Lakers In Difficult Position Regardless Of Head Coaching Choice (2024)

The Los Angeles Lakers are a 365-day franchise with a never-ending news cycle. After suffering another series loss to the Denver Nuggets in which they were outclassed once again, L.A. fired head coach Darvin Ham and kickstarted yet another coaching search for the organization.

There aren't very many experienced candidates available, especially after the Phoenix Suns took Mike Budenholzer off the market recently, meaning the Lakers will have to get creative with their next hire. For a franchise that has had seven coaches since 2012 and is dealing with roster turmoil and the impending free agency of LeBron James, they must get this decision right for the long-term.

As is the nature of the Lakers, rumors have flown around surrounding the candidates who could get the job, and former player and current media superstar J.J. Redick has risen to the top of the heap. These rumors have been met with mixed opinions from both ends of the spectrum, and Redick would be walking into an extremely pressurized environment with no experience.

However, no one seems to be considering the fact that Los Angeles has much bigger problems on their hands than a coaching search.

Poor Position In Improving Western Conference

LA might not even be top-eight in their own conference

As evidenced by this year's playoffs, the Western Conference is miles ahead of the Eastern Conference in terms of elite teams. The quality of competition in the West's series so far has been a stark comparison to the relatively weak level of play in the East's matchups. Some of this has been due to injury luck, with most Western teams staying healthy while several of the East's contenders have been wiped out by key players missing time.

However, the good teams out West are just much farther along than their counterparts on the other side of the country. The Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Nuggets are all Finals-level squads with bright futures, while only the Boston Celtics have appeared to be on that level this year.

The Eastern contenders will certainly be joined next season by the New York Knicks, who are set up extremely well to reach the level of the aforementioned teams. Additionally, the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Orlando Magic will improve with better injury luck and off-season upgrades. Unfortunately, the same could be said about the New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Clippers, and Suns.

*Assuming LA brings back a similar roster.

Where do the Lakers fit into all of this? Well, they definitely aren't close to the tier of the four semi-finalists out West, and are no better than the Suns, Pelicans, or Clippers. The harsh reality for the purple and gold is that they are closer to the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors than any of the true contenders.

LeBron Could Leave The Lakers

LA's top priority must be to re-sign him, if they even want to

The one constant in Lakers basketball over the past half-decade has been the presence of James and his continued excellent play into the twilight of his career. Outside some minor injuries, the 39-year-old has kept defying Father Time to post his usual averages of 27 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 8 assists per night on great efficiency.

With that said, James is now entering unrestricted free agency for the first time since he left the Cleveland Cavaliers for Los Angeles, and is said to be considering all options. It is unclear what James' motivations will be this time around in the last phase of his career, but he could feasibly leave for a better chance at a fifth championship ring.

There is the curveball of his son, Bronny James, who entered the draft this summer and could be picked by several teams as leverage to pressure James into signing a contract with a new franchise. Los Angeles has discussed taking Bronny to entice the 20-time All-Star to finish his career in Hollywood, but it remains to be seen whether they want to use an asset to lure James back.

Los Angeles could let James walk, and use the open salary spot to begin re-tooling around Anthony Davis, or even trade Davis as well to fully start an official rebuild. However, there is no doubt that any plan of contending this year will likely involve James on the Lakers roster, putting pressure on the front office to get a deal done.

Los Angeles Must Fix Their Unbalanced Roster

Several roster imbalances undermined their overall talent level

If Los Angeles intends to re-sign James and continue attempting to contend for a title, they must fix their roster. The Lakers currently have a very talented collection of players that just don't fit well together because of redundancy in their skillsets and poorly balanced lineups.

In the past season, LA lost the identity they'd thrived on during the LeBron era: defense, size, and rebounding. Just a year ago, the Lakers made a run to the Western Conference Finals on the strength of a suffocating defense, but they completely deteriorated defensively in 2024.

The loss of this formula starts with LA's backcourt of D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves. This pairing, while very skilled, lacks any athleticism or strength needed to defend at the point-of-attack, creating endless driving lanes for opposing guards and placing a disproportionate amount of pressure on Davis to clean up their messes. Russell and Reaves are both very good players, but are redundant, meaning Los Angeles must pick one of the two to move forward with.

The Lakers also have a lack of depth beyond their top-four players, with only Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt having contributed in the past two seasons. Unfortunately, Hachimura is a very similar player to James, and Vanderbilt is a non-shooter, creating a clunky fit when these two are on the court.

If Los Angeles wants to truly compete with the top of the West, they have to make several moves to upgrade the roster. As a team that lacks many player assets, they may have to finally dip into their future picks to acquire more talent.