The Los Angeles Lakers are four years removed from the team’s last NBA championship. And with the team standing pat over the offseason, they could be in for another disappointing season.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka opted to bring the same roster back for this season aside from minor roster moves and the hiring of JJ Redick. While Pelinka seems to have confidence in his squad, this former NBA player makes a bold take on the state of things in LA.
"You look at the defending champions, the Boston Celtics. The Lakers are three All-Star caliber players away from being on their level,” ESPN’s Richard Jefferson claims. “That’s how far away the Lakers are from being on the same level as the NBA Champs.”
Jefferson played multiple seasons with LeBron James in Cleveland and for him to say the Lakers roster is that far away from competing for a championship is saying something.
Los Angeles finished the season with a 47-35 record before a disappointing first-round exit in the playoffs last year. With James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers can go head-to-head with nearly any other duo in the league, but the team’s supporting cast is what seems to be raising flags for other NBA minds like Jefferson.
If LA finishes the season with a poor record or misses the postseason, the team could be on the verge of major moves in the offseason. And not just roster moves.
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