The Los Angeles Lakers have a big task ahead of them in the coming weeks. Several of their key players, including LeBron James, are about to become free agents, and as far as people can tell, they want to keep as many of those players as possible. But they also need to improve a roster that has had the same deficiencies for the last several years.
For the last five or six years, Los Angeles has lacked athletic two-way wings and guards, as well as legitimate depth at the center position. Since winning the NBA championship in 2020, it has advanced past the first round of the playoffs only twice, and it hasn’t won a single game beyond the second round.
When Michael Cooper played for the Lakers in the 1980s, they almost always reached the NBA Finals. In an interview with the Sports Illustrated network, Cooper was asked what his top priority would be if he built a team around Doncic. He said he would focus on two facets of the game: defense and outside shooting.
“My top priority would be, I would have to get some defensive players. Luka, that’s not his strength, but again, he does a good job in the areas that he’s supposed to be in when they go to that little zone. He does a good job in that, and that allows him to be a better rebounder. You have to surround him with shooters, because again, with Luka scoring, how do teams stop scores? You start double-teaming him, and Luka’s a very willing passer. So you’ve got to have people that can put the ball in the basket when they’re open, a la OKC, a la the [New York] Knicks, a la San Antonio [Spurs].
“And I think that is the biggest piece, because again, you’re going to need, I think, a legitimate defensive center. Somebody who can kind of block shots, somebody that can alter shots, somebody that creates a little chaos in the paint. And I don’t think the Lakers had that, because again, the teams just took it to us and went right at us.
“But those are a couple of cases or a couple of areas that I would like to see them show up.”
It’s no wonder Cooper values defense and 3-point shooting so much, as those were his two strong suits during his 12-year playing career in the NBA. The Hall of Famer won five world titles with L.A. while playing alongside Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and he knows firsthand how much easier life is when a team has a quality center.
The center position has been discussed endlessly as one where the Lakers need a substantial upgrade. Unfortunately, their rumored targets don’t seem very realistic, either because those players will be restricted free agents or because said players will likely be retained.
Los Angeles has been linked to big men such as Walker Kessler, Robert Williams III, Mitchell Robinson and Jalen Duren. Kessler and Duren will be restricted free agents, the NBA champion New York Knicks will likely try to keep Robinson as much as they can and Williams could elect to stay with a rising Portland Trail Blazers squad.
Some Lakers fans are expecting significant changes this summer. But others seem to be bracing themselves for another disappointing transaction cycle.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Michael Cooper on the players Lakers need to surround Luka Doncic with
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire | USA TODAY Network
