1. Playmaking
With LeBron James on the roster, you have one of the games elite playmakers. Capable of making any pass needed, LBJ is the closest thing to Magic Johnson the Lakers have seen since… Magic Johnson. To put it into simple terms, LeBron is really good at basketball.
When LeBron is on the floor, the Lakers work like a well-oiled machine, players getting the ball in the right spots, Davis getting all the supply he needs to dominate, players like Danny Green getting the ball in the places they need and the Lakers usually outscore the opposing team when LeBron is on the floor.
However, when LeBron is off the floor, the Lakers productivity tends to fall off the face of the earth and what once was a free-flowing and efficient offense, grounds down to a halt and becomes a mediocre unit at best.
With the likes of Rajon Rondo getting 2nd unit minutes when LeBron is off the floor, it puts the purple in gold in a bad spot, as he is the only capable playmaker on the team not named LeBron James.
While Rondo was once an elite playmaker and floor general, those days are long since gone. He is a shell of the player he once was and at times is an enormous hindrance to the purple and gold.
Rob Pelinka attempted to make moves before the trade deadline but was unsuccessful in his efforts in landing a quality playmaker to add to the squad.
While Dion Waiters is no Magic Johnson or Steve Nash, he is more than capable of acting as a playmaker when LeBron James is off the floor.
With Waiters on the floor, the Lakers should be able to run some pick and roll actions and remain competitive.
During the time off due to coronavirus, Waiters should be able to pick up some of the offensive sets that the Lakers run and hopefully be able to adequately run the sets, when or if the league resumes at some point in the near or distant future.
While the Waiters signing might have seen minor to some, his skill set has the potential to unlock some really important areas for the purple and gold.
If Waiters can come to LA and score the ball coming off the bench, get some of the players in the secondary unit some open looks and run pick and rolls with the likes of Kuzma and Dwight Howard, then the Lakers will potentially be in a really strong position come playoff time.
Welcome to the Lakers, Dion!. Here is hoping he can play an important part in the Lakers title charge.