Despite turning their 2024-25 season around in one of the most dramatic ways in NBA history —thanks to an unexpected blockbuster trade for Luka Doncic — the Los Angeles Lakers were knocked out of the playoffs last night by the Minnesota Timberwolves. The series ended with a 4-1 score in favor of the Wolves.
For Los Angeles, their goal since winning the 2020 title has been to chase that same glory at any cost. You could see this in their aggressive effort to overhaul the roster, mixing a patchwork of former stars and role players.
With LeBron James getting older but still eager to add to his title count, the Lakers have been pushing hard to gather the best talent available. However, the way they’ve handled it mostly reminds me of how the Toronto Raptors looked after their championship — piling up forwards and other players who can be useful in their own way, but just can’t shoot the three-ball to save their lives.
Nothing will ever quite match the magic Toronto had on their roster in 2019. It was that perfect mix —a superstar leading the way, crafty veterans in the mix, and a group of hungry young players eager to prove themselves on the biggest stage. But then Kawhi Leonard left, and while the following year looked promising also, the Raptors weren’t quite able to replicate that special run.
They made some interesting roster moves over the following years too, giving a lot of minutes to Patrick McCaw and bringing in players like Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Stanley Johnson, Khem Birch, and Precious Achiuwa, just to name a few.
Leading the Raptors’ lineup was still a mix of forwards, each trying to find their role and make an impact. Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and later Scottie Barnes were all competing to keep the Raptors relevant. But the so-called “Vision 6’9″” didn’t quite deliver the results everyone was hoping for. Eventually, Toronto decided to pull the plug on the whole experiment and chose to focus on building around Barnes as the main cornerstone.
For the Lakers, they’ve been dealing with pretty much the same issue since their 2020 championship win. Having two stars like LeBron James and Anthony Davis is great, but even though they can shoot, their impact would be even bigger if they had better floor spacers around them. More shooters would open up the floor and make their jobs easier.
This approach is still proving to be a game-changer even in 2025, as we’ve seen with the improving Detroit Pistons. That’s why I’ve been suggesting the Raptors should consider following a similar path.
The Lakers can’t just keep adding guys like Russell Westbrook, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Dorian Finney-Smith over the years. Sure, they’re all talented players, but stacking them up without a clear plan leads to redundancy.
It stops Los Angeles from building a well-balanced team that’s truly built to win a title. A good example right now is how the Lakers lack real center depth outside of Jaxson Hayes, who they basically decided was unplayable in the playoffs.
That mistake was a big part of why they struggled. If they had focused on fixing that weakness instead of just piling up tall forwards and trying to run them as small-ball fives, it could’ve made a big difference in their playoff run — even with questions about Luka Doncic’s impact in that series.
Sometimes it’s hard to really hard to judge a front office’s plan until you see it play out. But this strategy of stacking the roster with redundant players isn’t going to lead to the results we want. A superstar duo like Doncic and James can still be effective for a few more years, but the team will need a major overhaul. This time, they should focus on building a balanced roster — adding defenders, shooters, and true big men to create a more complete team.
I think Toronto’s really trying to fix their mistakes here, with additions like Immanuel Quickley and promising young guys like Jamal Shead, Ja’Kobe Walter, and even Gradey Dick developing nicely. That said, I’m not blind to the fact that the Raptors still feel a bit clunky, especially with so many wings and some shaky spacing in their starting lineup.
I’d say the Lakers have a lot more pressure on their shoulders, considering the big market and the high expectations for those two superstars to carry the team. It’s really up to the front office to take a long, honest look at the roster and figure out where to make improvements, even if it’s just small steps for now.
I think their past eagerness to just build a superteam has actually hurt their momentum for the most part. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
