Coming off an impressive playoff run, the Lakers enter the 2023-24 season full of optimism buoyed by continuity in key roster spots, plus an injection of new talent.
On Thursday afternoon at the team’s practice facility, Lakers VP of Basketball Ops Rob Pelinka and Head Coach Darvin Ham expressed their collective hopes and goals for a season in which the ultimate goal will be delivering the 18th Larry O’Brien trophy to Los Angeles.
“I think back to Feburary and the trade deadline; obviously, we collectively made some moves, ended the season strong with one of the top defenses, one of the top overall records post trade deadline,” opened Pelinka. “We talked about that as being pre-agency, which sort of led us into July, where our theme was continuity, and bringing our group back that was a Western Conference Finals team and trying to improve around the edges. We put in the work to affect that plan, and execute that plan, and are especially proud that five players, really as part of free agency and extensions.”
Of returnees Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt, Pelinka said: “We chose them and they chose us … that’s a powerful statement that we have something significant going on here. It’s really centered around the work that that group is going to put in as we head into the season.”
On top of that retained talent was the addition of supporting players like Gabe Vincent, Christian Wood, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish and Jaxson Hayes, which gives Ham a lot to consider when coupled with the aforementioned Lakers from the playoff run, plus of course, LeBron James as well as Max Christie and a pair of draft picks (Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis).
Ham has been thinking about how to maximize a group with a lot of genuine talent and versatility.
“Just different ways that we can take things to an even higher level,” he explained. “I think Rob used the phrase of not just going after star players, but players that star in their roles. I thought we did a phenomenal job executing that.
“The group has been great, it’s been a great summer, the energy in the building has been great. Everybody’s been working top to bottom, just because they know it’s something special. We’ve re-established the competitive gene that this organization has been known for at a high level. In talking to our Governor, Jeanie Buss, that was one of the biggest things I wanted to establish when I got the job, is to get us back to being a formidable team night in and night out no matter who we were playing, and to represent ourselves in the proper fashion.”
Setting that tone throughout the offseason has been LeBron, heading into his 21st NBA season; Pelinka said James has been in the facility working on his craft, and in the weight room, as much as anybody.
“That really puts the spirit into our entire group, seeing him preparing (like that),” summarized Pelinka.
Year 21 is essentially unprecedented for an NBA player, with only four players even reaching that level, and none having near the level of production in their 20th season that LeBron did as an All-NBA player. Ham acknowledged that roster is designed in part to take some of the load off LeBron so he can enter the postseason with maximum energy.
“That goes right into what’s been said so far, the continuity of building a well-balanced roster,” said Ham. “It goes into making us more efficient in how we manage him. Now that we have, top to bottom, what we feel like is a highly balanced, skilled, younger team of guys who’ve logged a ton of NBA minutes, we can surround both (LeBron) and AD with players that are eager to contribute and impact winning. (And of course) ‘Bron does a great job of taking care of himself.”
Davis has also been a frequent presence at the facility, coming off one of the most impressive two-way performances in the postseason prior to signing his extension in August. It’s not a difficult argument to say that Davis was the NBA’s best defensive player in the postseason, while still scoring at an efficient level, and Ham and Pelinka think there’s another level for him to reach.
“When AD came up for the extension, Darvin and I had great interactions with him,” said Pelinka. “And the theme was, ‘We want to commit to you, but we want you to commit to us.’ And one of the aspects that we addressed with him in that exchange was becoming a leader and being the hardest worker, and he really did that this offseason. I think probably some of you have seen some of the videos that he posted. He was trying different ways to challenge himself, get his body better. He’s been in the gym with coach Jent, Chris Jent, and others. Training more this offseason than I’ve seen with him as a Laker. He’s taken on that leadership mantle and I think he knows that when the franchise invests in him, like we did this summer, he’s gonna return that. That’s just his character. That’s who Anthony Davis is. And we’re excited to see that.”
“Just the cross-training that he participated in and just going through a summer just not trying to remain injury-free but to actually dive into his body,” added Ham. “He came back leaner, stronger, quicker, more explosive. People forget, for a player at his position, whether it’s the 4 or the 5, just a frontline player of his skill set and the magnitude of which he impacts the game, he’s only 30 years old. So there’s a huge, huge road still ahead of him in how he can lead this franchise and hopefully put some more banners up here. But I’m totally excited about him, personally, and the summer I personally witnessed him getting in the gym … It’s been great to see. And as soon as he walks in the room, you can tell. You notice it. So I’m excited for the type of year he’s gonna have.”
It's selling him short to call Austin Reaves a supporting player for LeBron and AD, such was his excellence with the Lakers last season, especially in the playoff run, and then for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup.
“I think Austin’s growth isn’t a surprise to any of us that really scouted him … and helped develop him to this point,” said Pelinka. “He uniquely has that sort of Mamba gene, where it’s all about the work, it’s about playing competitive on every play, it’s about being a great teammate, not caring about the personal accolades but just the team winning. He exemplifies that, and his growth with Team USA, we’re proud of him, but certainly not a surprise. He’s got tremendous respect from other coaches around the league, other players around the league. Darvin and I spent some time around Team USA, and everybody praises him. I think he doesn’t let any of that get to his head. It doesn’t get him off course. He’s focused on one thing and one thing only, and that’s trying to bring another championship to this organization. So we’ll lean into that type of character, that’s a big part of what we’re, as Darvin said, re-establishing and building here.”
Of the new signings, Pelinka and Ham hadn’t yet commented on Christian Wood prior to today, as his commitment came later in the offseason.
Pelinka said he was in constant communication with Wood's agent throughout the summer, as the Lakers were one of several contending teams looking to add Wood’s unique and “undeniable,” in Pelinka’s words, talent as a 7-footer. Ham, meanwhile, coached Wood early in his Bucks tenure as an assistant, and has a strong relationship with the big man.
Ham told Wood that "It's time for you to show that the stats you put up can impact wins at the highest level,” and added that Wood's Lakers teammates have fully embraced Wood to get the most out of him.
“He’s done nothing but try to execute what the coach was trying to put down to him, when I was around him,” Ham continued. “I think he’s going to be a huge asset for us.”
Another player they’re very excited about from a growth standpoint is Hachimura.
“Watching Rui come here after the trade felt like a personal renaissance for him,” explained Pelinka. “He just came alive as a player again. And he parlayed that this offeseason with really incredibile work. He spent most of his time training with LeBron – I think that was intentional. He’s playing with an extremely high level of confidence and belief. I think his strength and athleticism look like they’re at a different level … he’s just literally hitting the take off of the flight he’s going to go on. (We’re) really, really excited.”
Meanwhile, Ham, who often waits until the NBA mandates that he share his lineups, was willing to share that D’Angelo Russell will be his starting point guard.
"He's been great with his communication all summer,” said Ham. “Seeing him in workouts and pickup games; he's vocal, he's encouraging the new guys; he had a couple workouts just with LeBron and AD."
Pelinka also praised his offseason, and how hard he worked in the weight room to gain some strength in his shoulders, and noted the immediate way in which Russell helped balance the Lakers roster last February (+12.2 net rating in the regular season).
There are clear areas for improvement from last season, including transition defense, defensive rebounding and shot making, and its Pelinka and Ham’s collective hope that some of that was addressed in the offseason.
“I think we’re very intentional about the versatility that this roster has, the depth the roster has,” Pelinka concluded. “I think there are upgrades of spacing and shooting top to bottom; that was all done knowing LeBron is going into the 21st year; we have to partner with him to help him get all the way to the end, because that’s his goal.
Now, it’s time to take the court and find out.