Analysis of offseason lineup adjustment direction: What can the Lakers learn from the semi-finals teams?

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The Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated early in the 2025 NBA playoffs, which should prompt them to reflect seriously during this offseason.

What different things could the Lakers do? How can they reshape the roster so they can go further next season? What do they need?

As the NBA Division Finals go on, here are the lessons the Lakers can learn from each team as they build their roster this offseason.

New York Knicks: Blueprint for "core star"

Among the teams in the division finals, the Knicks' lineup is the most replicable for the Lakers.

Like the Lakers, the Knicks build a roster around a core star with defensive limitations. When entering the division final, Jaylen Brunson was the only player who still had a usage rate of more than 30% (for comparison, Luca Doncic used 32% against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round). And like the Lakers, the Knicks' lineup is not as deep as other teams, and the team's head coach Tom Thibodeau only relies on seven rotation players for most of the playoffs.

A key difference between the two teams' lineups is the Knicks' configuration around Brunson. The Knicks have several 3D outside players (OG Anunobi, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Miles McBride) and two high-quality centers (Carl Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson). This tall and hard-working team can not only highlight Brunson's strengths, but also make up for his shortcomings.

When the Lakers were looking to build a team around Doncic, they had a stronger offensive foundation than the Knicks. The Lakers' superstar is even better. Doncic himself is also taller, which improves the comprehensiveness of the lineup and becomes less burden on the defensive end. The Lakers have two ball-holding creators, LeBron James and Austin Reeves, who are better at ball-handling and passing than any Knicks except Brunson.

For the Lakers, it is difficult, even nearly impossible to find Anunobi, Bridges or Hart this summer. Any of the three of them will immediately enter the starting lineup and will be the Lakers' best outside defender.

But the Lakers need at least try the possibility of upgrading their roster, explore the trading market and free agent market, and look for players who are missed or suddenly available due to the upcoming salary cap limit.

The Lakers don't necessarily need 12 rotational players like the Oklahoma City Thunder, or 10 like the Indiana Pacers. In any case, the Lakers really don't have the resources to get that depth. But the Lakers need more rotational players than they did in the playoffs this year. The Lakers can replicate the Knicks’ success by configuring as many players as possible around Doncic.

Oklahoma City Thunder: The power of self-positioning

People have been discussing who is the second most important contributor in the Thunder after the new MVP Shea Gilgers Alexander, but from the playoffs, the situation has become very clear. The Thunder's real "second star" is their overall defense at the historical level.

In 12 playoff games, the Thunder's defensive efficiency is 100.7, leading the league's second place 7.1 points per 100 rounds. This is the best defensive efficiency since 2016 (at least eight playoff games), and the most significant gap between the first and second-ranked teams in the playoffs (the Timberwolves had a defensive efficiency of 107.8) since the 1996-97 season. Based on the Thunders' performances for the rest of the season, they have good reasons to be considered the best defensive team of the 21st century.

The Thunder have a clear self-position. Regardless of their performance on the offensive end, the Thunder knows they can rely on defense to keep them competitive in most games.

At the same time, the Lakers did not position themselves in the playoffs. They have no clear signs. The Lakers did not have a consistent and outstanding performance in any way. They are only in the top five in two teams' advanced statistics: assist rate (fifth) and true hit rate (fourth). Apart from that, the Lakers have performed mediocrely, below average in most other statistics, and can even be said to be terrible (the sixteenth defensive rebounding percentage - the last in the playoff team).

The Lakers have basic offensive talents that can make them focus more on offensive end next season. But if that's the direction the Lakers want to take, they need more outside shots, better screens and cuts, and better impact rims and pick-and-rolls around Doncic, James and Reeves.

The Lakers must build a lineup in a more purposeful way around a core concept. With Doncic in hand, the Lakers must focus more on giving him greater power next season and further ahead. The best teams have their best. The Lakers still need to figure out how to make them more special next season.

Minnesota Timberwolves: The taller (still) the better

One of the main advantages of the Timberwolves over the past two seasons is the overall height and strength in their roster. When analyzing direct matchups with opponents, the Timberwolves tend to have taller, stronger or more athletic players.. The exception to the Timberwolves rotation is Mike Conley, who is only 6 feet tall. But even Conley has a 6-foot-7 (about 2.01 meters) wingspan, which makes him look taller than his actual height, and the Timberwolves can swap him for Donte Divenzenzo or Nikil Alexander Walker if necessary.

As the Lakers experienced firsthand in the five-game pain hit, the Timberwolves' physical confrontation can put pressure on opponents throughout the series. This defeat exposed the Lakers' weaknesses, especially their lack of a center who can play and the mediocre athletic ability of the whole team. This is a bigger problem in 2025, especially in the late 210s. But most teams in the league, especially in the West, are once again staking a taller, stronger starting lineup and rotation. Multiple teams — the Timberwolves, Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets — have successfully used two center-size players in the season’s playoffs.

The Lakers have not properly prioritized the center position for many years. Previously, when they were pairing the lineup around superstar Anthony Davis, the center position has always been the "revolving lantern" for mediocre veterans. Most of the Lakers' attempts and adventures were unsuccessful. They tried to solve the center position before the 2025 trade deadline, but the Lakers' plan was lost due to Mark Williams' failure in medical examination and the cancellation of the trade.

The players in other positions in the Lakers' roster are tall. Each starter reaches or exceeds 6 feet 5 inches (about 1.96 meters). Gabe Vincent is the only rotation player below 6 feet 4 inches (about 1.93 meters). Four of the Lakers' top five players are power forwards on the defensive end (Doncic, James, Hachimura and Dorian Finney Smith). Their real problem is center position.

The Lakers must invest at least one center – two or even three – to make sure their overall rotation will be better in rebounding and rim protection next season. As mentioned above, the Lakers can also benefit from introducing a tall, athletic wing player. Although every team needs more of these players, it's hard to get them.

Indiana Pacers: Lineup depth

is measured by traditional standards, and there are no top ten players in the Pacers' roster. Terrys Halliburton is close – he easily makes it to the top fifteen – and can move up to the top ten by the end of the playoffs. But the Pacers' strength lies in their roster depth. They have a large number of excellent players who are both offensive and defensive. The Pacers are the only team of the four teams to have 10 or more players in both series to double-digit playing time. The injury did help the Pacers beat the Milwaukee Bucks and the Cavaliers in the series, but if the Pacers were just lucky enough to reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year of the playoffs, it was a derogatory view of their excellence.

The Lakers are at the other extreme of lineup depth, as evidenced by the controversial decision of head coach JJ Redick to put only five players on the field in the second half of Game 4. Lineup depth can help teams deal with injuries in the regular season, and allows coaches to adjust their roster, rotation and tactics. Although Redick could have used his rotation more widely than in the first round, his options were limited.

Lakers' basketball operations president and general manager Robert Pelinka can only use one free agent exception, several expiring contracts, sophomore scorer Dalton Kneckett and a first-round draft pick (2031 or 2032, but not both). But there are some easy opportunities at the end of the lineup, and Pelinka can at least solve these problems.

The Lakers' 11th to 15th players this season are the worst of any playoff team. Maxi Cleber (just back from three months of postoperative recovery), Sheck Milton, Markieff Morris, Alex Lane and Brownie James are not players Redick can rely on (although Cleber's performance in Game 5 was surprising). The Lakers need to use their platform to attract some cost-effective veteran base-paying players. After all, role players who succeed in the Lakers can attract more attention than on other teams. An example of the Lakers' failure to sign last offseason is that if they had made a vacancy in the roster, they would have had the chance to sign Gary Trent Jr. on a veteran's basic salary contract last offseason. Instead, the Lakers ultimately decided not to sack Cameron Redish or Christian Wood, but to continue paying both of them. In the end, the Lakers cut the two players in the middle of the season and signed Jordan Goodwin and Ryan with these two places respectively. Trent eventually signed with the Bucks, where he played more than his contract value and is now expected to receive a pay raise this summer.

If the Lakers can complete a medium-sized deal to get a starting center and successfully sign their exceptional player and one or two base-paying players, they should be able to better realize their potential next season.