The Los Angeles Lakers added more players to their roster on the last day of the trade deadline. The team that wore the Purple and Gold before did not have much rotation, which made it tougher on the side. Hollywood also made adjustments to the positions in order to fill the loopholes in the court. Due to these gaps, Anthony Davis had to play as a centre despite being a better power forward. After making big moves of six players in three different deals, LA is finally ready to back in the business.
Apart from covering all loopholes, the new Lakers team has a much more size which will provide a decent backup for the team. Even the new guys who have arrived recently are quite tall, which gives the defence a lot of advantage. Anthony Davis even mentioned it in the post-game interview after the game against the Warriors. It seems the big man of the team is happy with all the changes that the front office has duly made in the trade market. His reason for happiness could be his return to his natural playing position on the court.
Anthony Davis Is Happy With The Changes
The 29-year-old has been phenomenal on the court, but his injuries have kept him out for a few games. Major reasons for his injury could be the extra load on him that burdened him with playing on both ends of the court. Davis plays well on the whole court, but his efforts on the court also come with a high risk of injury. And the eight-time All-star has already suffered various injuries over his period in LA. The new addition will help relieve some pressure and will allow him to play more freely.
Additionally, the spacing problems that the Lakers were facing will also solve after they accommodate Russell and Beasley. Moreover, Mo Bamba and Vanderbilt will also help Davis improve LA’s defence which was already one of the best in the league. But the 2020 champs were very bad at throwing the ball in the net from the net as they lie in 29th position from 30 teams in the shooting. Even the team’s best, like AD and LeBron, have performed poorly when it comes to shooting. But that problem will also be taken care of by Malik and D’Angelo, who are shooting relatively better.
I think the acquisitions of D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Mo Bamba will make the Lakers a playoff team. Russell’s playmaking and 3-point shooting ability will help out LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) February 10, 2023
Even the former legend Earving Magic Johnson is happy with the job that the general manager has done to assemble the team. He tweeted that, saying the addition of the new players will definitely make the team more liable to qualify for the playoffs. The compliment coming from Johnson is a bit ironic as he was critical of both Pelinka and Russell in the past. However, all in all, the Lakers have become more prepared for the upcoming challenges.
