The Los Angeles Lakers added LeBron James in free agency, but they failed to address their shooting woes.
The Los Angeles Lakers had one of the best offseasons of any team in the NBA. They landed their marquee superstar, signing LeBron James to a four-year, $172 million deal.
With James on the roster, the Lakers course of action has changed. Their rebuild is about to be sped up as they should be challenging for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. One of the factors that will determine their success is how the supporting cast performs around James.
Los Angeles has a great young core that has shown a lot of promise. Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart are a great foundation for an organization. However, they are lacking in experience.
As a result, the Lakers added a number of experienced veterans to the roster as well. Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee, Rajon Rondo and Michael Beasley all bring a hard-nosed, veteran presence with playoff experience.
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Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka took a different course of action in building the roster around James. In previous years, James was surrounded by shooters to help spread the court. This year, he will be surrounded with playmakers to help take some of the offensive responsibility off his shoulders.
While this approach will give the Lakers a different look, shooting is an area of concern. Last season they were second to last in 3-point percentage, making 34.5 percent. However, the 3-point shot is a rather big part of their offense, as they ranked 15th with 29.1 attempts per game and 19th with 10 makes per game.
The Lakers were able to re-sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency. He should be a great fit alongside James as a 3-and-D player. However, the Lakers failed to add much shooting other than him.
Over at Bleacher Report, the inability to add more shooting to the roster was selected as their biggest thing they failed to address. While they didn’t sign any shooters, they have some players that are capable 3-point shooters.
Caldwell-Pope, Ingram and Hart are all solid shooters. Kuzma has shown an ability to be a stretch-4 and the team is hoping Ball can get things on track. With James in town, the other players should get open shots they have not come across previously in their career.
However, there is still a chance that the younger players don’t develop as planned. However, the Lakers have a plan in place, which James is on board with.
The plan that the organization has put into place this offseason may seem unorthodox, but Magic and Pelinka have done well as a duo. If they have a plan in place, fans should let it play out. With James in town, anything is possible.