What Did We Address This Offseason and What Category Do We still Need to Tend to? Not a complicated question by any means, but a way to stop and reflect on where we improved vs the parts of this roster we still need to patch up

If we got Kidd, we would have Kidd + prime Kobe ie. an extremely willing passer + the league's most potent offensive weapon. Flip it however you want, that's a scary af prospect.

CP3 on the other hand, would had come at the declining stage of Kobe's career. That said, CP3 would definitely had been able to prolong the longevity of Kobe's career; which obviously would be welcomed. As a Kobe fan, watching the last few years of his career was truly heart-breaking.

Game Details
Opponent: New York Knicks (120-105 win)
Shooting: 13-of-14 from the field and a perfect 7-of-7 from 3-point range

Previous Record: Jaylen Brown's 33 points in 19 minutes (2021)

[Source]

On the bird app, Tim mentioned what defensive roles would look like if Mamu starts at the 4

"POA: Grimes
Chaser: Reaves
Helper: Luka
Helper: Mamu
Anchor Big: Kessler

In a heavy drop base scheme that should be decent. The issue is if you're facing a high volume on-ball scoring wing you have a gap."

For my commentary: this is something I've been saying for a while. Different defensive systems have different strengths and weaknesses, which is why different teams with different personnel are more likely to succeed with different base packages.

Last year, with Dominayton and Hayes as our two bigs, playing drop didn't make much sense. Both were terrible at it. So we went to this switching scheme and relied on disciplined backline rotations to cover up weaknesses. Our defense was bad, but it probably was the best it could have been given how fundamentally flawed the roster was last year.

Grimes and Kessler fundamentally change the calculation. We went last year from having no drop capable bigs to having one of the best. Combining that with Grimes who is a legitimately solid defensive player at the POA position, we'll be moving from a base switch to a base drop defense.

The benefit of a base drop is that your perimeter players are under less pressure to get stops, because there is always help behind them. The general purpose of wing defenders in a base drop is to hold their own and, more often, funnel attacking players into the teeth of the defense where your big can do their job and your other backline rotations can plug up holes.

In other words, on ball lockdown defense doesn't matter quite as much in a base drop as does having a high IQ and motor.

The Raptors were an elite switching team because nearly everyone on their roster is a defensively slanted wing. This let their length and athleticism cover for Mamu's weaknesses despite not having a drop big. But Mamu would still get exposed a lot on the perimeter specificially because there was no elite paint protector behind him.

Walker covers for that. So while it isn't the perfect defensive pairing, it isn't a fatal one. Mamu at the 4 is maybe not the most ideal scenario, but defensively it's playable, and offensively, this team with Mamu at the 4 would have no business not being the best offense in the league. The amount of shooting and playmaking in this lineup would be ridiculous.

The main flaw of having Mamu at the 4 isn't Mamu himself, it's that we absolutely cannot allow Kevon Looney to be a steady rotation player. We need a real backup 5. But if we can get one, I think Mamu at the 4 is totally fine.

There are two rotation variations. One where LaRavia starts (though this could be whichever wing defender plays the best next season), and one where Mamukelashvili starts. I think an important notion worth dispelling in the Mamu starter rotation is that he can be the starting 4 while also being the primary back-up 5, he'd just be playing more minutes overall.

Dark purple blocks represent the minutes each player is on the court. White blocks represent when they're on the bench. Light purple F blocks represent flex minutes where the minutes can be split or given to whoever earns those minutes by playing consistently better.

I have Thiero and Carr getting limited minutes but I could see them quickly eating into the minutes of other guys if they play well. For both, I think defense and 3pt shooting is going to be their limiting factors.

Both rotations have 12 players getting minutes or flex minutes. Given that the team is likely to run a 10-man rotation for the regular season which will get shortened to a 8~9-man rotation during important moments, some of these guys are not going to see nightly play.

Vanderbilt, Hardy, Knecht, and Bronny are not in the regular rotation. But, as injury insurance, they give the team a certain amount of resiliency for injuries and rest-days.

General line-up principles --

2 of the trio of Luka, AR, and Sexton are always on the floor aside from a few flex minutes. The idea is that when Luka is the primary on-ball creator, he will have AR/Sexton as a secondary creator for exit passes out of double teams and traps. And, when AR is in the primary creator role, Sexton will be that secondary creator. Alternatively, both AR and Sexton have the ability to bring the ball up and set-up the offense to allow the primary guy to catch in motion. If Hardy gets minutes, it'll be when one of these guys rests or is injured.

Between Grimes and Thybulle, one of them is always on the floor as a PoA defender. If one of these guys get injured, I could see Bronny getting minutes in the same role.

Mamu and Luka are staggered. This is obviously not completely possible while starting Mamu, but outside of the starting and closing runs for each half, they're staggered. The point is to allow Doncic to be the defensive 4 as much as possible to conserve energy.

I kind of don't think it's bad to play Mamu with Looney (hence some of Looney's flex minutes). The minutes without Kessler will have size issues and that's solved by playing 2 bigs. Looney still has "Adams" gravity. Because of his ability to offensive rebound, defenders might be hesitant to leave him to help. So, while he doesn't have much vertical gravity, he might still be able to keep teams honest on the roll or as a dunker. Mamu is fine as a floor-spacer.

Few final thoughts --

I think the biggest missing piece on the team is a 4 who is a good enough perimeter defender to play with Luka alongside Kessler while also being big/strong enough to play the 4 with Mamu at the 5 and not make those line-ups too small. This would alleviate the necessity for a higher quality back-up 5 because of the increase in Mamu at the 5 minutes.

Or, alternatively, they could sign a higher quality back-up 5. I actually prefer this to signing a 4.

A higher quality back-up 5 would allow Mamu to play more of his minutes at the 4, alleviating the need for a higher quality 4. Though, I'd still try to stagger him and Doncic as much as possible.

The Lakers are still conducting interviews for multiple positions, sources say. A job posting for a video producer was posted to the sports-industry job site, Teamwork Online, two weeks ago.

But other sources, including high-ranking ones, have acknowledged that high-end positions, particularly in basketball operations, aren’t actively being filled. While some people in the organization push back on the notion that the Lakers are in a “hiring freeze,” multiple sources acknowledged that it would be foolish for the organization to make hires of consequence while in this strange moment of its history.

That likely includes the assistant general manager position Rob Pelinka said the Lakers planned on hiring this offseason to handle personnel and scouting. The team hired Rohan Ramades as its assistant general manager of strategy and data systems at the end of the season, and he’s made positive early impressions. It also offered the other assistant general manager job to Minnesota’s Steve Senior and Philadelphia’s Prosper Karangwa, but both executives elected to remain with their teams.

Conversations about a front-office build-out are ongoing, one source said, but it’s not fully clear how or when the lead of much-needed pro scouting staff will be installed.

The pending changes — Iger and Kushner’s groups are in their “diligence” phase of the purchase — have certainly caused some anxiety for employees bracing for another ownership change. The last transition, from the longstanding familial touches of the Buss family to a more bottom-line-driven Walter regime, included multiple rounds of layoffs.

Still, multiple sources in different departments expressed optimism about the direction of the franchise under Iger and Kushner. Some felt the Dodgers’ impact on the Lakers was pushing too hard toward analytics and doing so with an arrogance that turned off some people in basketball operations and the locker room. Those people weren’t upset to see a pathway for new management to come in, even if it’s a bit of a mystery and doesn’t have the track record of the Dodgers’ success.

FREE TO READ

Great interview with Ziaire Williams out today: https://www.ocregister.com/2026/08/31/exclusive-ziaire-williams-talks-lancaster-basketball-clinic-joining-lakers/

On choosing the Lakers: “I just thought it was a great opportunity. Being that big wing, versatile player that they needed, I just thought it was a great opportunity for me to be a Laker. Even if the same team was in New Orleans or Milwaukee, wherever – just the opportunity that was here and the team that they had, I just thought it was the best fit. And then just being back home in L.A. is the cherry on top. Being able to play in front of my family and my friends, and I’m super excited.”

On his role with the Lakers: "Williams said in his early conversations with Lakers coach JJ Redick and President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka, they have told him that their focus for him is “first and foremost, being a main defender, point-of-attack defender... “Obviously Luka (Doncic) and AR (Austin Reaves) are going to be the main primary ball handlers. So just playing off them, being able to shoot, cut, make plays in transition, stuff like that. They thought it was a great fit for me to be here, and the feeling was mutual.”

On playing with Luka: "Williams said Doncic “has big kid energy, like a young, youthful spirit,” adding that he could tell how much Doncic cared about winning games but also how much he cares about his teammates. I can tell (Doncic’s) leadership. He wants to step up even more this year. I’m excited, man. I’m really excited to play with him. And of course, when we’re playing basketball, it’s just he makes the game just so easy and looks so simple. He’s going to make my life a lot easier for sure.”

On expectations for the season: “We’re going to mesh really well. We have a bunch of guys that can do a lot of things on the court. I think we’re going to be great, man. There’s a lot of motivation here and a lot of guys that are ready to prove and willing, you know, that we’re capable of playing on a winning stage."

Guys, what are your expectations on Mamu? He had his best season in toronto so far and i think he can be a starter this season. His shooting is decent and he also has good playmaking skills.

Same Walker Kessler deal

Rui Hachimura 14m | 28m/2 | team option year 2

Quentin Grimes same deal

Kelly Oubre Room exception | team option year 2

No Ayton trade

Nick Richards vet min back-up center

Brandon Williams vet min back-up point guard

Waive Knecht, Sign Matisse Thybulle

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Walker Kessler / Deandre Ayton / Nick Richards

Rui Hachimura / Jake LaRavia / Jarred Vanderbilt

Kelly Oubre / Quentin Grimes / Adou Thiero

Austin Reaves / Cameron Carr / Matisse Thybulle

Luka Doncic / Brandon Williams / Bronny James

The Lakers sale, featuring a new ownership, has resulted in multiple adjustments, but employees around the franchise are thinking positively.

The Athletic talked to more than a half-dozen current employees to openly discuss the state of affairs inside the organization as it again transitions from one ownership group to the next.

Read for free.

Lakers season is over. Talk about whatever you want.

I am coming to the us maybe this year or next year and i am thinking of attending a lakers game. I found good prices in a website called vivid seats. Is it ligit or do i need to buy them elsewhere? Can you u recommend a good site to get tickets with good prices. Also as i am not sure if i will come during the regular season or the playoffs so if its during the playoffs when would i be able to buy and usually how much more expensive are the to tickets?

Los Angeles Lakers F/C Sandro Mamukelashvili showed off his #54 purple and gold banana yellow jersey to his beloved family, and many of them got to try it before popping a celebratory whiskey to end the night.

Mamu's dad, mr. Zurab, seemed to really, really like the jersey and even wore it to the beach the next day!

Now I know most people would say 2000 Shaq.

But here's the thing - while we did won the chip in 2000, it was far from dominant. We had a great regular season 67-15 but the playoffs was shaky af.

We got past the Kings 3-2 but that Kings team was still the reckless one with Jason Williams (fwiw, I love him lol). It was still a cowboy team-lots of potential but no one would take them seriously. Yet we took 5 games to dispose of them.

While it seemed that we got rid of the Suns easily, we needed a buzzer-beater from Kobe; things might be a little different if Kobe didn't bail us out that game.

Against the Blazers, in Game 7, the most critical game, Shaq was...missing.

Yes, Shaq absolutely dominated the Pacers. But the Pacers' frontcourt was very...lacking. Rik Smits literally retired after the series and Sam Perkins also retired the year after.

I think 2001 Shaq was the best Shaq we had.

Statisically, Shaq's numbers actually dipped but I thought he played better (help) defense and was actually involving the rest of the team more on offense. I think the public spat with Kobe actually raised his motivation and hence, his game.

Which constituted to us going 15-1 in the post-season.