Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss came out recently and stated that it won’t be long before the Los Angeles Lakers will be good again. On the surface, it seems like it’s just posturing. Of course the owner would say that; she wants to start selling seats again because as of right now, nobody in Los Angeles cares to see the Lakers play.
But even when you scratch beneath the surface, the cupboard looks pretty bare for the Lakers in 2015-16 as they’re banking on draft picks, an aging Kobe Bryant and hopefully some free agents that want to come and play.
And while it is dark days in Los Angeles right now, maybe the Lakers aren’t as far off as people think. Maybe Jeanie Buss is just an eternal optimist. Let’s step into her fantasy land of hypotheticals and figure out how the Lakers can be good next season.
Kobe Bryant Has To Have Something Left In The Tank
While Kobe Bryant is a legend, let’s face it: entering next season, he’ll be 37-years-old and coming off of two seasons that were shortened by serious injuries. If the Lakers are to get anything done whatsoever next season, it still starts and ends with Kobe Bryant. He needs to be healthy, he needs to be effective and he needs come close to his averages from a couple of seasons ago where he was pouring in about 27 points per game along with five rebounds and six assists. Even if he tapers off a little bit in each category, which is reasonable, the Lakers still need him to be a primetime player.
Lakers Must Attract Free Agents
Everything the Lakers have been doing over the last couple of seasons was building to this year’s offseason. As of right now, they only have $36.2 million on the books for next season, which includes Bryant, Nick Young, Julius Randle, Ryan Kelly and Ed Davis. That means they’ll have plenty of cap room to back up the dump truck and bring in the likes of Marc Gasol and maybe even Rajon Rondo.
Gasol has emerged as arguably the league’s best center. This year, the All-Star is averaging 18.0 points per game along with 8.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.7 blocks. The Lakers are desperate for help at the position and would love to get Gasol and feed him 33+ minutes of action every night. While the Grizzlies will have the Larry Bird rules to help keep him, the truth is that they are a small budget team and they’ll have limits. The Lakers won’t and they’ll have to blow the bank to get him.
At the same time, the Lakers need help at point guard and it looks like Rondo can be had. He hasn’t fit in with the Dallas Mavericks and they may be hesitant to sign him long-term. And even if they want to sign him, Rondo might be hesitant to stay given that he’s already clashed with head coach Rick Carlisle. If the Lakers can get Rondo in the purple and gold, he’ll be a perfect fit as a creator in an offense with Bryant and Gasol. Yes, they’ll need a bench but the Lakers need at least two star free agents to put with Bryant to turn things around next season.
Young Stars Must Step Up
The Lakers got virtually nothing out of this year’s first-round pick, Julius Randle, before he broke his leg and was lost for the season. He’s likely going to be counted up to be the starting power forward next season. He needs to not only step into the lineup and perform well, he needs to look like a quality piece of the puzzle. The Lakers will probably let Jordan Hill and Ed Davis walk, so they’ll need Randle to handle the starting duties. The good news is he’s a very talented player and will be in a great situation – assuming the Lakers get someone like Gasol.
Beyond Randle, the Lakers will also have a high draft pick. If they can pick up someone like Stanley Johnson from Arizona or D’Angelo Russell from Ohio State, they can get a young prospect that can come off the bench and contribute at the wing positions. And who knows, if they can somehow land the top pick, they might get their hands on someone like Jahlil Okafor.
The bottom line is that with Bryant back, the potential to add two stars and Young and Randle returning, maybe Jeanie Buss isn’t so crazy after all. The Lakers could have a fairly reasonable core next season and possibly even a playoff team if they make all of the right moves.
