The black box of a nightmarish season for the Lakers

To fail. shipwreck. Fiasco. There are many words that can be used to describe this year’s Lakers season. And none of them are good.

The Lakers have been eliminated in playoff tournaments. It sounds unbelievable but it’s true. The loss to the Suns has mathematically put LA out of contention for a play-in tournament spot. A team that came together to aim for the championship, a team of 5 future Hall of Famers, not only made the playoffs but even made the top 10.

True, despite the fact that the Lakers were presented by many as favorites to win the title, many had their doubts. It was believed that the composition of the roster did not help this view, despite the stardust from the presence of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. Still, no one expected the Lakers to end the season in 11th place in the West. But how did the Lakers get here?

The Westbrook Stock Exchange

It was July 30, 2021, when the Lakers traded Westbrook for the Wizards in a move involving five teams (Lakers, Wizards, Nets, Spurs, Pacers). To acquire him, they had to send Kyle Kuzma, Centavious Caldwell-Pope, and Montrezel Harrell to Washington. That is, three players of the basic rotation.

This step was received with concern by everyone. The reason is clear, as Westbrook’s style of play doesn’t seem to line up exactly with that of LeBron and Davis. Westbrook is a guard who traditionally wants the ball played in his hands. If this doesn’t happen then problems will start as he is a bad shot. Some have suggested he may have adjusted and changed his playing style in the interests of the Lakers. But if Westbrook has proven anything over the years, it’s that πάντα he’ll always be the same. And he had no intention of changing that at 33.

All these assumptions and fears were confirmed by the end of the season. Westbrook never adjusted to the Lakers as he just didn’t fit James and Davis on the ground. Since none of the three stars is a constant shooter and Davis wants to play as a power forward – Dwight Howard was often on the floor – the distances of the Lakers were bad. When the Lakers lowered form and grounded the shooter, then the defense was floating points. In general things were difficult.

The Error in the Caruso/Horton-Tucker and Nan Dilemma

After the Westbrook swap, the Lakers suddenly found themselves in a difficult position trying to keep Alex Caruso in the roster. The Explosive Guard’s $44 million contract left the Lakers with a choice between Caruso and parts Horton-Tucker because the high salary cap made it impossible to keep both. After some deliberation, they opted for the latter.

The Lakers justification was concrete: Horton-Tucker is 6 years younger (28 vs. 22), he can develop better, he is a positive defender and a better forward. At the same time, Razon Rondo was left and Kendrick Nann had already been taken over, so there was a backup point guard and Caruso was in surplus. All of this had a – relative – logic. But it turned out that everything was done on the wrong basis.

Caruso’s loss proved crucial for the Lakers as the current Bulls guard is one of the NBA’s best defenders on the ball. At the same time, Horton-Tucker started the season injured, lost the first month, and when he came back he had three good games in a row, but since then he didn’t seem to understand what his role would be.

In fact, of course, the Lakers’ real problem was that they never saw Nan on the floor. The young guard should give them solutions in organization and execution while he would be a consistent defender. But he ended up losing the whole season. Combined with Rondo’s anemic season — before he was handed off to the Cavaliers — the Lakers suddenly found themselves without a backup point guard.

LeBron, Davis and Westbrook played 21 games together

The fact is that the injuries did not leave the Lakers and Davis in particular. The All Star forward/center was unlucky for another season, losing 39 games. At the same time, LeBron lost another 23 games (and… counting). As a result, the trio of LeBron, Davis and Westbrook only lasted alongside each other on the floor for 21 of the season’s 79 games and didn’t have an opportunity to find chemistry.

This season, the Lakers’ 11 different trios of players spent more time on the ground than their star trio. In total, LeBron, James and Westbrook lived side by side for 393 minutes and 29 seconds this year while never playing more than 3 games in a row!

The chemistry of the three stars was problematic from the start. The -4 on the +/- system they averaged over that period, and the fact that the Lakers only had an 11-10 record in those 21 games, shows that – quite simply – something was wrong. Even so, owning one is out of reach for the average person.

A team doomed to fail

It sounds cynical, but it’s now more than clear: The Lakers were just a bad team. An old and full of failures that could only be lucky for something good in… video games.

The Lakers formed a team that aimed to have 8 players over the age of 32 in the base rotation. A team without players on the periphery, without enough shooters on LeBron’s side, without enough length in defense. A team that would have been great… 10 years ago when many of their squad players were in their dozen. But in the modern NBA, where speed, athleticism and peripheral shooting are paramount, the Lakers had none of it.

The Lakers were a team… doomed. And you don’t say that after a holiday. The mistakes in their squad had been highlighted since the summer. Mistakes seen by everyone but themselves. 11th place which will end the season is only representative of the season they had.

The next day is difficult

Now the Lakers need to make their plans for next season. Finding a way to be competitive while knowing that – barring the shocking unexpected – they won’t culminate in the first round, which logically will go to the Pelicans.

In the eyes of the world, the most obvious move is the Westbrook swap. But as the Lakers noted in the trade deadline, no team right now wants a veteran guard on their roster who isn’t the player they were and are expected to receive $47 million in the 2022-23 season. In the NBA, of course, it has proven that no contract is considered non-exchangeable.

Either way, the Lakers’ next day looks difficult. The LA team has no place in the salad cap, no draft pick and looks tired, aged and disappointed. This summer is expected to be very big.