The 2021-22 Los Angeles Lakers campaign was nothing but an absolute disaster, and 10 of the veteran players who played for the team that season are not playing in the NBA anymore.
The likes of Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Trevor Ariza, Isiah Thomas, Wayne Ellington, DJ Augustin, Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, Kent Bazemore, and Darren Collison haven’t suited up in the NBA this season.
That year saw the front office do away with a major chunk of younger names for Russell Westbrook — a move that stung and saw them fail to make the playoffs after a disappointing 33-49 finish. The aftermath saw the side replace head coach Frank Vogel with Darvin Ham, and swap out the veterans with fresh and hungry faces.
It’s worth noting that nine players LA signed were aged 30 or older and were on veteran-minimum contracts. Barring Anthony who had 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.0 assists, the rest of the names averaged less than double-digit points.
While Rondo was traded to the Knicks in January 2022 where he played 35 games, the guard failed to find a team this season. Howard plied his trade for the Taoyuan Leopards of the T1 League in Taiwan. The remainder of the players is unlikely to find any takers.
It wasn’t just the roster that played a crucial role in the Lakers’ poor run that season. Injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who missed a combined 68 games together and Westbrook’s struggles on both ends of the court made it a disastrous season.
Not that the new roster did the Lakers any good this season as they struggled with a lack of shooters. James and Davis played some and missed some games due to their persisting injuries, but the trade deadline saw them revamp the team again giving them a bonafide chance to make the playoffs.
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The Lakers had a productive trade window acquiring the services of D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jared Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura, and Mo Bamba. They finally traded Westbrook which landed them a shooter and a crafty guard adding more teeth to the offense.
The acquisitions proved to be an improvement as the Lakers registered a dominant 120-102 win against the New Orleans Pelicans before heading into the All-Star break. They now head into the final stretch of the regular season hoping to make the playoffs — something they can do should they have a streak of wins.
At the time of writing, LA is placed 13th in the West with a 27-32 record and is yet to break into the Top 10 so far this season. They do have a challenging stretch of games starting off with a skirmish against the Golden State Warriors. They play the Dallas Mavericks and the Memphis Grizzlies soon after.
Source: fadeawayworld
