Nick Wright Trolls GM Rob Pelinka Over Lakers Roster Construction

The Los Angeles Lakers missed the playoffs in the last couple of seasons. Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka made some roster changes, but it didn’t work. A lot of people criticized him for constructing nonfunctional rosters and Nick Wright is one of them.

The Lakers entered the regular season with a similar roster. They didn’t make too many moves and didn’t replace struggling players. These guys are great players, but they don’t fit in the system. Russell Westbrook is one of them. The Lakers kept him and also brought Patrick Beverley.

Wright discussed the current situation in Los Angeles, criticizing the Lakers general manager for the failure. The Lakers gave Pelinka an extension, meaning they are happy with his efforts.

"For 2 straight offseasons Rob Pelinka built the Lakers roster as if the 3-pt line doesn't exist. They went 'savvy veterans' last year & this year 'young, athletic guys.' Neither year did they get shooters. They're only averaging 42 1/2 threes a game, though." — @getnickwright pic.twitter.com/hmxrG8EjZW

— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) October 21, 2022

“We know (Buddy Hield) and (Myles) Turner are available, we’re gonna wait and see if something better develops,” Wright said. “That doesn’t justify, two straight post-seasons of building out a roster as if the three-point line didn’t exist. Which is what they’ve done. Last year, they went with old guys, ‘savvy veterans,’ this year ‘young, athletic guys.’ Neither year did they get shooters. (Matt) Ryan, he might need to start.”

Rob Pelinka, LeBron James trust the Lakers roster despite struggles

The Lakers have to address a few major issues, including the shooting part of the game. In his postgame press conference, LeBron agreed that his teammates have to improve their shooting. The Lakers sit at the very bottom of the list of three-point scoring teams in the NBA. They have to do better than that.

“I mean, I don’t know. I think we’re getting great looks and I think there also could be some teams giving us great looks. To be completely honest, we’re not a team that’s constructed of great shooting. And that’s just what the truth of the matter is. It’s not like we’re sitting here with a bunch of lasers on our team. But that doesn’t deter us from still trying to get great shots. When you get those opportunities, you take them. But we’re not sitting here with a bunch of 40-plus [percent] career 3-point shooting guys.”