Luka Doncic likes what he sees with the new look Los Angeles Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers were the fourth best team in a loaded Western Conference last season, finishing with 53 wins in the regular season.
If not for injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves at the start of April, the third seed was a possibility. Despite missing Doncic all playoffs, and Reaves for the first four games, the Lakers still managed to get past the Houston Rockets in the first round before being swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round.
In the playoffs, the Lakers were led by LeBron James, Marcus Smart, Deandre Ayton, Rui Hachimura, and Luke Kennard before Reaves managed to return to the floor.
All five of those players are gone.
The New Look Lakers
With LeBron, Smart, Ayton, Hachimura, and Kennard all gone, the Lakers worked diligently to fill the voids left.
They traded for Walker Kessler and then signed him to a monster extension as a restricted free agent.
They also signed Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes, Kevon Looney, Ziaire Williams, and Collin Sexton, while trading for Jaden Hardy. Their first-round pick, Cameron Carr, looks ready to step into a rotation spot as well.
The additions and subtractions were made with Luka Doncic in mind, with the front office looking to put a more complementary team around him.
"I think we have a really good team. I'm very excited to start the next season," Doncic told Rich Lerner of the Golf Channel. "Obviously, last season didn't end how we wanted, so we're excited for the new season."
Have The Lakers Improved?
As flawed as the roster may have been last season, the team still won 53 games, and had Doncic been able to play in the playoffs, who knows how far they could've gone.
Walker Kessler is undoubtedly an upgrade over Deandre Ayton. He is going to set screens, put himself under the rim, crash the boards, and protect the rim. He's the type of center Doncic has thrived next to throughout his career.
Mamukelashvili is a good stretch four and connector, but doesn't create for himself the way Hachimura did. Grimes and Williams can provide similar value to Smart, while Hardy stretches the floor and Sexton can get buckets off the bench.
However, there is no replacement for what LeBron brought to the table, especially in key moments. If Doncic is injured again, no one can carry the load like LeBron did last season.
There is also a question of chemistry, as very few teams have this much turnover in an offseason and then make their way to a championship.
