Yes, the Lakers are indisputably Luka Doncic’s team now. That was a given the moment LeBron James took his talents to Philadelphia (and yes, we’ll get into that in a bit). And the moves that were made over the summer, to provide teammates that would fit Doncic’s style and skills, made it obvious.
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But this is also Rob Pelinka’s team, and his responsibility. And the extensive roster revamp carries a risk that could wind up right in the lap of the Lakers’ president of basketball operations, should this go awry.
Remember that Pelinka is an inherited employee, now that the Lakers’ majority ownership has changed for the second time in 14 months. We don’t yet know what new owners Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner have in mind, nor how quick they might be to act should things not go as hoped.
But it’s never wise to assume that there will be patience in the event things go wrong. And be assured: With this organization, any season that falls short of serious contention for Banner No. 18 is a season below expectations.
Which is why LeBron’s comment during the 76ers’ media day on Monday might have reverberated in the Lakers’ building in El Segundo: “I didn’t leave my family to lose in the second round.”
Whether that was meant as a shot at his former team or not, that’s how it sounded to some. And we can debate whether LeBron bolted out the door or was nudged toward the exit. The sense here is that it was indeed a mutual decision but the club made it clear to James and to agent Rich Paul that it was ready to go in a different direction.
And consider this: Since their last full-season championship in 2010, the Lakers have gotten beyond that second round twice – in the COVID bubble in Orlando, Fla., in 2020 when they won Banner No. 17, and in 2023 when Denver swept them in four games in the Western Conference finals.
Otherwise? In those seven other times (in 17 seasons) that they’ve reached the postseason, they were booted in the first round four times, went out in the conference semis three times and reached Game 6 of any of those decisive series only once.
Laker Exceptionalism, then, might still exist in the minds of the fan base or in the halls of the practice facility. But it hasn’t had much impact on the court, in a Western Conference where the Golden State Warriors won four titles in eight seasons and the road to a banner now runs through Oklahoma City and San Antonio.
Will a field trip to Slovenia help change the Lakers’ fortunes? We’ll find out, and it probably was an inspired idea for Doncic to pick up the tab for his teammates to join him in his home country for a four-day minicamp in August. That trip featured not only basketball but golf, sightseeing and, most importantly, bonding.
“It was an amazing trip,” Doncic told reporters at Monday’s Media Day. “It was very important for me to show them where I’m from, and I think everybody liked it.”
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And, in an interview with the Spectrum SportsNet crew that day, he added: “It was very important to get to know the guys outside of basketball and just spend time together.”
We know this: Many of the acquisitions this offseason – 7-foot-2 rim protector and lob threat Walker Kessler, 6-9 power forward Sandro Mamukelashvili, backup center Kevon Looney, forward (and former Bronny James high school teammate) Ziaire Williams, and veteran guards Matisse Thybulle, Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes and Jaden Hardy – were considered largely because of their fit with Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Sometimes the expectations might be overly ebullient. The Spectrum SportsNet guys were throwing out comparisons between Kessler and San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, which seems a little over the top. Then again, Pelinka did spend first-round draft picks in 2031 and ’33 and swaps of first-rounders in ’28 and ’30 – followed by a four-year, $130 million contract – for a guy who has averaged 9.5 points. 9.3 rebounds and 2.4 bloced shots in 201 NBA games, and who played just five games last season before needing surgery to repair a torn labrum.
Whether it’s realistic or otherwise, much is expected.
“I feel 110 percent,” Kessler said Monday. “I mean, my shoulder feels better than it’s ever felt. So to have that confidence in playing is going to be really important. … It’s back to better than it was.”
In that same session Kessler addressed what almost assuredly is the elephant in the room. With this franchise, like few others in sports – the Boston Celtics in the NBA, for example, or teams like the Dodgers and New York Yankees in baseball – history mandates that the expectations become greater as soon as a player pulls on the uniform.
And for those who don’t meet those expectations, the pressure also becomes greater.
“I mean, it’s one of the biggest brands in all of sports internationally,” Kessler said. “Everyone loves the Lakers and wants them to succeed, and that can be looked at as pressure, so to speak.
“But I think it’s more of an opportunity to play for a historic franchise, to play for a franchise that has done – I mean, you can look to your left and see it,” he added, gesturing to where a row of Lawrence O’Brien Trophies were lined up in an office window overlooking the practice court.
“I mean, it’s insane. To play for a history like this, I don’t really feel pressure. I just feel grateful, grateful for this opportunity and grateful to play for this franchise.”
This is an experiment. If the chemistry is right and it works, this could be a fun season to watch.
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If it isn’t and it doesn’t, the fallout could include Pelinka’s job.