This offseason will definitely usher in drastic changes for the Lakers, with obvious changes in the roster and a big change in the core lineup. We almost certainly have one starter leaving the Lakers, and that player is Russell, who has had a poor playoff season this year.
In fact, this series between the Timberwolves and the Nuggets also reminded the Lakers that it is simply not possible to do without a good outside defender. You will find that the reason why the Timberwolves were able to eliminate the Nuggets in this series is because of their strong defense. In this series, both Murray and Porter Jr. have played abnormally in the face of the Timberwolves defense, especially Porter Jr. has performed very poorly in recent games, and Porter Jr. can average more than 20 points per game against the Lakers. That's the difference between different defensive effects. And Murray's consecutive shots against the Lakers and a very low shooting percentage against the Timberwolves are the consequences of the Lakers' poor defense on the outside.
Russell, on the other hand, is a defender who has no defensive ability at all, and he is also ineffective on the offensive end, and his style of play is completely non-confrontational. So letting him stay with the Lakers is undoubtedly a huge burden that will affect the Lakers' next championship process.
The Lakers' most important thing is to break up their current starting backcourt. The overall defensive quality of both Russell and Reaves is too poor. There is no defensive advantage in the West against any backfield. The Lakers don't have a good outside defense, and it is not possible to blindly rely on Davis to assist in defense. Davis also complained before, he thought that the Lakers' outside defense was so poor that he had to help defend frequently and missed his own defenders.
So this offseason, the Lakers have to recruit two players with strong defensive ability. to rebuild their defensive framework. On the offensive end they have James and Davis, while on the defensive end they need too little configuration. You will find that the Timberwolves are not actually a team with very strong offensive ability, and they have Edwards alone on the offensive end. Towns won't necessarily be better than Davis in terms of interior offensive ability, so the Lakers have no problem on the offensive end, and their problem is on the defensive end. The offseason will have to be strengthened on the defensive end so that they can make a qualitative change.