The reigning champions Los Angeles Lakers thought that they had the roster to compete for the title again this season. But due to several circumstances, they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs after losing to the Phoenix Suns. The league was in shock as LeBron James and Anthony Davis bow out in the first round.
Their poor postseason performance has raised questions which they will have to answer in the offseason. There are some changes that are needed, changes in the roster and also some changes in the roles of specific players for the upcoming season.
Frank Vogel’s men just like last season started strongly this time as well. However, they lost their way when LeBron and AD missed matches due to various problems. The supporting cast did not live up to the expectations of the fans in the absence of their two best players.
Hence the season with several ebbs and flows came to a halt as the Suns eliminated the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. So now they need to swap some assets this offseason. Lakers’ legend Magic Johnson also has some suggestions for the Purple and Gold. In a recent interview Johnson was asked about the situation regarding the Lakers and their roster and if the players stay healthy will that be enough for them to win the league or not. He is pretty sure that the Lakers need to take big calls with their assets ahead of the next season.
He criticized Kyle Kuzman and Dennis Schroder for not stepping up in AD’s absence. He also had suggestions for the big man who was their best player last season.
Johnson suggested, “Tell AD, he’s going to have to play more center now. You can’t allow him to say, ‘Hey man, I don’t want to play center’. No no no… For me, I would move LeBron back down. We are asking him to do too much. You can’t ask LeBron to be the point guard. That means you’re working hard. You’re bringing the ball up, you’re getting everybody into the offense. When can LeBron rest? You got to understand that we want LeBron fresh for the playoffs. So let somebody else bring it to him and then let him…”
Lastly, according to him the Lakers need to bring in more fluent three point shooters and a better supporting cast to help them in LeBron or AD’s absence.
