In a recent loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, Brook Lopez proved the Los Angeles Lakers wrong for letting him go this summer.
As the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up their road trip against the Milwaukee Bucks, they saw a former player really hurt them.
This offseason, the Lakers made a lot of moves that they hoped would improve the team. Getting LeBron James was obviously a great thing for the franchise, as it gave them a bonafide superstar to lead the team.
However, the signings after James have been questioned due to the struggles of the Lakers this season. Letting players like Julius Randle and Brook Lopez walk in free agency this season certainly looks questionable at this point. In the loss to the Bucks, Lopez showed the Lakers exactly what they missed out by letting him walk this offseason.
In the win for the Bucks, Lopez totaled 29 points, nine rebounds, four blocks, and shot 45.5 percent from the three-point line. The type of player that Lopez has evolved into the last few years is exactly what the Lakers were missing from the center position this year. Lopez has become a very good shooter, and is also a strong rim protector.
Having a stretch five like Lopez would have paired very nicely with James this season, but he instead is in Milwaukee. At the trade deadline, the Lakers tried to replace what Lopez brought to the team by getting Mike Muscala. However, Muscala hasn’t done much for the Lakers in his short time with them.
Seeing how the season has turned out, it is easy to now play Monday morning quarterback and say that the Lakers made a mistake by not bringing back a guy like Lopez. The Bucks have become one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, and what Lopez has brought to the team has helped them achieve that.
Even though Lopez is not a superstar player, he does a lot of things well at the center position. Going against his former team, Lopez certainly proved to the Lakers that they made a mistake this summer.