As the end of 2022 draws near, it is clear that things just have not gone according to plan for the Los Angeles Lakers throughout the year. In fact, it was quite a tumultuous calendar year all around.
The team, which began last season with six future NBA Hall of Famers, failed to make the playoffs in the first portion of 2022 (let alone the play-in tournament). Fans across the NBA were quick to label the 2021-2022 season as the worst season in NBA history, with a lot of those fans being lifelong Laker diehards:
This is the most disappointing laker season in team history.
— Flea (@flea333) March 4, 2022
To follow that up, the front office went out and assembled a younger, more athletic team that was supposed to usher a quick turnaround. Unfortunately, the front office forgot to add any bonafide shooters despite common sense confirming you need said shooters to win games consistently in today’s NBA.
Fast forward 36 games into the season and the Lakers sit in the 13th seed in the West as 38-year-old LeBron tries to carry the team on his shoulders in Anthony Davis’s absence.
Expectations are always high in Laker Land, both internally and from the fanbase and media. Unfortunately, time and time again this organization has been nothing shy of a disappointment from all angles in recent memory (1 bubble title is simply not enough when you look at the failures that led to and proceeded that season).
It is time for us to actually temper our expectations of the Los Angeles Lakers and the first step in doing so is by setting some legitimate, realistic resolutions for the 2023 Los Angeles Lakers.
4 resolutions for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023:
1. Make a trade
There has been no shortage of trade rumors regarding the Lakers. Along with that, there has also been no shortage of scrutiny hailed in the direction of Rob Pelinka for his unwillingness to actually make something happen on the trade front.
While Pelinka is assuredly weighing options in terms of personnel changes, it is difficult to gauge exactly where this team stands currently with regard to contending. This has made it tough for him to pull the trigger on any deals involving their famous 2 future first-round picks.
Unfortunately for Pelinka, as long as LeBron James is a Los Angeles Laker, he is going to be responsible for fielding a competitive roster. At 15-21 with Anthony Davis out indefinitely, some type of change has to be made if this season is going to be salvaged.
There is no telling where the team will be in the standings whenever AD returns to action. There does not necessarily have to be any home runs hit here, but Pelinka has to give the fanbase what they have been asking for even if he simply hits a bloop single.