Although the Los Angeles Lakers only entered the playoffs as the seventh in the West, it is clear that the Lakers may break through the first round or even better in the playoffs in the face of the playoff situation and the current situation of the opponent. Compared with the struggle in the first half of the season, the Lakers began to exert strength in the second half of the season and eventually returned to the playoffs, and many people also attributed this credit to Lakers general manager Pelinka.
Under Pelinka's operation, the Lakers re-traded Russell. Compared with his performance with the Lakers during his rookie days, Russell's rapid growth after leaving Los Angeles, and even led the Nets to the playoffs alone, and became an indispensable part of the team's tactics during his time with the Timberwolves. Now that Russell has returned to the Lakers, giving the Lakers a true third scoring point, his ability to shoot from the outside will also create more offensive space for James and Davis.
Not only is Russell's return, but the Lakers have also made efforts in the selection of role players. The Lakers first exchanged eight bases to strengthen the rotation of the forward, and then acquired Vanderbilt and Beasley in the trade, making the team's inside and outside richer. Compared to the beginning of the season, today's Lakers team can play a variety of tactical combinations and is rich enough in rotation, which is one of the reasons why they have high hopes in the playoff schedule.
Pelinka's operation in the regular season is worthy of praise, but looking at the Lakers' previous trade operations, it has to be said that Pelinka has actually wasted a lot of good opportunities. With the Lakers' heritage and appeal in the league, they can attract the vast majority of players to join, even those first-line stars, who are full of expectations for joining the Lakers. It's just that Pelinka didn't take advantage of the Lakers' fame, and he fainted frequently in the trade, which affected the Lakers' results in the past two seasons.
Since the Lakers won the championship in 2020, they have wanted to recreate a dynastic era, and both James and Davis are very confident in this idea. However, Pelinka did not recruit according to the characteristics of Lakers players and tactics, but simply signed Gasol Jr., Drummond and others to supplement the interior, but ignored the adaptability of the lineup, resulting in a disconnect in the Lakers' tactics and a slippage in results.
Pelinka was also full of mistakes when it came to offseason contract extensions. He first chose the latter between Caruso and Tucker, and gave up the Lakers' best player on the outside defense, and ended up with the Bulls. In order to get Wilson, Pelinka sent Pope, the Lakers' most consistent shooter on the outside. In the offseason last season, Pelinka was unable to offer Monk, who was willing to take a salary cut, a contract with an annual salary of tens of millions, which led him to sign the Kings and now become the hero of the Kings' return to the playoffs after 17 years.
No matter where the Lakers can get in the playoffs this season, their operation is still successful and it also provides direction for the team's operation next season. It's just that putting all the credit on Pelinka is somewhat far-fetched. What Pelinka is doing now is only to make up for the previous stunning, and how he builds a truly complete and solid rotation for the Lakers through continuous operation is the time to re-prove him.