Going into the 2026-27 season, there are a lot of questions surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers. It will be a completely new roster surrounding superstar Luka Doncic and his backcourt partner Austin Reaves, who re-signed on a new four-year deal.
Of course, LeBron James is gone, as are important role players such as Rui Hachimura and Marcus Smart among others. But the team brought in a lot of intriguing new pieces as well. Adding a center in Walker Kessler was the top priority, but the likes of Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton and others are set to play huge roles as well and former Lakers player Robert Horry is interested to see how things will play out.
“My heart says I can’t root for Walker Kessler because he went to Auburn, but now I have to (laughs),” Horry told Lakers Nation at the 26th annual Harold & Carole Pump Foundation celebrity dinner. “But it’s gonna be interesting. Walker Kessler is a guy they’ve been coveting for a while and you think about all the pieces that they added.
“Quentin Grimes is a guy who is a nasty guy. There’s a saying we like to say where it’s you gotta bring some nasty to the game and that’s one of the things that he will do. It’s gonna be really interesting how the system is now without LeBron. You saw glimpses of it when he was out at the beginning of the season, but now you got Luka healthy, you got AR healthy. It’s gonna be very interesting to see how this goes.”
Last season, Doncic and Reaves together were electric when healthy and now they have a group of role players better suited to fit around them. Kessler provides the rim protection in the middle while Grimes should provide a boost on both ends of the court. Sexton and Sandro Mamukelashvili are outstanding offensive players while Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams bring some defensive intensity, not to mention young players like Adou Thiero and Cameron Carr.
Horry is like many others in not being sure exactly how things will play out for the Lakers, but with Doncic leading the way and Reaves locked in, they should be an exciting group to watch.
Jonathan Kuminga chose Timberwolves over Lakers because of defense
The Lakers tried to recruit free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga, but he chose to join the Minnesota Timberwolves instead. And Kuminga’s agent revealed that the Timberwolves’ commitment to the defensive end was a main reason he went there over the Lakers.
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