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2024-2025 season has come to an in depth. And given the lofty expectations held by each the workforce and the general public— according to ESPN, extra money had been guess on the Lakers to win the NBA Finals than another workforce—it is truthful to imagine there is a wholesome quantity of disappointment being felt in Los Angeles proper now.
Fortunately for the Lakers, all indicators level in the direction of Luka Doncic signing a max-extension this offseason, and persevering with to don—pun supposed—the long-lasting purple and gold for the foreseeable future. For that motive alone, regardless of their embarrassing first-round exit, the sky isn’t falling in Laker land.
Doncic, for all his shortcomings, is an almost unparalleled offensive engine. Whereas within the coming days, weeks, and months, he’ll doubtless be the topic of a lot criticism, citing his weight, lack of conditioning, and defensive inabilities, Doncic continues to be the only motive that the Lakers needs to be seen as perennial title contenders going ahead.
Whereas Lakers followers are absolutely displeased to be seeing their workforce bounced within the first spherical, the way forward for the franchise stays exceedingly brilliant. The arrival of Doncic in Los Angeles created a near-universal wave of pleasure and enthusiasm, however beneath that wave there was an undercurrent of understanding that this roster, a minimum of in its present make-up, wasn’t actually championship-ready. So whereas there was some hope that the mixed brilliance of LeBron James and Doncic may make up for a little bit of a misfit roster, ultimately that optimism was largely misplaced.
Whereas the Lakers had been finally unsuccessful of their pursuit of Charlotte Hornets’ beginning Heart Mark Williams, Rob Pelinka clearly is aware of what he wants to perform this offseason. Whereas Jaxson Hayes, Dorian Finney-Smith and Jarred Vanderbilt made up a serviceable sufficient heart rotation throughout the conclusion of the common season, it should not have been all that shocking to see them be rendered largely ineffective in opposition to the bigs of Minnesota—Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid. Doncic wants a beginning caliber heart, and that needs to be precedence primary heading into the offseason.
Along with fortifying the Lakers’ front-court rotation, the bench unit may additionally use some beefing up, as head coach JJ Redick clearly had little religion in deploying his second unit for prolonged intervals of time.
Fortunately for the Lakers, they’ve a cornerstone expertise within the prime of his profession in Doncic—the identical can’t be stated concerning the Mavericks. Whereas the Lakers’ roster is flawed, their path in the direction of enchancment is evident and simple. Actually, they may even use the workforce that Doncic took to the Finals, simply final 12 months, which Nico Harrison assembled, as a blueprint of methods to finest construct a supporting forged for his or her Slovenian celebrity.
Anybody who’s prepared to quote the Lakers’ early-round loss for example of why Nico Harrison and the Mavericks had been proper to maneuver on from Doncic has misplaced the plot. And that could possibly be placing it too politely. Placing current disappointments apart, it stays way more believable that after the mud has absolutely settled on this historic commerce, the Mavericks relieve Nico Harrison of his duties than the Lakers remorse pulling the set off.
