Lakers News: LA Banking on Internal Improvement Rather Than Moves This Summer

Los Angeles may be banking on internal help from last season to help improve the team.

Jun 24, 2024; El Segundo, CA, USA; Jeannie Buss, controlling owner and president of the Los Angeles Lakers, stands with front office executives, as they listen during the introductory news conference for new head coach JJ Redick at the UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers have made zero significant moves to improve the team externally. The Lakers were expected to be among the most active teams this offseason; however, that has not been the case. 

Instead, it appears the Lakers will stand pat and run it back with their current roster. While many do not like that route, Los Angeles seems content with it, as The Athletic's Jovan Buha explained in his last column.

Buah said if the worst comes to worst, they'll consider players like Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent as players to bolster the roster this upcoming season due to their unavailability last season.  

"As things stand, the Lakers are preaching patience that the right trade will eventually materialize while betting that healthier versions of Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent, the addition of Knecht and the promotion of Christie into the rotation will shore up the group's perimeter defense, athleticism and shooting." 

Vanderbilt and Vincent missed a combined 124 games last season out of a possible 164 games they could've played. Vanderbilt's season was injury-riddled. He started off the season with a heel injury and later had a foot injury that kept him out for the remainder of the season and the playoffs. 

Vincent was out for virtually the entire year due to a knee injury. It was a washed season for the guard after he was promised to be a key addition to the Laker rotation — instead, he only played 11 games and averaged only 3.1 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists while shooting 30.6 percent from the field and 10 percent from three. 

A healthy and productive season from Vanderbilt and Vincent could be the difference between fighting for the final play-in spot and fighting for a top seed in the Western Conference. Health will be everything for L.A. this season. 

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