The Los Angeles Lakers started 2023 in great danger of falling out of the playoff race. Many felt at the time that Russell Westbrook was that proverbial anchor that was keeping them under .500 and preventing them from taking off.
Then came a February trade that sent Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones, a 2027 first-round draft pick and a 2024 second-round pick for D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley. It came on the heels of a January trade for reserve forward Rui Hachimura, and the two deals resulted in a reborn Lakers squad.
The team went all the way to the Western Conference finals and retained almost all of its key free agents in July, leading to big expectations for this season. But now that the calendar has turned over to 2024, Los Angeles finds itself 17-17 and in 10th place in the Western Conference after losing eight of its last 11 games.
The Lakers still have an opportunity to go after something special in the months to come. These new year’s resolutions will help them generate some real momentum throughout the rest of the regular season.