Los Angeles Lakers: 3 departed players that LA is currently missing
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Lakers are about a tenth of the way through the 2021-22 season and have overcome an 0-2 start and currently hold a 5-3 record. While the Lakers are 5-1 in their last six, things still have not been perfect in LA.
It is safe to say that the level of competition that the team has faced thus far is pretty easy and that the Lakers still have things that they need to work out. The Russell Westbrook experience has had some growing pains and the team is still dealing with injuries to the rotation and finding out who fits where.
There are positive things to really like about this team and there are weaknesses that the team is going to have to improve if they are going to make a title run. That all comes with the territory of deploying a team that only has three players from last year’s team.
The Los Angeles Lakers certainly are missing some of the departed players from last season.
It is a bold strategy to completely revamp the roster but that is exactly what Rob Pelinka did. LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Talen Horton-Tucker are the only carryovers from last season. However, there is some familiarity with Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard and Avery Bradley on the team.
Each departed Laker left for their own reasons. Some the Lakers could have brought back, others wanted to find a new opportunity and some were included in the Westbrook trade. The Lakers certainly don’t miss all of the players that they ditched this past offseason but there is a trio that would fit nicely on this team.
In order from least to most, here are the three departed players that the Los Angeles Lakers should currently be missing.