With the Golden State Warriors absolutely demolishing the competition it seems the rest of the NBA can do nothing but watch. However, how far are the Los Angeles Lakers away from competing.
With their four all-stars, two of them former MVPs, the Golden State Warriors possess an embarrassment of riches while the rest of the league is just scraping by. The Warriors dominance has bullied the majority of the competition into launching full scale rebuilds.
In my opinion no team is doing a better job of rebuilding than the Los Angeles Lakers. Here I will discuss why the Lakers stand out as well as how far they are from contending.
Talent Overload
There are many talented young teams such as the Minnesota Timberwolves, Milwaukee Bucks, and Philadelphia 76ers. While those teams possess productive young stars each team still has a void to fill at certain positions.
What makes the Lakers so special is the fact that they have a potential all-star at EVERY position. Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak may have been secretive but there is no denying they did an excellent job of accumulating talent.
Jordan Clarkson and Ivica Zubac were both second round selections who have greatly exceeded expectations.
The Lakers can use the second pick in this year’s draft to add yet another quality player to their already ultra-talented core of D’Angelo Russell, Brandon Ingram, and Julius Randle. It takes three to four all-stars to win in today’s game and the Lakers are setting up to develop four of their own.
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Top to Bottom
In order to win a championship you have to have an organization that checks all of the boxes from top to bottom. You have to have tons of talent, a solid coach, and a stable front office.
The Lakers had the first two boxes checked but the mid-season firing of Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak allowed them to finally check that last box.
With Magic Johnson, Rob Pelinka, and Luke Walton in constant communication the front office looks more stable than ever.
How many teams in the ENTIRE league can say that they have all three of those things?
Are we there yet?
One of the biggest marks of a contending team is a team that has played together for years. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green have five years of experience playing together! I believe the Lakers will benefit greatly from having mostly the same team developing for a second year under coach Walton.
What the Lakers currently lack is a player who has changed the culture of the team. That player for the Warriors was easily Green who infused his leadership and gritty defensive mentality into the rest of his teammates.
The year Green joined the Warriors their record went from 23-43 to 47-35 which is a crazy turnaround. So far the Lakers have not yet found that player but they may be able to select him with this year’s second overall pick.
Next: Who do the Lakers land in our complete first round mock draft?
If the Lakers select that kind of player with their second pick they may see a huge spike in wins next season. With the Warriors onslaught in full swing the Lakers may need to weather their storm these next few seasons. However, with Lakers loaded with young talent and cap space, we may see themselves back in the championship hunt within the next three years.