On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Lakers held a press conference for general manager Rob Pelinka and new head coach JJ Redick, a few days ahead of Media Day next week, which will be followed by the start of training camp.
With Redick’s introductory press conference not that long ago while sitting by Pelinka at the Lakers practice facility in El Segundo, the consensus seemed to be that Wednesday’s presser wouldn’t be much different, with the same topics discussed.
However, with so many questions surrounding the Lakers after a forgettable NBA offseason filled with disappointment due to the lack of moves and roster improvements, the media was armed with plenty of things to fire at Pelinka and Redick regarding the team’s outlook for the 2024-25 NBA season.
The consensus around the league seems to be that the Lakers might be a middle-of-the-pack team in the Western Conference at best. That said, Pelinka had to answer the difficult question of whether he believes the team can compete for the title during the upcoming season.
“I think that’s really a question that I think we’ll have a better sense on after 30 games,” Pelinka said. “But we believe in this group, and the 15 guys that play the games are gonna control the wins and losses with their effort, with how hard we play, with the pride we play with, with how organized and detail-oriented we are. I can tell you we can’t guarantee wins or losses, but we can guarantee that that’s going on with these guys. So the confidence and belief level is high. But the work is never done. So, we’ll continue to look for ways if we can to upgrade the roster. That’s part of our jobs and something we always have an open eye to doing. But if we have good health and good fortune, I really like our chances.”
The fact that Pelinka didn’t hesitate to provide an exact number of games—30—to assess this roster, which is virtually the same as last season, suggests that he might be preparing for a rough start.
With the Lakers finding it impossible to make a trade over the summer to improve the roster, it’ll be interesting to see if that changes in the months ahead, especially if the team starts to struggle.
Rob Pelinka on willingness to trade Lakers’ draft picks
With the Los Angeles Lakers current roster not exactly making headlines as a potential title contender in a stacked Western Conference, there’s a decent chance that general manager Rob Pelinka will have to get creative to figure out how to put a better squad on the basketball court.
Although Pelinka has been reluctant in the past to part ways with draft picks to avoid jeopardizing the team’s future, he seems more than willing to send them elsewhere in a trade or trades to get this team back on track, as he admitted during Wednesday’s press conference.
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