The Los Angeles Lakers have lost five of their last seven, and the media is having a field day playing the blame game. Deandre Ayton has been the butt of many a joke this week, while Luka Doncic continues to get criticized daily.
But who will ultimately bear the brunt of the blame if the Lakers continue to fall short of expectations long-term, beyond this season?
On Friday, Former NBA wing-turned analyst Chandler Parsons asserted during Run It Back that Luka, Lakers head coach JJ Redick, and president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka will ultimately be the three individuals blamed if the Lakers' woes continue.
The Lakers' fate is in the hands of three individuals
Parsons noted that no one will blame a 41-year-old LeBron James or a third option Austin Reaves if this Lakers era goes further south.
While Lakers fans are looking forward to what promises to be a big offseason of acquisitions, those same fans might be slightly discouraged to be reminded by Parsons that no one is coming to save the franchise this summer. That's because the three men who must turn the Lakers into a contender are already in the building.
Redick has received a mixed bag of reviews from fans since he took over. Parsons asserted that the pressure on Redick is "fair" considering JJ needs to find more "styles, systems, and plays to make this team more effective."
In pointing at Pelinka, Parsons urged the PBO to bring in more shooting and defense around Luka. Parsons also brought up the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs as examples of squads in the West who can go 10 deep and overwhelm people.
This is where Parsons's take lost a little bit of steam. Comparing the Lakers to OKC or San Antonio isn't fair because those two teams built up their depth through the accumulation of massive stores of draft capital.
The Lakers aren't in that position because they haven't gone through a period of being really bad in a long time, nor is Pelinka a mastermind on the level of Sam Presti.
Rob Pelinka must be the best version of himself this summer
Pelinka will have to lock in and have one of his best stretches as a team-builder this offseason. He can't afford to miss on acquisitions, because he isn't working with an endless store of assets to throw around.
To Parsons's point, Pelinka, Redick, and Doncic are all interconnected in this web of future Lakers blame (or credit), but it begins with the GM. If Pelinka fails to build an adequate roster, Redick's flaws will be exposed all the more, as will Luka's. If the 2026-27 Lakers aren't a different animal than what we are looking at now, this franchise will be in a ton of trouble.