As one of the busiest teams this offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers have put a ton of work into reshuffling their roster and building a title contender around franchise superstar LeBron James. At this point in his career, everything is championship or bust as he is seeking to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer while bringing the Lakers their 18th championship banner before his legendary playing career comes to an end.
After all the new additions the Lakers have made this offseason, it's safe to say that they'll be making some major adjustments and implementing a new strategy. Especially when you take into consideration all the superstar egos that they'll have to manage and work into their new game plan. With LeBron James' championship window closing, the Lakers have been working tirelessly to get him the help he needs to win another ring.
It leaves us wondering though: who would be two ideal players from the 1990s who could help out LeBron the most on the Lakers right now? This is a difficult question to answer mainly because there are so many superstars from that era who come to mind. Let's now take a look at two NBA superstars from the 1990s who would best compliment LeBron on the Lakers in 2021.
Lakers 1990s Dream Signings For Today
1) Reggie Miller
As one of the most prolific shooters in NBA history, Reggie Miller would fit in seamlessly playing next to four-time finals and league MVP LeBron James. With his efficient shooting and floor spacing ability, he would give James a ton of relief and give this Lakers team a reliable and much-needed 3-point shooter that could knock down big shots for them with the game on the line.
Miller is also a member of the 50-40-90 club who would help them improve their free throw shooting while opening up more opportunities for his teammates and taking this Lakers squad to the next level. With Reggie Miller in this Lakers line-up, LeBron James would have another All-Star caliber talent to work with who would also improve their 3-point shooting drastically.
2) Charles Barkley
The 1993 NBA MVP and one of the greatest players to never win a championship, Charles Barkley would undoubtedly thrive playing alongside LeBron and give the Lakers a well-rounded superstar who would add an exciting new element to their offense. With his mid-range dominance and wide array of post moves, Barkley would form a stellar big three with James and Anthony Davis playing either forward spot.
At 6-foot-5, Barkley is also the shortest player in NBA history to lead the league in rebounding. His timing, active hands, and elusiveness are what made him so dominant on the glass and why he was widely known as the “Round Mound of Rebound”. His wide array of skillsets would give the Lakers some much-needed help and having Charles Barkley playing alongside the King would give him the opportunity to win his first NBA title.
Even though the logical choices for this scenario seem like they would be Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, John Stockton, or Karl Malone, these two players best fit the profile of what the Lakers current roster is lacking. Plus MJ and Hakeem would not be able to co-exist with LeBron because both of them were the alphas on their teams and it would be hard for them to play second fiddle to LeBron James.
On the other hand, Robinson and Malone would create a logjam for them at power forward and center with Anthony Davis, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, and DeAndre Jordan already in the rotation for them. Lastly, Stockton would create a glut for them at the point guard spot with Rajon Rondo, Russell Westbrook, and Kendrick Nunn already providing them with a ton of depth in their backcourt.
So this further proves that Reggie Miller's scoring and floor spacing would provide the Lakers with a major area of need and Charles Barkley's game fits perfectly into their offense with James running point-forward. Although Barkley did play power forward, his diverse skillsets would give them the flexibility to mix things up and have him playing small forward when LeBron James moves to floor general. With these two 90's superstars in their rotation, the Lakers would boast arguably the deepest roster ever assembled.
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