Los Angeles Lakers fans were all excited this summer when Rob Pelinka added three future Hall of Famers, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard, to the roster.
He also signed a good perimeter defender, Trevor Ariza, sharpshooter Wayne Ellington and two good young offensive threats, Malik Monk and Kendrick Nunn, while re-signing promising youngster Talen Horton-Tucker.
The theory was that the Lakers would have much more offensive firepower. That in turn would leave them somewhat less dependent on their star duo, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, than they’ve been the past two years.
Yet the halfway point in the season is fast approaching and Lakers fans are tremendously disappointed that the team sits in the middle of the Western Conference standings.
A big reason is that injuries have prevented the squad from establishing any form of continuity. But it’s also clear that the roster is flawed. In particular, the Lakers lack an element necessary to any winning team’s success: players willing to do the dirty work.
Someone needs to do the dirty work on the Los Angeles Lakers.
Think back to the Showtime Lakers of the 1980s. Yes, they were led by the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and James Worthy. But they also needed the all-out effort of players like Michael Cooper and the power forward progression of Mark Landsberger, Kurt Rambis and A.C. Green to grab the NBA crown.
The Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal-led Lakers may not have won three straight titles in 2000-02 without the dirty work of teammates like Rick Fox, Robert Horry and Derek Fisher. Fish was still around for the 2009-10 title teams along with an in-his-prime Ariza the first year and Ron Artest the following season.
In more recent years, the Warriors depended on stars Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson for their scoring. But without the dirty work of guys like Draymond Green, Andre Iguodola and Kevon Looney, the team would not have gone to five straight Finals.
Two seasons ago, when the Lakers won the title behind LeBron and AD, they relied on the dirty work of players like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Danny Green and Alex Caruso. Without their contributions, the team would probably have fallen short.
Hard as it may be to believe, that championship was clinched less than 15 months ago. So much has happened since then, including a thorough overhauling of the Lakers roster.
When this year’s team entered training camp, few players on the roster could be counted on to do the dirty work. Ariza was one, but he quickly got hurt. Anybody else? Perhaps Howard, but he has seen better days and his impact is limited. Nobody else could fill the void until they signed Avery Bradley, an excellent on-ball defender, just before the season started.
Undrafted rookie Austin Reaves showed his willingness to also provide extra effort. But recently the trio of Ariza, Bradley and Reaves all entered Covid protocol, leaving the Lakers woefully shorthanded at the “dirty work” positions.
Enter Stanley Johnson, who starred in high school for state champion Mater Dei of Santa Ana. He has bounced around the NBA mostly because of his offensive inconsistency. But he is a strong in-your-face defender whose specialty is doing the dirty work. The Lakers signed him to a 10-day contract, and he has already shown that he can be a key missing ingredient.
Yes, the Lakers have struggled mightily so far. Of course, everybody who knows basketball predicted that Westbrook would not be a great fit alongside James. Russ is Russ, a player who will give 100% effort and make some spectacular plays, but someone who will also turn the ball over too often, play careless defense and miss shots he should make.
Then there’s Anthony Davis. Even when he was healthy, AD didn’t look right this season. In 2019-20 he shot 33% from deep and 42% in the playoffs. But before he got hurt this year he connected at a woeful 18% rate. His mid-range jumper didn’t look a whole lot better. Why the drop-off? Who knows? But it certainly would help if he somehow regains his accuracy when he returns from injury.
If… and that’s a big IF… the Lakers ever get healthy this season, they will rely once again on James and Davis to carry them. Offensive support will come from Westbrook, Melo, Monk and perhaps Nunn.
Still, if they are to make any kind of playoff run, they will need players to do the dirty work. Guys like Bradley, Ariza and Reaves can provide some of those effort minutes.
But if Pelinka is smart, he will create a roster spot for Stanley Johnson, who may be just what the Lakers need most, and sign him for the balance of the season.