The Los Angeles Lakers enter this season facing a familiar question that has followed them throughout the LeBron James era: do they truly have a roster capable of winning a championship?
This year, that question carries added weight because of the massive gamble the franchise made last season when it traded Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka Doncic.
The blockbuster move stunned the league and abruptly ended Davis‘ time in Los Angeles, a run highlighted by a 2020 championship during the NBA Bubble.
Doncic‘s arrival created one of the most fascinating duos in basketball, pairing one of the sport’s brightest young stars with one of its most accomplished veterans.
But constructing a roster around such a pairing is far from simple, and the Lakers are still learning how to surround both players with the right mix of talent.
While the front office evaluates its long term direction, one former Laker recently weighed in on how the franchise handled its roster decisions in the past.
Lonzo Ball reflects on the Lakers’ path
Lonzo Ball, now a reserve guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers, revisited the major 2019 trade that sent him, Brandon Ingram, and a package of draft picks to New Orleans in exchange for Davis.
Speaking on the Ball in the Family podcast, he suggested that the Lakers might have benefited from showing more patience with their young core.
“Unpopular opinion probably though I feel like I could have played with D’Angelo Russell honestly,” he said.
“I think they should have just maybe just kept all these picks and just see how it would have went but I mean they still got the ring so, you know, worked out for them,” Ball explained on the Ball in the Family podcast.
His remarks highlight one of the ongoing debates surrounding the modern Lakers: should they have trusted the long term potential of their homegrown talent, or were the immediate benefits worth the cost?
The 2020 championship offers a clear argument for the trade, yet imagining an alternate path in which James is flanked by Ball, Ingram, and the rest of that promising group remains an interesting scenario for fans.
Ball‘s own career has included both promising stretches and challenging setbacks. Injuries and inconsistency affected his early seasons, but he has since settled into a reliable role in Cleveland as a steady backup point guard.
A chance to prove them wrong
Despite his travels across the league, playing against the Lakers continues to carry personal significance.
That chance comes on January 28 when the Cavaliers host Los Angeles in a matchup Ball always marks on his calendar.
It also serves as a reminder of how dramatically the Lakers‘ roster and long term vision have evolved since the days when Ball and Ingram represented the future of the franchise.
As for the present, the Lakers‘ hopes now rest on whether LeBron James and Luka Doncic can guide the team to championship contention.
The franchise has made bold choices before, and this pairing represents its boldest attempt yet. Whether it succeeds remains one of the most compelling stories of the season.
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