The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t have Luka Doncic in the playoffs, but that can’t stop Rob Pelinka from learning his team needs more depth and versatility moving forward. LA wasn’t beating the Thunder with their superstar. Oklahoma City swept the Lakers and won by an average of 16 points per game. It was clear that players who weren’t even in the Thunder’s rotation would have been key contributors for Los Angeles. Rob Pelinka has to rectify that this offseason.
The Lakers need a center upgrade. They lost Deandre Ayton’s minutes in all four games, and head coach JJ Redick was forced to limit his playing time as the series went on. Beyond that, the Lakers only trusted Luke Kennard and Jaxson Hayes off their bench in Game 4. Oklahoma City went nine deep, and Jalen Williams was injured.
It would be easy to write the series off because Doncic didn’t play. The Lakers pulled an upset in the first round without him. Few thought that was possible, but that success isn't enough to ignore what the Thunder showed them. Los Angeles needs more talent, or they will be doomed to repeat history next year with Luka on the floor.
The Lakers need more depth to compete with the NBA’s best
Luka Doncic is the Lakers' superstar. They are building the team around him and giving him plenty of say over personnel decisions. He helped convince Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton to join the franchise. Number 77 will continue to recruit and help his team build out their roster.
Doncic would have helped with the Lakers' playmaking and ball-handling issues against the Thunder, but LA can’t be relying on Kennard and Hayes to be their only bench options. The Lakers need more defense, shooting, and versatility. Coach Redick had nowhere to turn when Jake LaRavia and Jarred Vanderbilt were played off the floor by OKC.
The Lakers need to give JJ Redick ten players who can make a playoff impact. Pelinka is doing it wrong. He needs to target young players who can blossom into something more. It is fine to add veterans, but the Lakers' best young players can’t be Bronny James or Dalton Knecht moving forward.
Los Angeles should be looking for a role player with the 25th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and needs to add talent in free agency. The Lakers are projected to have cap space, but must sort out the futures of several players. They can’t just run it back. The purple and gold must make upgrades.
The Thunder showed them exactly why. They were without an All-Star wing and still swept the Luka-less Lakers. Cason Wallace, Jarred McCain, Alex Caruso, and Jaylin Williams all played key roles for Oklahoma City. Even Isaiah Joe made an impact. If the Lakers had to use their tenth man, it would have been disastrous.
The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t have Luka Doncic in the playoffs, but they can’t let that cloud the fact that they don’t have the talent to win the championship. Oklahoma City has 15 players who can make an impact. LA can’t expect to immediately achieve that, but they have to have ten they trust in the playoffs to have any shot with Luka healthy. Hopefully, Rob Pelinka was taking notes.
Add us as a preferred source on Google