The Los Angeles Lakers are firmly Luka Doncic’s group now, and the younger core constructed round him is seeking to play a complementary position.
Final season, the Los Angeles Lakers went from an growing old win-now star in LeBron James to a younger win-now star in Luka Doncic because the centerpiece of the franchise.
Doncic is just 26 years previous, and the Lakers don’t have to construct with any diploma of urgency. Nonetheless, Los Angeles has did not construct a strong younger core round Doncic.
The one gamers on the roster youthful than Doncic are the often-injured Jarred Vanderbilt, role-players Jake LaRavia and Jaxson Hayes, two-way participant Christian Koloko, rookie Adou Thiero, and second-year gamers Dalton Knecht and Bronny James.
With no star energy in that group, the Lakers’ kids are leaning into a distinct id.
Bronny James, regardless of his flaws and shortcomings, is a really strong perimeter defender. Vanderbilt and Thiero are each sturdy defenders, and Koloko is a high-level rim protector who has emerged as a frontrunner of the younger group.
“Simply getting extra comfy with the blokes defensively,” mentioned Koloko to NBA reporter Mike Trudell.
“The final couple of (Summer time League) video games, we did a extremely good job defensively as a group, simply with deflections, getting steals, and blocking photographs. We wish to be a scrappy group, inflicting turnovers, and I used to be attempting to be the anchor of it.”
Within the Summer time League, Koloko averaged 3.8 shares per recreation, and with Bronny, Knecht, and Vanderbilt all anticipated to settle into their roles early this season, Koloko may very well be the second-string rim-runner and shot-blocker behind Deandre Ayton.
“Koloko talked about that he, Knecht, Bronny and others have been within the gymnasium persistently this summer season with the teaching workers, simply attempting to get higher,” Trudell reported.
Between the trades that landed them Doncic, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook, the Lakers don’t have the draft picks wanted to construct an elite younger core.
Somewhat, they’re hoping that their neglected and less-known additions can rise to the event.
In his first 5 NBA seasons, the Dallas Mavericks added high quality defenders round Doncic, culminating of their run to the Finals in 2024. PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford, Dereck Energetic II, and Derrick Jones Jr. all performed key defensive roles, permitting Doncic to thrive.
Whereas Bronny, Koloko, Vanderbilt, and Thiero are admittedly much less proficient than the Mavericks’ group, the Lakers are engaged on constructing a core not of stars, however of gamers who don’t thoughts doing the soiled work.
After chasing superstars to pair with James for the final a number of seasons, they may have lastly discovered a strategy to construct a dependable, constant winner.
