Lakers Champion Names Team’s Biggest Need

On By Littum

To put it bluntly, the Los Angeles Lakers are the middle team. They are slightly above average, so at least they are on the right side of the spectrum. But with 55 games left in the regular season, they have shown themselves to have glaring weaknesses.

Yet there has never been a team without mistakes. Even the Golden State Warriors, who won an NBA single-season record 73 games in 2015-16 before losing to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals. So while many of the criticisms of the Lakers have merit, the concerns may be a little overblown.

That said, there are those who believe LA needs to make a bigger change instead of trying to patch each of their holes individually. In the offseason, the thinking was that replacing former head coach Darvin Ham was the right answer. Still, JJ Redick — the Lakers’ new play-caller — has a worse record through 27 games than Ham did in 2023-24.

Lakers Champion Magic Johnson Names Team’s Biggest Need

In a recent appearance with SiriusXM NBA Radio’s Justin Termine and Eddie A. Johnson, the Hall of Fame point guard Magic Johnson discussed what he thinks the Lakers are missing this season.

The five-time NBA champion tells Termine and Johnson that LA needs “one more player.”

“… A guy who can get (the Lakers) 20 points on a consistent basis.”

Enters 2024-25 season, fourth year guard Austin Reaves was expected to be the team’s third option. 2015 no. 2 choices D’Angelo Russell was hoping for a strong season. However, both have played below a stellar standard.

Reaves is averaging 17.3 points per game. game, but is shooting a career-low 43.7 percent from the field. He has scored 20 or more points in just six of the 22 games he has played and has yet to have a 30-plus point outing. Russell, who lost his starting spot early in the season, is averaging a career-low 12.5 points per game. match. His field goal percentage (.413) and three-point percentage (.333) are among the worst of his career.

This leads to the reality that the Lakers will have to make a huge trade. To that point, the Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young and the Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine are the stars typically associated with Los Angeles. Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzmawho was on the Lakers’ last title team, and the Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton are two other goal scorers the team reportedly has interest in.

Who will they trade for?

Russell, just 28, is by no means untouchable in trade talks. But his poor play makes him an unattractive option for several teams. In fact, it may have been the undoing of LA’s attempt to trade for Dejounte Murray last season.

Reaves, 26, is nearly untouchable in trade talks. That’s probably because the Lakers brass see him as a star-caliber player. Still, the Arkansas native will turn 30 in 29 months, putting his potential in doubt.

Ultimately, if LA wanted to trade for a player of Young’s caliber, they might not get away with trying to keep Reaves. LaVine, Kuzma and Sexton aren’t on Young’s level, but that makes them much more affordable options. A win-win scenario for the Lakers would be for them to acquire a player from that trio while keeping Reaves (and Rui Hachimura) while moving Russell.

That makes Kuzma and Sexton the most possible of their potential trade acquisitions.