It’s pretty hard to be a Lakers fan over the last two years, after they lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Suns in 2021, then missed the play-in tournament in 2022. After those disappointments, there are lots of questions, and perhaps some potential answers..
Will the Lakers bench or trade Westbrook?
This is the biggest question over the offseason, and the answer is no, which might surprise some people, but let me explain. First, even though the Lakers traded for Patrick Beverley and signed free agent Dennis Schroder, plus they have Kendrick Nunn returning from injury, I don’t think they will bench Westbrook because Westbrook is still good, even though he averaged career lows in some categories and had his worst season ever, and the Lakers still have faith in the MVP guard. Westbrook averaged 18.5 points per game along with 7.1 assist and 7.4 rebounds. That’s solid compared to the average player, which offends me when Westbrook has a same 2k rating as Ivica Zubac. Also, they can’t trade him because his disappointing season combined with his high salary makes it nearly impossible for a team to want him.
Will the Lakers make the playoffs this year?
I say yes, but they will be somewhere in the 5-9 range in the West. They got youth again with Lonnie Walker IV, Thomas Bryant, Damian Jones, Austin Reaves, Troy Brown Jr., Kendrick Nunn, Juan Toscando-Anderson, and have two promising rookies in Scotty Pippen Jr. and Max Christie, plus the veterans of Patrick Beverley, Dennis Schroder, and their big three in Westbrook, Lebron James, and Anthony Davis. They will be better than they were last year, as they solved some of their problems over the offseason, such as their lack of youth, lack of defense and athleticism, and their will to win. However, their defense is not the best even with Patrick Beverley on their roster, and they still suffer from their lack of shooting.(When your best 3pt shooter is Lebron James, your team sucks at threes.) However, they are still a play-in team at worst.
Will Anthony Davis stay healthy?
Well, if AD has a similar year to 2019-2020, that would be excellent, but after two injury filled seasons, it’s unclear if he will be healthy all season. If he is not, however, we already know how bad the lakers struggled without AD on their roster, finishing 7th in the west in 2020-2021 and then missing the play-in tournament in 2022. However, when AD was generally healthy in 2019-2020, they won the chip. If he stays healthy this season, the Lakers are a playoff lock. I think he will bounce back this year. He HAS to.
Will Patrick Beverley and Russell Westbrook co-exist?
I think they have to in order for their roster to work. If they can work in harmony, they could be one of the best defensive guards in the league, getting in opponents faces, scrapping for loose balls and rebounds, and hyping up their teammates. On offense, they can dish out dimes and attack the rim and draw fouls. It sounds pretty sweet, but however, they both lack certain skills. Both Russ and Beverley are not very good 3pt shooters, Beverley shooting about 34% from three last season, and Russ shooting a terrible 29% from the land down under, not helping the lack of 3pt shooting in Los Angeles. Plus, both players can agitate their teammates like their opposition. Plus, the guards combine for 5 turnovers per game, Beverley averaging 1.3 turnovers and Westbrook averaging a whopping 3.8. If they can control these issues, though, they can work together
Will Darvin Ham be better than Frank Vogel?
Frank Vogel was fired following the two disappointing seasons, and a 33-49 record last year. According to Westbrook, Vogel and him never really was in sync and was confused with how he wanted to use him. Darvin Ham, however, coming off being the assistant coach for the NBA champ in 2021 the Milwaukee Bucks, under legendary coach Mike Budenholzer, and has a plan in tact for Westbrook this season, and adding grit and determination to the locker room, something the Lakers lacked last year, almost giving up during games in the later season. Ham will fix those issues, and I think the Lakers will improve, just not immediately.
The Lakers have plenty of questions, and hopefully it will be answered or even solved, this season.