The Los Angeles Lakers have been built on a top-heavy approach for multiple seasons now. Even with the league, as a whole, trending away from that ideology, that team-building can and has worked. However, the flaws with that approach are showing up now more than ever.
When the Lakers had Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves all ready, available, and humming in the month of March, they look absolutely legit. They were beating great teams and flirting with the idea of being a contender before their disastrous night against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Now, James is all alone. While the Lakers should not be ruled out altogether in their first-round matchup against the Houston Rockets, the road to winning that series will be exceptionally harder with both Doncic and Reaves absent.
If Los Angeles ends up losing this series, it will serve as punishment to the Lakers front office for not filling out the roster adequately around the edges. That has been the ultimate shortcoming of Rob Pelinka in recent seasons of constructing the team.
Lakers' lack of depth could be a ticking time bomb against the Rockets
The fault in what the Lakers have done with the roster was recently discussed on an episode of Hoops Tonight featuring Jason Timpf and Brian Windhorst. There was criticism to go around.
"Where the Lakers really screwed the pooch is they just haven't converted any sort of rotation-level talent on the margins or in the draft over the last few years," Timpf said.
This year's Boston Celtics were contrasted as an example of how to do that successfully. Even without Jayson Tatum, the Celtics continued to hum along due to the depth they build by hitting on some of their late picks in drafts. They even found a guy like Neemias Queta who blossomed into a quality center for them.
Timpf may not be the most popular personality among Lakers fans, but his point here was just. Pelinka and the front office have not had these types of successes in abundance.
Perhaps one of those cases is growing in Los Angeles with the selection of Bronny James. The second-year guard has elevated himself to a position of trust with JJ Redick amid the injury absences.
Even then, the Lakers need more of that. If this year's postseason trip ends up being a short one, the needed improvements for Los Angeles in this area will stand out like a sore thumb in their failures.
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