A month on from the historic Luka Doncic trade – and it still continues to make headlines. We might hear inside stories unfurl for years to come. But this one’s extra juicy. The world thought Doncic was the Lakers’ one-way ticket to championship success. With LeBron James nearing retirement, he’s to be the face of the organization for years to come. But apparently, that was just an outside perspective. From deep inside LeBron’s camp, there are people who never actually trusted the Don to light up the City of Angels. One of them was Bron’s agent, Rich Paul.
It goes without saying – teams win you championships. You can’t put 5 superstars and expect their pedigree and class to win you gold. It’s granted that Broncic is not like most partnerships, and the two have potential to win games singehandedly. But Paul claims a missing ingredient caused them to miss that chance. And that ingredient was roster depth.
“You have to be a professional in these times to understand that things may change. And so that goes to having depth- you can’t do that with just two stars. Everyone was so gung-ho about Luka and LeBron. I never thought that. That would just mean that they’re going to win the championship. Names don’t win the championship- rosters do,” said Paul on The Pat McAfee Show.
Sorry Lakers fans, we have to mention that dreadful Game 4 against the Timberwolves again. It just fits the argument like a glove. When JJ Redick didn’t even care to look at his bench and played 5 of his members for a full half, it spoke volumes. The team of LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and Dorian Finney-Smith played 35+ minutes each, with Broncic playing 46 minutes total. Do Paul’s comments make sense now?
Luka Doncic was a coup. But he’s just a piece of an unfinished puzzle. And when you have a near-championship calibre squad, the blame lies on the GM for not bringing in good backups when he had the chance. So, for Paul, the blame lies with Rob Pelinka.
When the GOAT speaks, the world listens. So when the King spoke on spreading blame to the 8 others on the court, it shook the NBA. It went viral. And that’s just a consequence of being the GOAT. LeBron’s admitting that he’s equally to blame too. But Paul believes there are a few people who’re just getting the slack cut for them. And that’s the front office.
“You can’t look at a team that has won and say ‘Oh they had one great player and so he led them and they won the game or they won the series.’ That’s always been very misleading. And it goes back to any of the GOAT conversations. You want to have- you got to compare the GOAT with their teams and also their front offices that help make the decisions to put the players around them. And so I think you know LeBron’s going to always be criticized whatever he says. People going to look at it a certain way,” said Paul on the show.
The biggest vulnerability for the Lakers this season was their defense. For a team without a center, they did pretty well. But they depended too much on Luka’s magic and LeBron’s class to get them over the line. Since Doncic‘s arrival, the pair contributed roughly 33-40% of the Lakers’ total points (950-1150 of the total 2875). The likes of Reaves, Hayes, and Hachimura did get enough games – but they weren’t able to provide the needed backup. That, for Paul, is unforgivable from Rob Pelinka’s side.
The Lakers have a busy off-season. Austin Reaves has one foot out the door, while Doncic is on the eve of signing a new extension. But with LeBron James’ growing age, Rich Paul claims roster depth and flexibility as the key to their success. Are you on the same page as the Klutch Sports CEO?
