In LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the Los Angeles Lakers have an outstanding core that most other teams would do almost anything to have. But outside of their top four or five players, the Lakers are very thin and suspect, and that was the biggest reason they lost in the first round of the NBA playoffs to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
They will undoubtedly look to improve their roster this summer. But there now seem to be some people who doubt they can become legitimate championship contenders next season.
However, former Los Angeles Clippers star Blake Griffin is a believer in the Lakers. He said in an interview that he feels if the team brings in more complementary players, it can get the job done.
“I definitely think so,” says Griffin in a one-on-one interview with Bookmaker Ratings when asked if he believes the Lakers can be contenders with the current core. “I think you have to get creative. They’re going to have to build that roster for the playoffs. I don’t think that roster was built well for the playoffs at all. Luka and Austin Reaves on the floor at the same time, you watch the Wolves series, they’re just going at one of them every single time.”
Griffin knows that the Doncic trade in early February dramatically changed the trajectory of the team and that it now needs to complete its remodeling process.
“You give somebody 24 million a year, you’re hoping that they can be on the floor for the majority of minutes in the playoffs,” says Griffin. “Finding a way to build around Luka and LeBron a little bit better. I know the Luka trade sort of messed things up, right? Because they were built better defensively, much better defensively, before this (with Anthony Davis). Now this offseason, you have to get creative and figure out a way to really put the right pieces around them.”
He also pointed out two roster weaknesses that need to be sorted out.
“Can’t play Jaxson Hayes and (Jarred) Vanderbilt together at the same time,” says Griffin. “Can’t really play Austin and Luka together at the same time. That’s why their regular season was great. They had a roster that was sort of built for that. But in the playoffs, it wasn’t built for that.”
The Lakers are very thin at the center position, and they could also use a 3-and-D wing who can start at one guard spot alongside Doncic. Some have suggested that they should trade Reaves, who is very productive but is also a weak defender and lacks athleticism, in order to get to the next level.
Griffin played 13 seasons in the NBA, with eight of them coming with the Clippers, and he had career averages of 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists a game. He was the Rookie of the Year and won the Slam Dunk Contest during the 2010-11 season, and he ended up making the All-Star team six times.
