NBA expert claims LA Lakers are a ‘little worse’ even with Deandre Ayton signing

Dorian Finney-Smith’s departure could impact Luka Doncic’s long-term LA Lakers future

Even before becoming teammates on the Lakers, Finney-Smith and Luka Doncic shared a bond during their time on the Dallas Mavericks.

Evidently, many expected the Lakers to bring back DFS at any cost to make Luka happy. After all, the Slovenian superstar could soon sign a massive contract extension.

Keeping that in mind, Bontemps believes the Lakers messed up by allowing Finney-Smith to leave for the Rockets.

“If the Lakers are gonna be a team that makes a run in the Western Conference playoffs. They have a lot of work left to do. One of Luka’s best friends in the league is Dorian Finney-Smith,” Bontemps said on First Take.

“He just left to go to the Houston Rockets, a rival in the Western Conference. That to me is not a great sign for the Lakers doing what they need to, to show Luka Doncic, he should be there long term,” he added.

Sure, the Western Conference is as competitive as it can get, but do the Lakers really have no shot at coming out of it? Even with the addition of Ayton?

LA Lakers have become a ‘little worse’ than last season even with Deandre Ayton’s signing

Bontemps touched base on this next as he addressed the Lakers landing Ayton for a cheap deal and even hailed him as the second-best center on the free agency market after Myles Turner.

“I do think Deandre Ayton will help them. He’s probably the second-best center on the market this summer behind Myles Turner.

“… But this team still has a lot of holes on the perimeter, defensively. They have very little perimeter defensive talent. They’re still lacking in shooting,” Bontemps continued.

So, what’s the final verdict? Bontemps claimed the Lakers, at best, are the same as they were last season.

“They’re a team that, when you just stack ’em up, player for player. Yes, they finished third in the Western Conference last year. I’d say overall, they’re either the same or a little worse,” he concluded.

Now, this is a discouraging take on the Lakers, but can Bontemps really be blamed for thinking that? After all, the Lakers haven’t made any enormous signings like their conference rivals.