Over the past couple of seasons, the Los Angeles Lakers were pretty much fighting a lost battle. As great as LeBron James was, and as good as Anthony Davis could've made them, the rest of their pieces just weren't a good fit together.
So, props to Rob Pelinka and the front office for righting their wrong and finally fixing the mess they created. They were perhaps the biggest winner of the NBA trade deadline, revamping their roster left and right.
With that in mind, Lakers coach Darvin Ham opened up about the newcomers and raved about how they have the potential to make the team better ahead of the most crucial stretch of the season.
NBA News: Darvin Ham Says New Players Are A Better Fit
“I just think we added some pieces that are young and still on the uptick,” Ham told the media. “They’ve proven themselves to be really effective NBA players and also fit the needs that we have in terms of creating more spacing for LeBron and AD while also bringing in some guys that can make a huge impact on the defensive end with rim protection. It was great. It’s a constant in this league that your No. 1 job is you try to make your team better."
“I think it gives us a chance to shuffle some pieces around. All of those guys bring unique skillsets," Ham added. "Skillsets that we need like shooting, playmaking, energy, defense, rebounding. A lot of needs they’ll be able to address along with the guys that are still remaining. My staff and I will sit down and go through the new roster and see what makes sense.”
Of course, it might take a while before all the pieces fall into place. But the Lakers now added Rui Hachimura, Mo Bamba, D'Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt, all while dumping Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley. This is a championship-caliber core.
