Three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas recently joked that the current Los Angeles Lakers remind him of the 2016-17 team led by Nick Young. Arenas, a lifelong Lakers fan, made the comments on his Gil’s Arena podcast, suggesting ticket prices might drop like they did a decade ago.
Gilbert Arenas delivered a hilarious take on the Lakers' current state. He specifically referenced the era when Nick Young and Robert Sacre were key players for the franchise. "I expect to get season tickets for real cheap this year," Arenas said. "Now, I ain’t going to lie, them tickets about to go down. It’s like when it was like Nick Young and (Robert Sacre)." Arenas and Young were teammates on the Washington Wizards and share a close, trolling relationship.
That 2016-17 Lakers team started D’Angelo Russell, Nick Young, Luol Deng, Julius Randle and Timofey Mozgov. They finished with just 25 wins, though they were only a year away from signing LeBron James in free agency. Arenas later shifted to a more serious analysis of the modern NBA landscape.
A few minutes after the joke, Gilbert Arenas offered a detailed comparison between Luka Doncic and Chris Paul. He argued both stars need a specific roster built around their unique skills to succeed. "Luka has the same the same thing that Chris Paul has," Arenas explained. "You just need to give them enough, and with the perfect pieces for their game, they can make it work."
Arenas noted that Chris Paul never had a true championship-level team, but he made his teams look better than they were. The Lakers front office, he implied, has done a good job constructing a roster for Doncic. This includes a secondary ball-handler like Austin Reaves, lob threats at center, and reliable 3-and-D wings on the perimeter.
ESPN insiders project the Los Angeles Lakers to win just 45 games next season. That would place them sixth in the Western Conference, behind the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers finished fourth last season and advanced past the first round of the playoffs, even with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves battling injuries.
The series against Houston was a back-and-forth affair, with the Lakers also winning 112-108 on April 25 and 101-94 on April 22.
The Lakers enter a critical offseason with these projections and recent performances in mind. Building a consistent contender around Luka Doncic remains the clear goal. The front office's ability to find the right role players will be tested. Fans can track the team's roster moves and schedule updates on the official roster and schedule pages.
Gilbert Arenas' comments, while partly in jest, highlight the ongoing scrutiny of the Lakers' roster construction. The comparison to a 25-win season is stark. But the serious discussion about tailoring a team to a superstar's strengths is the real conversation for Los Angeles this summer. Their 45-win projection sets a clear benchmark for improvement.
