The Los Angeles Lakers have hit a bit of a skid as the 2023-24 season nears its midpoint. Through 31 games, L.A. is 16-15 after dropping six of their last eight, which included a four-game losing streak.
The subpar stretch has revealed some flaws in the Lakers roster, including a lack of two-way role players.
Many of the Lakers’ role players outside of LeBron James and Anthony Davis excel on one side of the court but struggle on the other. And while the Lakers are certainly in a better position than they were a year ago, they’re not too far removed from when they had elite role players like Alex Caruso, Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, both of whom excel on both ends of the floor.
This is why the Lakers reportedly have interest in a pair of Brooklyn Nets forwards, Royce O’Neale and Dorian Finney-Smith, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic:
“I know that this is something they’ve been weighing and really it’s been one of the big questions for the Lakers as an organization over the last few years has been do we chase the third star or do we go for the role player upgrades… I think 3-and-D wing has really been the biggest issue for this team maybe since the championship. They still had KCP and Kuz that second year but injuries and whatnot, but they haven’t been able to replace that since the Russ trade with KCP, Kuz, Green, even Alex Caruso as more of a 3-and-D guard.
“They just haven’t had those types of guys consistently. It’s always be one flaw. Like Jarred Vanderbilt is a really good perimeter defender but can’t shoot and teams just play him off the floor in the playoffs. So I think finding at least one of those guys, if not a couple, if possible. Maybe you can’t get Caruso and you go for Royce O’Neale and Dorian Finney-Smith. Royce O’Neale obviously isn’t the caliber of player that Alex Caruso is, but to me it would still be an overall upgrade to the rotation if you can bring both of those guys in. Those are two guys the Lakers have had interest in dating back to last offseason and even last trade deadline. So I know that those are two guys that they would have interest in bringing in.”
The Lakers have been at their most successful when they surrounded James and Davis with two-way role players. The 2020 championship team had Caldwell-Pope, Caruso, Kuzma and Danny Green, among others. But Lakers teams since have lacked that type of player.
Even now as theoretical championship contenders, the Lakers are missing that brand of player on their roster. Jarred Vanderbilt, as mentioned by Buha, is an elite defender but extremely limited offensively. D’Angelo Russell is a quality scorer but has been known for a lack of defensive prowess.
But acquiring players like O’Neale and Finney-Smith could drastically alter how the Lakers approach their rotation. Those two could be plugged into virtually any lineup combination with success, and if L.A. can put together a package to entice the Nets, it’s something absolutely worth exploring.
Lakers trade rumors: Dejounte Murray interest
Another option for the Lakers — if they choose to go the route of landing a No. 3 as opposed to quality role players — could be Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray. The Lakers have shown reported interest in the defensive-minded guard.
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