Aug 13, 2026 10:00 AM

What should be concerning the Los Angeles Lakers?

The Los Angeles Lakers team will have a whole different look when they take the floor next season, as they revamped their team in the offseason. 

The Lakers added Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Kevon Looney, Jaden Hardy, Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle and rookie Cameron Carr in the offseason. 

Those players have added new layers and depth to a team that lost LeBron James, Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, Deandre Ayton, and Jaxson Hayes. 

Of all the teams that made changes this offseason, no team has revamped its roster the way the Lakers have.

While the new-look Lakers have new strengths designed to enhance Luka Doncic, the changes have come with some drawbacks. 

A Big Concern

A big concern for the new team is chemistry. How will all these new players mesh, having never played a second of meaningful basketball together? Teams that make this many changes typically take time to come together, and the Lakers will likely be no different. 

The good news for the team is that they've added ancillary pieces around Luka and Austin Reaves instead of adding a superstar player who might need the ball more or require bigger adjustments to ensure they are being utilized to their strengths. 

Every new addition has their role and what they need to do to ensure team success. There will be growing pains as players get used to certain tendencies, but those pains should heal sooner rather than later as long as they can all stay on the same page and keep one goal in mind. 

The Biggest Concern

That leads to the biggest concern, though: the Lakers have built a team for Luka Doncic. 

If something happens to him, who makes this whole operation run? Austin Reaves has been a strong number three who has stepped up as a number two. Can he be an actual number one if Luka misses time? 

Luka missed the final month of the season and all ten playoff games last year, bringing into question his durability. His injury issues are a bit overstated as he's generally available for 80% of regular season games, but there are real concerns after the time he's missed in the last two seasons. 

Collin Sexton was brought in to alleviate playmaking coming off the bench, but can he be a more primary creator if Luka is out? The other additions aren't known for their on-ball creation, which could lead to some ugly offensive possessions when Reaves isn't on the court. 

As long as Luka is healthy, the team should run as advertised. If he misses time, there are concerns about the Lakers offense and how they'll look. 

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