Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel will have his work cut out for him this season as he has a completely new roster to work with.
Coming off a disappointing end to last season, the Lakers opted not to run it back, completing a blockbuster trade for Russell Westbrook.
After acquiring Westbrook, the Lakers then filled out the roster with veterans that can fill certain roles and help the team accomplish their goal of winning a championship.
While it will be challenging to bring a completely new roster together in such a short time, Vogel is very high on the potential of this roster, via Nick Hamilton of NH Experience TV:
“As dangerous as any team in the league. We’ve got a lot of firepower, a lot of guys really motivated to have the right skillsets to win it all, and it’s going to be about putting in the work throughout the course of the season and I think we’ve got a great chance.”
A lot of people have doubted this Lakers team because they are the oldest in the league, adding players like Rajon Rondo, Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza, Dwight Howard and soon-to-be DeAndre Jordan.
Vogel is looking forward to proving those doubters wrong though:
“I’m excited that teams are counting us out or betting against us. Our team is highly motivated, and we really suffered last year by not having an offseason or the proper build-up to training camp. Obviously it resulted in a lot of injuries, and I’m excited to see what this group can do with a full training camp.”
The Lakers may be old, but there is no doubt that they are talented enough to win a championship if they can stay healthy. LeBron James is still one of the best players in the world at age 36, and Anthony Davis seems as motivated as ever coming off a down, injury-plagued year.
Vogel is known to be one of the best defensive coaches in the league, so that should help them stay strong on that end even after losing some of their best defenders from last season.
Lakers still interested in Ennis
Even though the Lakers’ roster is essentially complete, they still have one available roster spot and have reported interest in free-agent wing James Ennis.
Ennis would give the Lakers some toughness and shooting on the wing, and he is a hometown guy, so it may be worth a shot if they can get him on a minimum deal.
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