Former NBA player believes the Lakers will struggle in the West

The Lakers missed their chance of getting Kyrie Irving as it was announced that Kevin Durant was going to stay with Brooklyn, so Irving subsequently would stay too. This means that the Lakers are just where they started, without a third player that can help them get to the playoffs and with Russell Westbrook still on the team.

According to former NBA player Jalen Rose, the Los Angeles Lakers will have problems next season facing the teams of the West. According to the former point guard, the team's only chance of success is by adding an all-star player. “They gotta get a player that's there in this year’s All-Star game that can play with them next year. It can't be like somebody was an All-Star three years ago,” commented Rose.

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However, he still believes there's a lot of talent in the West even if the Lakers signed a third top player. “But let's not underestimate the West, the West is gotten stout. The Phoenix Suns have something to prove by the way they lost in the playoffs”.

“What's gonna happen with the Nuggets and Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr.? They have the reigning MVP. The Clippers are gonna be healthy this year. Memphis were the Number 2 seed in the West last year. So they're going to need that third superstar caliber player in order to make their goals happen.” Concluded Rose.

Are the Lakers a top team in the NBA?

To be honest, the Lakers have not been really competitive since 2010, still with Kobe as their leader. Since then, yes, they won a championship in 2020, but that was during a pandemic where the season was different. The reality is that the Lakers have been more at the bottom in the past ten years than at the top.