JJ Redick highlights how much the Lakers need to build quality depth

[ASFN Admin]

Yes, the biggest reason the Los Angeles Lakers got swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of this year's NBA playoffs was the hamstring strain that ended Luka Doncic's season on April 2. But the biggest reason the Lakers lost in general to the Thunder was their lack of functional depth outside of their three stars.

They have arguably the best star trio in the league — at least for now — in Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves. Outside of that, they have a few quality role players and complementary players such as Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura and Luke Kennard. But their bench was very weak this season — it ranked next-to-last in points per game during the regular season — and they also lack speed, athleticism, defense and 3-point shooting.

Coach JJ Redick was clear about L.A.'s need for better depth and bench players in order to compete with and defeat the best teams in the NBA, especially when it matters most, via Silver Screen and Roll.

“I don’t necessarily view depth as a rotation thing,” Redick said. “Whether you play eight, nine, whether you play 11, 12, you need to have depth and that depth typically comes in the roster spots 10-15. Whether that’s internal development, draft, trade, free agency, whatever that is, we need to build depth beyond just an eight- or nine-man rotation because you’re naturally going to have injuries…It really is about just building that depth.

“We can figure out, as coaches, what a rotation looks like. But you look at OKC’s roster, you look at San Antonio’s roster, those guys, they have 13 high-level rotation players, minimum. That’s a luxury to have in the NBA and it’s one of the reasons those teams are really good.”

The Thunder are ridiculously deep, and it's one of the reasons why they're the defending world champions. They will face the San Antonio Spurs, another very deep and very potent team, in the Western Conference finals, and should they return to the NBA Finals, they will likely face the New York Knicks, a team that is suddenly deep and potent itself.

The Lakers' mentality in recent years seems to have been to build around two or three big-name stars or superstars and scrap together any role players they can get around those stars or superstars. That approach will have to change if they are to win their 18th NBA title anytime soon, as more depth is needed to win it all compared to 20 or 30 years ago.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: JJ Redick highlights how much the Lakers need to build quality depth

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