After the Lakers got eliminated early in the playoffs the front office has a lot of decisions to make. Should they run it back? Should they try to shake things up? Maybe try to bring back some players from last year’s championship? Let’s analyze the options.
At the end of the day, injuries were the main reason why the Lakers couldn’t compete the way they wished. Anthony Davis’ injury forced everyone else to step up, something that didn’t happen. It also caused LeBron, who clearly wasn’t 100% healthy, to play almost all game long. In the end, it was clear that LeBron was fatigued, he gave it all and it wasn’t enough. So that creates the question. We never got to see the full potential of this team, so should they run it back?
Well, the injuries forced guys to step up, and some didn’t. Dennis Schröder and Kyle Kuzma specifically failed to deliver on the biggest moments. Montrezl Harrell and Marc Gasol barely played, and their role on the rotation was unclear all season long. Andre Drummond started for the first five games of the series, then disappeared on the last game. Wesley Matthews, Talen Horton-Tucker, and Markieff Morris played in some games but didn’t play at all in others. This shows the head coach failed to find a trustworthy rotation.
The only guys he actually trusted and delivered were LeBron James and Alex Caruso, who is a free agent this offseason. After all of these, it’s tough to find reasons why the team should run it back. The right thing to do would be to re-sign those guys who are key players on the team’s short and long term, like Caruso and Horton-Tucker.
This year is not a great year for free agents. Some old friends in Dwight Howard, JaVale McGee, and Danny Green are free agents. Still, the Lakers should look to the future and not to the past in order to be better.
What do you think Lakers nation, should the Lakers try to run it back?
Featured Image: Ashley Landis/AP
