This Lakers roster is extrememly unimpressive

[Pelly24]

LeBron and Kuzma will start hitting shots. then you just need green to do his job and others to sprinkle in. It isnt great, but this won't be a team with zero shooting. Also, as long as their defense remains solid they can keep any game close and Lebron can pick apart any defense if he deals with it enough.

All of that said, I wonder if we'll see a fully unleashed offensive lebron with somewhat limited spacing for now.

[ShowtimeFan]

Most unimpressive 5-1 team, lol...!

[tsirigoj]

I sense the fear from all you non-Laker fans/Laker haters.

It's OK. You should be scared.

[tsirigoj]

Not to mention, this incredibly "unimpressive" team may be the best defense (definitely up there) through the first 6 games.

And anyone who says Avery Bradley sucks hasn't watched a single game. Dude is playing VERY well defensively for us. A lineup of Dwight/AD/LeBron/Iguodala/Bradley?? I don't think anyone scores against that.

[NPZ]

3&D Guys: Danny Green is the third-best player on this team until proven otherwise. He's a surprisingly coveted 3&D guy. He can go gold, but he's a dependable three-point shooter and can be a key part of a defensive phalanx.

Plus 1 just for phalanx. Goin all ancient Greek on us. Do you like gladiator movies? Have you ever seen a grown man naked?

Try dragging Walton and Lanier.

Watch on YouTube

[Greyhound]

If this is the Lakers offense all season, both LeBron and Davis will be gassed by the time the playoffs start.

This type of ISO offense works fine in the playoffs, but in the regular season you need to find easier ways to get buckets.

They should be fine. They play at a very slow pace.

It is not like they are going out of their way to isolate (and a good bit of that is isolation post ups). Teams are switching the LeBron/ Davis pick and rolls and leaving each with mismatches.

Any coach that decides not to take advantage of teams switching SF’s and guards onto Davis should be fired on the spot.

[cupcakesnake]

i think they've put enough useful pieces together around their stars to contend this year if they come out healthy.

This roster CAN:
- play small and potent with an AD/Bron frontcourt surrounded by Green/Bradley and a ball handler (Caruso, Rondo)
- play big and put major rim protection and rebounding out there with a Dwight/AD frontcourt.
- Have a rim protector on the floor for 48 minutes.
- shoot. Outside of Dwight/Javale, every guy in the rotation can shoot to some degree.
- Provide a tiny bit of upside. Kuzma and Caruso have some chance to improve throughout the year or show us something if one of the stars gets injured.

This roster CANT:
- Survive without both their stars healthy. Their shortage of shot creators is well established.
- Matchup with deep wing rotations. The Clippers are a problem for this roster, since they don't really have wings. Their best defenders are all short or centers. Kawhi will be able off all his fave midrange looks over Bradley or Green. Paul George is going to enjoy some clean looks. If these teams meet in the playoffs, I wonder if we'll see AD try to guard these guys more. Lebron can only do it for a couple possessions at best. Fortunately, the Clip Show is the only deep wing rotation in the league this year on the contender level.

Overall I think this roster basically works, they just have a slimmer margin for error that the more well-rounded teams (Clippers, Jazz). My bigger questions for the Lakers is what do they do next year (AD a free agent, Lebron a year older, already traded all their assets to get AD, little to no cap space if AD resigns and Bradley and KCP pick up their options).

[MGB8]

IMO, right now the Lakers are the best team in the NBA. We'll see if Paul George returning to the Clippers changes that.

Now, this isn't the Heatles or Warriors type dominance - they can lose any given game against a good team - but no team is playing better than them after the first game.

Kuzma hasn't been playing well, while Lebron and Anthony Davis haven't been their best on the offensive end and their role-players have been inconsistent, at best.... but they are 5-1. Only Dwight Howard has really been exceeding expectations (though Bradley looks more like his Memphis version as opposed to his Clippers version).

Defensively, the Lakers are a beast, meaning they can beat anyone. Offensively, they still have James, Anthony Davis, shooters and rebounders. Absent an injury (and with Howard, Davis, even an aging James, that is a big risk), they will be in the mix at the end, and very possibly the favorites.

[JellosJigglin]

I think there will be games where younger teams will run them off the court and everyone will flip out. Those teams will treat the game like a game 7 and want it more. I just hope they don't gun for best record. It's a marathon and they have a chance to do something special in the playoffs.

[NPZ]

Still early to make any judgments, but this league is all about superstars, and the LAL have 2 of the top. That being said, I am skeptical of their depth.

Fair, but you know Playoffs... Starters usurp most of the minutes. Bigger problem til May is Brawn and AD staying uninjured. Then they can worry about depth. Too early to tell how they'd fare in the POs since they haven't played every contender yet, but you can tick the Spurs off the threat list. Lakers would take them out in 5 at best. Good matchups there. Dallas would be tough because they're young, but they're young. I'd just as soon want the Clipps to face them 1/8 or 2/7. Vogel is gonna have to reduce Brawn's minutes. He can't do 35plus every night and expect to dominate in 100 or so games if deep playoffs permit.

[JellosJigglin]

Still early to make any judgments, but this league is all about superstars, and the LAL have 2 of the top. That being said, I am skeptical of their depth.

Fair, but you know Playoffs... Starters usurp most of the minutes. Bigger problem til May is Brawn and AD staying uninjured. Then they can worry about depth. Too early to tell how they'd fare in the POs since they haven't played every contender yet, but you can tick the Spurs off the threat list. Lakers would take them out in 5 at best. Good matchups there. Dallas would be tough because they're young, but they're young. I'd just as soon want the Clipps to face them 1/8 or 2/7. Vogel is gonna have to reduce Brawn's minutes. He can't do 35plus every night and expect to dominate in 100 or so games if deep playoffs permit.

Lebron is at exactly 35mpg for the season. Hopefully that can eventually come down to 32-33. He's been coasting in the first half of games so I don't think he's been overexerting himself. He's shown he can still dominate when they need him to. But yeah it's a long season. Dallas matches up very well but they make "young team" mistakes when it's closing time.

[yoyoboy]

I think they're firmly fifth on my list of title contenders at the moment. Despite how they've looked so far, I just think the team has more question marks than their competitors (defensive rebounding, three point shooting, Dwight sustaining this play, Davis' health, Rondo joining the rotation, lack of a true secondary creator, perimeter defense against more dynamic guards/wings).

I will say though, it is finally nice to have a year where it feels like there are 5 or so teams with legitimate chances at a title, and then a couple more that would have an outside shot with some injury luck. Philly is an absolute juggernaut when healthy though.

[bellabiyel]

I agree.This team is very weak outside of Lebron James and Anthony Davis.I'm still confident about the Lakers missing the playoffs this year despite of a 4-1 start to the season.I really wouldn't be surprised if the Lakers start going on a losing steak as their schedule gets tougher.

hey are you there?

[Dr Aki]

Youth is always overrated.

Give me veteran teams all day, every day

[macNcheese3]

Just glad LAL got the W

[The Laker Kid]

I’m not impressed until they beat the NBA CHAMPION Raptors. Still very unimpressive. lol

[Pharmcat]

Keep the same energy come playoff tonight

[Vibranium]

Lol all these threads popping out of nowhere and i'm loving it.

[LakersSoul]

Some classic threads....

All these op going into hiding.

[MoneyMo]

Keep the same energy come playoff tonight

I mean, all they have to do is not be bounced in the first round to make your prediction inaccurate.