LA Lakers offseason review: What lies ahead for their role players?

The Los Angeles Lakers suffered through a tumultuous and highly disappointing season and now look ahead to the offseason to assess the future of the roster and the head coach. The team finished 33-49, enough to not qualify for the Play-In Tournament, seating themselves at 11th in the conference.

Despite a historically great year for LeBron James, the “Big 3” experiment failed, as they only played 21 games together due to injuries from LeBron (missed 26 games, one of them being suspension) and Anthony Davis (missed 42 games).

Russell Westbrook could not find a consistent rhythm with the Lakers. He became the butt of jokes online and in the media. This caused him to lash out at reporters and Frank Vogel.

And of course, Vogel, despite leading the team to a championship 18 months earlier in the Orlando Bubble, got fired mere minutes after the Lakers won their season finale against the Denver Nuggets.

Free-agent signings DeAndre Jordan (waived and now backing up Embiid during the playoffs in Philly), Wayne Ellington, Trevor Ariza (waived to sign Gabriel to a standard contract), and Kent Bazemore were all major disappointments, and by February, each of them were on the Lakers’ bench.

Dwight Howard was the only major free agent signing to get relatively consistent rotation time, and Stanley Johnson, signed around the holidays due to the COVID hardship, showed signs of why he was the eighth pick in the 2015 draft, on both ends of the court. This article will take a look at the future of Dwight Howard and Stanley Johnson with the Lakers.

Dwight Howard

Howard averaged roughly 13 points and nine rebounds in his last six games.

Dwight Howard returned for a third stint in the purple and gold, for a 1-year deal, at the minimum, after a year in Philadelphia. He was hoping to replicate how he left Los Angeles the last time (in 2020), with a championship. Also, the Lakers were hoping to replicate the success with two traditional centers (Howard and JaVale McGee in 2020), with Howard and DeAndre Jordan. Jordan flamed out after a month or so.

Howard performed effectively in limited minutes, though he registered some DNPs himself as well, especially when the Lakers went small with LeBron or AD at the five. At 36, he is clearly nowhere near his prime years in Orlando and had career-lows across the board (6.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 0.6 blocks, 16.2 minutes). However, he has had impressive moments this season.

For instance, he posted 24 points and eight rebounds against Joel Embiid, whom he backed up last season with the Sixers, and 21 and 11 against Rudy Gobert and the Jazz.

Dwight Howard Impressed in Second Half of Season

Dwight Howard, in his third stint in LA, added the three-point shot to his repertoire.

In addition to the stretches of impressive play, Dwight Howard has even added the three-point shot to his repertoire on occasion. And although he only took 15 threes for the season, he hit eight of them, for an impressive 53.3% clip.

In his last six games, all starts, Howard averaged 12.7 points, 8.5 rebounds in only 23.7 minutes, on 65.8% shooting from the field. However, Howard is not expected to evolve into a full-time stretch five, and he is best used in a specialized capacity at this stage of his career.

In the past, he has been criticized for his penchant for technicals and for not taking the game seriously enough. But Howard has matured into a steady veteran leader over the last few years.

Howard is also one of the few veteran free agents that could make a case to be re-signed by the Lakers, with limited cap space, and a familiarity with the system. Howard has also expressed a desire to return to the Lakers.

Stanley Johnson

Stanley Johnson is naturally a forward, but due to injuries, COVID, and ineffectiveness (sometimes a combination of all three), Johnson also played spot minutes at the five. Though 6’6”, he is solidly built at 242 pounds, and his lower center of gravity, along with strong defensive instincts, allows him to guard bigger players at times.

Along with Wenyen Gabriel, Malik Monk and rookie Austin Reaves, Johnson was one of the best additions in this tumultuous season. After the Chicago Bulls did not keep him after signing a 10-day contract, he signed with the Lakers to a series of 10-day contracts (COVID hardship, then standard ones) before ultimately being signed to a contract for the rest of the season.

There is also a team option for next season. In 48 games, Johnson averaged 6.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 0.9 steals in 22.8 minutes. He established himself as the team’s best perimeter defender. He has shown signs of improving his jumper, improving to 46.6% from the field from 38.8% the previous season. His three-point shot started to look better at the end of the season.

Johnson stayed in the rotation and started 27 games. It was a dream come true returning home to LA, playing for his favorite team, the team his hero Kobe Bryant (whom he did training with in the past) played for. He had two notable regular-season games, both on holidays.

The first one was Johnson's first game as a Laker, on Christmas Day against the Brooklyn Nets, and the second one against the Utah Jazz on Martin Luther King Day. He had only seven points in 27 minutes, but his energy and hustle helped to make a surefire blowout a competitive game. His defense against then-Net superstar James Harden was particularly noteworthy.

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Stanely Johnson Excelled Against Rudy Gobert and Utah Jazz

Against the Jazz, the Lakers downsized in the fourth quarter against Rudy Gobert, putting James at center, and Johnson at power forward. Johnson would use his quickness and constantly attack Gobert at the rim and kicking it out when necessary, similar to Clippers’ swingman Terance Mann’s approach in last season’s playoffs.

He scored 15 points and grabbed five rebounds, and played a major role in a comeback victory against the Jazz, one of the few highlights for the Lakers this season.

Lakers Can Pick Up Stanley Johnson's Option on June 30th

The Lakers have until June 30, to pick up Johnson’s option, to which he says that is a question for “Rob and Kurt", referring to Lakers VP and GM Rob Pelinka and senior basketball advisor Kurt Rambis, both under a lot of scrutiny this season.

But with Trevor Ariza waived, Carmelo Anthony a free agent, and Wayne Ellington and Kent Bazemore certain to be gone in free agency, there are openings on the wing, and for a team lacking defensive intensity, Johnson is a worthwhile bargain at $2.3 million.