Lakers are reportedly 'optimistic' about roster after recent additions

There is pretty much no chance that the Los Angeles Lakers will be a championship contender this coming season. They lost LeBron James, Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes in free agency from a squad that went 53-29 last season, and they have added Walker Kessler, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Kevon Looney, Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle and rookie Cameron Carr.

They will likely lose a few more games this coming season, but their new-look roster could look better just in the sense of being cohesive, more balanced and more geared to a team built around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

The Lakers reportedly held a minicamp recently in Las Vegas, where the NBA summer league took place, and per Dan Woike of The Athletic, the team feels optimistic about this remodeled roster.

"And while the players they replaced them with are universally less experienced with almost no postseason production, word out of the team’s veteran minicamp this past week in Las Vegas was optimistic. The biggest reason was the offensive upside, the number of players on the team who can punish a defender off the dribble having multiplied this summer.

"It’s a crucial skill on the Lakers — the spacing that shooting can create and the overreactions Dončić and Austin Reaves induce with their ability to put defenses into scramble-and-recovery mode."

In Mamukelashvili, Grimes and Sexton, L.A. has three players who have triple-threat skills -- shooting, dribbling and passing -- and can operate with fluidity both in transition and in half-court situations. Williams and Thybulle have at least some ability to hit open 3-pointers, even though they aren't able to operate off the dribble, and Carr has intriguing potential as a possible 3-and-D player who can sometimes create off the dribble and has tremendous athleticism.

There is belief among some who cover the Lakers that the team can be elite offensively. The defensive end, however, is a different story. While Grimes, Williams and Thybulle are capable perimeter defenders, and while Kessler is an elite shot-blocker and rim protector, there are still concerns about L.A.'s overall ability to hold down opponents sufficiently.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers are reportedly 'optimistic' about roster after recent additions