Rich Paul on his initial expectations for LeBron, Luka Doncic
Rich Paul on his initial expectations for LeBron, Luka Doncic
Plenty of people expected the Los Angeles Lakers to not only put away the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of this year's playoffs but also have a shot at winning the NBA championship. Instead, the Lakers lost in five games to the Timberwolves and were unable to solve multiple problems.
Their biggest problems were a lack of size in their frontcourt and a lack of serviceable bench depth. In retrospect, perhaps people shouldn't have been so optimistic about the team's chances this season following the Luka Doncic trade.
Rich Paul, the CEO of Klutch Sports and LeBron James' agent, said during an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" that he didn't necessarily expect the Lakers to win it all right away (13:08).
"Everyone was so gung-ho about Luka Doncic and LeBron James," Paul said. "I wasn't. I never thought that just having those two meant they were going to win the championship. Names don't win championships. Rosters do."
Los Angeles badly needs a starting-caliber defensive center and improved guard and wing depth in order to have a real shot at basketball's grand prize next season. Some feel big changes could be in store for the team this offseason, but it could turn out that it simply needs to make some incremental changes in order to claim the Larry O'Brien Trophy next June.
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