The Los Angeles Lakers revamped their roster around Luka Doncic, but there is still work to do after Rob Pelinka forgot about perimeter defense again. For years, LA’s general manager has ignored positional size and defense in favor of score-first options. Credit to him for landing the center Luka desired. Kessler gives the Lakers an elite rim protector and defender. Beyond that, the Lakers added youth and shooting, but it created a fatal flaw.
The purple and gold are making Quentin Grimes their go-to perimeter defender. Grimes had one strong defensive season, but the 6’4 guard is more known for his offensive game. That is a problem, especially with Luka and Austin Reaves as the team’s stars. This is a repeat of history for Pelinka, who has added names like Russell Westbrook, Dennis Schroder, Malik Monk, and D’Angelo Russell to put around his stars.
The Lakers lost LeBron James, Marcus Smart, Deandre Ayton, Rui Hachimura, Luke Kennard, Jaxson Hayes, Maxi Kleber, and Nick Smith Jr. in this summer’s free agency. Their entire starting five from their first-round playoff series win over the Rockets is gone. Pelinka got his first shot to build around Luka, and left the roster with significant defensive issues.
Lakers’ new depth chart makes defensive issues clear
Luka is excited about the new look Lakers. They are banking heavily on Grimes being a plus perimeter defender. Collin Sexton competes hard, but is a below-league-average option. The Lakers know what Doncic and Reaves can do. Rookie Cameron Carr has potential, but a title contender can’t bet on a rookie to get stops.
The depth chart looks very different from last season, and wisely filling the final roster spot is looming large.
- PG: Luka Doncic, Collin Sexton, Bronny James
- SG: Austin Reaves, Cameron Carr, Jaden Hardy
- SF: Quentin Grimes, Adou Thiero, Dalton Knecht
- PF: Sandro Mamukelashvili, Jake LaRavia, Jarred Vanderbilt
- C: Walker Kessler, Kevon Looney
The Lakers are interested in Jonathan Kuminga and need a versatile defender at the four. Sandro Mamukelashvili is best in a reserve role where his offense pops. Mamu struggles on defense. He is between positions and can’t protect the rim or defend on the perimeter. Getting someone like Kuminga would be a massive boost.
The problem is Pelinka used the team’s cap space on Kessler, Grimes, Sexton, and Mamu. There was no focus on replacing Marcus Smart. The Lakers hope to land this option on a minimum contract or via a sign-and-trade. They only have three second-round draft picks and one first-round swap to make the deal happen. Pelinka hopes he can find fill this hole off the scrap heap.
Lakers are making a massive bet on Luka Doncic
This roster is built around Doncic. They are loaded with shooting, but have several players they need Luka to maximize. Walker Kessler won’t be creating his own shots. They need Doncic to feed him dunks. Grimes shot 38.0 percent on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers and 24.0 percent off the dribble last season. Sexton hit 44.5 percent off the catch and just 34.0 percent off the dribble. The new talent needs number 77 to get the best out of them.
The Lakers will have one of the best offenses in the NBA, but Pelinka bet too heavily on that side of the ball carrying the team. The hallmark of a championship roster is being top ten in both offensive and defensive rating. The purple and gold will struggle to be in the top half of the league defensively with this roster. They are relying on Kessler to clean up too many messes at the rim and need Luka’s incredible offensive talent to save the day.
The Los Angeles Lakers will look extremely different next season. The LeBron era is over. Rob Pelinka is building around Luka, and still doesn’t care about perimeter defense. Instead of going for 3-and-D players, the Lakers GM just leans into offense. Fans know the answer. Pelinka will be scrambling to fill this hole before the trade deadline like he does every year. Some things just never change.
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