Lakers Exit Interviews Recap
LOS ANGELES — The Lakers had their end-of-season exit interviews on Tuesday, and everyone except LeBron James and Anthony Davis spoke to the media.
Vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka and head coach Darvin Ham were the first to have their exit interviews, addressing the media together.
The Lakers’ primary focus heading into the offseason is to retain their core group, according to Pelinka. He emphasized the significance of keeping the team’s key players and seeing them go through an offseason and training camp together.
“I would say it’s a high priority to keep our core players together,” said Pelinka.
Yes, we have seen Pelinka say this before and go on to trade almost every single player, but right now, the Lakers' best option is to retain their core and run it back until a better opportunity arises.
Ham was overall proud of the team's leap from the beginning of the season to the end but emphasized their goal to build from his rookie head coach season into the next.
“We came together to make history, and that process is ongoing. I have all the faith in the world (with Rob) to add to this team and trampoline from this season and not just be satisfied that we turned it around in this first year. I’m looking forward to building,” said Ham.
After his comments after Game 4’s playoff-ending loss, LeBron was cryptic about where he stands regarding his basketball future.
“I got a lot to think about. Just personally, with me moving forward with the game of basketball, I got a lot to think about,” said LeBron.
Moments after NBA insider Chris Haynes confirmed that LeBron was unsure if he’ll be with the team when the 2023–24 season starts in the fall and that his retirement is under consideration this offseason.
“LeBron has given as much to the game of basketball as anyone that has ever played, and when you do that, you earn a right to decide whether you are going to give more,” said Pelinka.
Ultimately, this move could be a power play from LeBron to force the Lakers to retain a third star, and Kyrie Irving has been connected to the team for almost two seasons. Also, a new candidate came to light the following days, with reports of the Lakers showing interest in Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young.
For now, we wait for what LeBron will ultimately decide.
Player Interviews:
Austin Reaves’ leap from his rookie campaign to his sophomore year was one of the biggest jumps by a player this season. As a result of his consistent play throughout the season, he’s now in for a big payday this offseason. Luckily, Reaves is a restricted free agent, which means any offer a team makes for him, the Lakers could match it.
The Lakers can't make the same mistake they made with Alex Caruso three seasons ago with a non-friendly player contract. Pelinka knows it, addressing it right away in the exit interview, with Reaves being one of the top players mentioned in retaining this offseason.
“Austin had an incredible year. I think he defines really what’s at the heart of playing for the Lakers,” said Pelinka.
In 64 games this season, Reaves averaged 13.0 points per game, 3.4 assists, and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 39.8% from three and 52.9% overall. Reaves played with high effort and determination in the Lakers' offense in his first appearance in the playoffs, averaging 16.9 points, 4.6 assists, and 4.4 rebounds.
Reaves has made it relatively clear that he wants to stay in a Lakers uniform, and he’s the type of player you can't let walk out of your building. He’s hands-down the Lakers' top priority this offseason.
“I wanna be here. This feels like home to me,” said Reaves.
Rui Hachimura was another young asset that Pelinka mentioned bringing back this offseason. At 25 years old, Hachimura's best basketball is still ahead of him with his constant determination to improve, as he mentioned working with Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy all season to improve his game.
“I learned a lot of things from LeBron, AD, the coaches, Phil [Handy]. It was great for me. I think it will be great for my career,” said Hachimura.
Hachimura averaged 11.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists while shooting 31.9% from three and 48.6% overall from the field in 63 games this season. In the playoffs, Hachimura had a dynamic impact for the Lakers off the bench, averaging 12.2 points on 48.7% from three and 55.7% overall from the field.
Hachimura called playing for the Lakers “one of the best times of my life.”
D’Angelo Russell called his second stint with the Lakers a “complete success” but explained how tough it was to move to the bench in Game 4 because of his underperformance. Russell added that he wanted to be professional about the situation and didn’t want to be a distraction to the team.
“I can’t complain about anything other than the ball not going in when I wanted it to,” said Russell.
In the Western Conference Finals, Russell has averaged 6.3 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.0 rebounds. This was not his usual impact, especially in this year's playoffs, where he had series-changing moments to help the Lakers get past the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors.
In the series against the Grizzlies, Russell averaged 16.7 points on 37.2% shooting from three and 43.5% overall. In the Warriors series, he averaged 14.7 points on 31% from deep and 45.6% from the floor.
Russell’s underwhelming performance against the Nuggets should not define who he is as a player for next season. He can still provide the Lakers with serviceable point guard qualities that can torch your team at any given moment from deep.
Russell’s main focus this offseason is keeping his body healthy and in shape for the season. Overall, he was impressed with his catch-and-shoot ability, a focus he had coming into the 2022–23 season.
Dennis Schröder spoke about the possibility of LeBron retiring this offseason.
“I can’t see that. I don’t know what’s going on,” said Schröder. “The last game of the playoffs, you make 40/10/9. I think you still got juice to play a couple more years.”
Jarred Vanderbilt is an interesting player on the Lakers' roster. His ability to guard almost all positions and overall versatility on defense made them one of the best defensive teams in the NBA.
“Just being able to be versatile and be prepared for any role that I’m called upon,” said Vanderbilt.
Lonnie Walker IV had one of the biggest rollercoaster moments this season, from being in and out of the lineup early in the season because of an injury to making a huge impact for the Lakers in the playoffs against the Warriors. Still, because he always stayed ready with professionalism, Walker IV could fit on any roster in the NBA.
“For it to only be his first year, the chemistry on and off the court was pretty great,” said Walker IV.
The lack of a pure sharpshooter for a couple of seasons was one of the biggest reasons Mailk Beasley saw heavy playing time once he was acquired. Once the playoffs rolled around, his inconsistency from three and on defense made him almost unplayable. But being able to catch fire from deep in an instant, similar to Russell, is why he is important to have on the roster next season to provide space for LeBron and Davis.
The Lakers have a huge decision to make surrounding Beasley, who is owed 16 million next season on the final year of a four year, 60 million contract. That’s a high cap hit for a player that had little to no impact in the playoffs.
“I had some ups and downs, but at the end of the day, we changed the culture,” said Beasley.
Overall, the Lakers exceeded all expectations this season, and although it didn't result in a championship, the future is really bright for L.A. We are headed for an exciting offseason.
