The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the teams who were heavily invested in the trade market to improve their roster. When they began the season, it was inevitable to go through the whole season with the same players. However, the front office delayed the process so long that it seemed they would not make many changes. But as the market reports suggest, LA showed a great lot of interest and brought a bunch of players to LA. And in exchange, few players were let go. Names like Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley were no longer needed for the team’s future plans.
It is crazy to think that even after such a disastrous season, Hollywood can still call in shots in the playoff qualification. There is still time for them to make a surprising comeback with their well-put trade market squad. However, it is up to first-time head coach Darvin Ham how sufficiently he will acknowledge different roles in the team. And there is a running thought in his mind that he will put Dennis Schroder and D’Angelo Russell in the starting lineup. This can work well considering Russell’s size, replacing small Patrick Beverley.
Darvin Ham Will Need New Plans With New Lakers
Six new players in the squad have massively influenced the team size, which the Lakers lacked. However, with new players comes the responsibility to make new strategies that will accommodate new players. And if the transaction is not fluent enough, LA could miss the small window of opportunity to qualify. The front office has made the changes so that the team could reverse its bad time to playoffs. But as of now, the Lakers are still sitting in 13th position with a 26-32 record in the league. If the team does not make a winning streak soon, it will fall further below the table.
Since the deadline ended, Ham has played D’Angelo Russell and Dennis Schroder together to protect the defense in the backcourt. And according to various reports, he will keep on playing the duo in the same manner. And with Mo Bamba making his debut in the next game, Anthony Davis could return to the frontcourt. The 29-year-old is no longer liable to play in defense as the team has more players. And the return of LeBron James will also mean that Rui Hachimura will start as a regular forward. From afar, everything looks good for the Lakers. They just have to win it on the court now.
Meanwhile, Russell has shifted his focus to settle between the superstar duo to make the best out of his time with the Lakers. After making it clear that it was his dream to play with AD and LeBron, he is up to doing good deeds on the court with them. The young guard even impressed Davis with how he communicated with him in his debut game. And it makes sense to arrive on the same page to start producing results quickly.
