Michael Porter Jr. didn’t hide where he stands on the Lakers after hearing their full depth chart.
On Neon’s stream this week, Porter Jr. was blunt when the roster was laid out for him.
“Yeah, I don’t like that roster,” said Porter Jr. on Neon’s stream. “To be a championship roster? They might be solid, but I don’t see them winning the chip.”
That kind of opinion carries extra weight coming from a player who has already been through the championship grind. Porter Jr. was part of Denver’s title run in 2023, when he averaged 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game while shooting 48.7% from the field in the regular season. With Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray leading the way, he helped anchor a Nuggets team that was deep and balanced.
The Lakers, by contrast, are drawing skepticism even after adding names to the mix. Last season they finished fourth in the West with Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and LeBron James leading the way, then fell in the Conference Semi-Finals. After that, free agency stripped away several of the pieces that helped make that push possible, including LeBron James, Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, and Luke Kennard.
That’s part of why plenty of people are having a hard time putting Los Angeles in the same conversation as the Thunder, Spurs, and new-look Timberwolves. The additions of Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Kevon Looney, and Sandro Mamukelashvili have helped, but the roster still doesn’t match the firepower of the teams many see as stronger contenders. For some, the “whiteness” of the Lakers is also a problem, adding to the disbelief around the league.
The Lakers, though, are not waiting around for the noise to die down. With training camp approaching, more moves are still possible, and wing help remains a clear need after attempts to address it this summer came up short.
And in a twist, Porter Jr. himself looks like the sort of player Los Angeles could use. A trade run before February’s deadline would make sense on paper, especially given how well he’d fit with the Purple and Gold and how much better his chances would be there than in his current tenure with the Nets.
For now, the Lakers are moving ahead with the group they have. They believe it can take them a long way, even if Porter Jr. and plenty of others aren’t buying it. With Luka and Reaves in charge, they expect to make enough noise to change the conversation.
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The bigger emotional break for Lakers fans may be the Buss family angle, since the family is also selling its minority stake and would be ending an ownership run that dates back to 1979. Jeanie Buss is opposing the sale and has filed legal action to block it, setting up a fight over control and legacy at a moment when the franchises most familiar era appears to be slipping away. [Read more 🡒]