Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton obviously wants the team to get another superstar player to pair alongside LeBron James next summer, but the 38-year-old believes the current roster can compete and win a title if they continue to improve over the course of the season.
The Lakers will have cap space to sign a max player in the summer of 2019 and have been linked to Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant, Toronto Raptors All-Star small forward Kawhi Leonard and New Orleans Pelicans superstar big man Anthony Davis.
Luke Walton says the Lakers are intent on getting another star, but he absolutely believes the present-day team is a championship contender.
The Lakers are intent on getting another star this summer, but if they can’t, does Luke Walton think this group here can win a championship? “Absolutely,” he said. He added “we’ve got a lot of work to do,” but thinks if this group keeps growing like it has, they can.
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) December 5, 2018
The Lakers enter Wednesday with a record of 14-9, fifth place in the Western Conference. They have a top-10 offense, as the team is scoring 112.7 points per game, ninth in the NBA. Their defense still needs more work, though. The Lakers are giving up 111.0 points per contest, which is 17th in the league. To compete with the Warriors, Los Angeles is going to have to be more rugged on the defensive side of the ball.
LeBron James is a smart guy. Deep down, he has to know the current roster is not ready to compete with the Warriors, which is why the four-time MVP said on Tuesday that the development of Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart is so important.
Luke Walton is likely just saying the right things here to the media. There is no way this Lakers team can beat the Warriors without another star player alongside LeBron and these youngsters.
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