1. Fit alongside LeBron James
This offseason and ones in the next few years will be about filling out the roster around LeBron James. As the new face of the franchise, personnel decisions will be made with the thought of, how does he fit alongside James on the court?
This offseason, the main focus was adding more playmakers around James. Rondo and Stephenson are solid playmakers, along with Lonzo Ball. In that regard, Crawford would be an excellent addition. McGee and Beasley are seasoned veterans, which Crawford is as well.
Ball handlers and playmakers were added by the Lakers to take offensive pressure off of James. Previously, the Cleveland Cavaliers surrounded James with shooters. Crawford would help in that area as well, as stated in the previous slide.
Crawford’s ability to create for himself is something that the Cavaliers lacked as well. When Kyrie Irving was traded to the Boston Celtics and Isaiah Thomas didn’t pan out, the Cavaliers lacked players that could break an opponent down off the dribble and create. Crawford can do that in his sleep.
Crawford isn’t a great defender, so that is one area of concern if he was added to the team. However, given the positive impact he would have on the offense, Crawford makes for a worthwhile addition. He would fit alongside a number of different Lakers players, but his fit alongside LeBron James is what makes him a good signing for Los Angeles.