Questions Lakers Must Answer Before End of Regular Season
The Los Angeles Lakers are either careening toward rock bottom or they've already plummeted to it.
This potential powerhouse now appears destined for either the NBA's play-in tournament or perhaps a missed invitation to any postseason play at all. It's a fate few could envision when Russell Westbrook hit Hollywood last summer to join forces with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but here the Lakers are—buried in the Western Conference standings and fading fast.
That changes the calculus of an exercise like this. While the Lakers probably planned on spending this month and the next fine-tuning their championship formula, they'll instead be mulling over big-picture questions that will need answering this summer so a similar fate can be avoided next season.
Is the Russell Westbrook Relationship Salvageable?
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As soon as the Westbrook trade was finalized in August, there were questions about his fit as No. 3 on the Purple and Gold's pecking order.
For those who overindulged on optimism and wanted to talk themselves into the idea, there were visions of Westbrook rebuilding his playstyle as a ball-screener and off-ball cutter. But the idea that Westbrook, a former MVP and 14-year veteran, would need to completely upend his game to make this work spoke to the awkwardness of the fit. Never mind that there was zero inclination he was open to change or the Lakers were even pushing for it.
Fast-forward to now, and this obviously isn't working. Westbrook's ball-dominance does nothing to make James' life easier, while the former's limitations as a shooter and defender have exacerbated some of L.A.'s existing issues.
The logical question, then, is what comes next? A trade feels best for both parties, but how does that ever get done? The Lakers reportedly had a chance to swap out Westbrook for John Wall—who, it should be noted, hasn't played all season and might be just as rough of a fit—but declined to include a first-round pick, per Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes.
This offseason, L.A. will unlock a second future first-round pick to trade (2029), but with this roster in need of dire improvement, the front office will have to figure out whether it's worth sacrificing a pick just to get Westbrook off the team. That may, in fact, be the best path forward, but it limits what else the Lakers can do, since they'd again only have a single first-rounder at their disposal.
Can They Count on Anthony Davis?
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A healthy Davis remains a difference-maker, but the Lakers just haven't seen enough of that player to notice an actual difference.
Injuries have limited the Brow to just 37 games this season, and that's actually one more than he played last season. The old adage about the best ability being availability comes to mind here, since Davis can offer zero support from the sideline.
Could his omnipresent injury issues—coupled with a perpetually cooling outside shot—force the Lakers to rethink his position as James' top co-star? With LeBron's 37th birthday behind him, L.A. only has so many bites at the apple with King James left.
So far, James and Davis have posted a minus-2.6 net rating during their 546 minutes together this season, though that figure could say more about their supporting cast than this previously dynamic duo itself. Still, the roster could be in such a state of disrepair that a major move like a Brow blockbuster might prove the best way out of this mess.
How Does This Get Turned Around over the Summer?
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No team has fallen shorter of expectations than the Lakers this season. When that happens, changes aren't just likely, they're imminent.
But how big will those changes get?
Coach Frank Vogel was reportedly on the hot seat two months ago. Vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka built this roster, so could he take the fall? One columnist theorized the Lakers must trade James himself. Others around the league have suggested both James and Davis should go.
This season feels like a lost cause already. Maybe the Lakers make the play-in tournament, advance out of it and even make some noise in the first round. But their biggest goal (arguably the only one for a James-led team at this point) is almost certainly out of reach, so L.A. must spend the next few months plotting how to make it achievable next season.
