As a Laker fan I have to hear a lot of jokes these days about the Lakers. A joke like, “Lebron wants to be the GM, the assistant coach and a star player”. Or, “Bronny is going to take away some other guy’s minutes”. I even have my own jokes from time to time. How can you not? It’s pretty comical what’s going on with the Lakers right now. But we have to ask ourselves, what if we are wrong about these outcomes. Let’s take a look at some of the what ifs that may turn out better than we think. Here we go.
What if Lebron and Anthony Davis continue to stay as healthy as they were this past season? That probably was an outlier season for both of them at this point, but what if it wasn’t? Their health will go a long way in keeping the Lakers competitive, as we all know. So maybe they can do it again.
Speaking of health;
What if all the key role players stay healthy this season? Reaves, Rui and Russell were healthy all season too, along with Lebron and AD and they still finished in 9th place. But besides one 15-20 game stretch, Jared Vanderbilt was injured all season. His defense, energy and rebounding and movement off the ball was key for the Lakers when he was healthy. He helped to spearhead a Laker victory against Boston, in Boston before he left with a foot injury. That injury lasted for the rest of the season. Relative good health for all the Lakers key role players is paramount for a successful season. Check out the Lakers (minus the stars) against the NBA champs in February of this year.
Moving on.
What if J.J. Redick turns out to be a good coach? He could be just what the team needs. He could be a lot more innovative in his offensive approach, running more than just the pick and roll with the main ball handlers or throwing the ball to AD on the left block. I think he has some coaching chops in him that will be beneficial for the team. I love this post splits play that he is talking about here.
And no, you don’t need Steph and Klay to make this action successful. You need two players who work well with each other and know how to read what each other is going to do. I wanted to put together a summer league team and run this same action. However, I punked out on the summer league. I guess I will have to wait to introduce it in the Fall work league. Anyhow, JJ is going to bring more ingenuity to the Lakers offense, book it.
What if Bronny actually turns out to be a decent pick and a good role player? That’s all I can say on this one.
What if Austin Reaves hits the weight room this summer and adds some strength to his frame? He reminds me of a young Gordan Hayward, who was much frailer when he first got to the league. Look at Hayward in his early years.
Does this floopy haired look remind you of any body on the Lakers?
Now look at Hayward his last year in Utah. A transformation. He has his grown man body here.
If Reaves hits the weights the next couple of summers, he could transform his body too. That would probably lead to a jump in his production, defensively and offensively. Put in the work Austin!
What if the Lakers 1st round pick, Dalton Knecht, is a great draft pick? Maybe he turns out to be the shooter off the bench that the Lakers need. His size is promising and his highlights look pretty good. I’m truly optimistic he will contribute this upcoming season.
What if Cam Reddish finds an actual offensive game this season? Who am I kidding? This is not going to happen!
What if the Lakers don’t make any bad moves this summer, like picking up Demar Derozen? I don’t care how good Derozen was his first year or two in Chicago, it still would have been a bad move to trade for him instead of Russell Westbrook a few years ago. Don’t get me wrong, the Westbrook experience was very forgettable. But do we really think a guy who can’t space the floor and shoot 3s, like Derozen, is going to be that much better? I surely don’t. Please, please Lakers don’t do that deal. It won’t work for the team.
I’m know I’m a little over the top right now. But if you don’t dream of what you want, how do you expect it to come true? I’m going to manifest this thing into fruition. What if 75% of the things I mentioned come true? If so, the Lakers could be a dangerous team this season, a top 4 seed in the West in my mind. I’m not going to book it or anything, but like KG said in 2008, anything is possible!
I really believe lakers will be 6 or 7 seed. If you look at the west . Clippers dnt look good. Denver keep losing key role players. And dnt get me started with warriors. We dnt know what kind of offense jj runs. I’m assuming it’s gonna be offense. Are they contenders? No ..playoff team yes..