The Los Angeles Lakers have had a decent offseason so far. While they lost 3-and-D forward Dorian Finney-Smith to the Houston Rockets in free agency, they signed Jake LaRavia, a 23-year-old forward who seems to have some upward potential, and they then significantly addressed their dire need for a starting-level center by snagging Deandre Ayton.
However, the Lakers haven’t had an impressive offseason, and they still have a couple of roster holes that need to be filled. As it stands, they should definitely be a playoff team and perhaps a top-four team in the Western Conference again, but they aren’t championship contenders, despite the presence of LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
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Byron Scott, a sharpshooter on their “Showtime” teams of the 1980s, told Sports Illustrated at the ESPY awards this week what exactly his old franchise needs more of.
“They still got some work to do,” Scott said. “Obviously I bleed purple and gold, so I want the best for this organization and the franchise.
“… But LeBron and Luka, they still need some more help – Austin’s been great, every year he gets better. We still need a little bit more length, size, athleticism, and need some more scoring off that bench.”
Los Angeles does want to improve its defense at the guard position, and to that end, it is reportedly interested in Gary Payton II, an athletic veteran guard who is known for his defense.
This past season, L.A. was 11th in offensive rating but just 17th in defensive rating. It could very well be an offensive juggernaut this coming season, but it must find a way to get into the top five to 10 in defensive rating in order to become a truly elite team.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Byron Scott on what Lakers need to become championship contenders