By Lucas Camacho
The championship dreams of several Los Angeles teams ended in the last week. The lack of size and rim protection finally caught up to the Lakers, the Clippers continued their history of underperforming in the playoffs, and the Kings were eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers from the playoffs for the FOURTH consecutive year. It’s brought up an interesting question is there too much pressure on Los Angeles’ local teams. Obviously, every city hopes to win the championship, but we have to ask if the Dodgers’ dominating World Series run has pushed expectations too high. The Dodgers themselves are off to a slow start, and Angel City FC has problems as, while yes, they do score a lot, they also allow a lot of goals and can’t hold a lead at times. Then there are the other two soccer teams: LAFC and the Galaxy. LAFC is holding steady at 5th in their conference, but they don’t seem like contenders for the moment. As for the defending champion Galaxy, they have yet to win a match this season.
The purpose of this article is not to throw water on anyone’s ambitions, hopes, or dreams: it’s merely to emphasize how the landscape of sports is always changing. This isn’t meant to make anyone lose heart, if anything it’s to help regain some perspective and ask how these teams can get better. Obviously, the Dodgers, Angel FC, LAFC, and the Galaxy are working on answers right now. The Lakers, Clippers, and Kings are left to ponder next year. Then there’s the Sparks, Rams, and Chargers preparing for their seasons to start. So, let’s take a look and see what each team can do to get better. We’ll start with the recently eliminated teams.
CLIPPERS
Another year of the Clippers hoping to finally emerge from the Lakers’ shadow…down the drain. The obvious elephant in the room is that the Clippers can’t seem to keep Kawhi Leonard healthy, and with James Harden stick around if the Clippers are just going to keep up their disappointing playoff pattern. The key may be their depth at the bench. There isn’t much talent to support their stars, and the Clippers still are reeling from when Paul George left last year. It also doesn’t help that they don’t have control of their first-round picks for the next four years. There’s a long road ahead for the Clippers’ front office.
LAKERS
Look, trading for Luka Doncic was a step in the right direction. However, they don’t have size or depth, and their execution late in the game is something that needs work, too. Any hardcore Lakers fan will tell you exactly what the Lakers need: a big man. History has shown the Lakers have thrived with a dominating center or big man leading the charge. It’s been true since the days of the legendary George Mikan, and that continued with other names like Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Shaquille O’Neal. Recent years had guys like Pau Gasol and Anthony Davis. So, the Lakers need a new big man. Obviously, the trade for Mark Williams fell through, so they could pursue other options. Another thing, and I cannot emphasize this enough: JJ Redick needs to do better as a coach next year.
KINGS
It’s getting to be a familiar song: the Kings go into the playoffs only to be eliminated by the Oilers. I’m certain Kings fans are sick of having this happen year after year, but what can they do? Well, Kings fans have had enough, and clearly management felt the same. Not long before this article was published, it was reported that the Kings were letting go of their general manager Rob Blake. Now the fate of coach Jim Hiller is left dangling after a few questionable leadership calls. It will be interesting to see where the Kings go from here.
LA GALAXY
No, your eyes don’t deceive you: the reigning MLS Cup Champions are in last place. Unfortunately, I mentioned in a previous article that they were built last year for a short-term “win now” situation…and that’s left them with not much to build on as they continue to fail to defend their title. Through 11 matches, the Galaxy have…3 points. What that means is they’ve only managed 3 ties and 0 wins. This roster may need a complete rebuild before they are able to contend again.
LAFC
Despite being in better standing than their cross-town rivals, LAFC isn’t looking exactly like contenders either. The problem is their defense. After 11 matches, their goal differential is just +1. Now what does that mean for those of you that don’t follow soccer? Well, in layman’s terms, it means they’re barely scoring more goals than they’ve allowed…and that’s not good. Goal differential is a possible tiebreaker when playoff spots are determined. If LAFC wants to go from where they are to cup contenders, they’ll need some soul searching on defense.
ANGEL CITY FC
In women’s soccer, Angel City FC isn’t doing as well as LAFC…but at least they’re not as bad as the Galaxy. Their problem is the same as LAFC: the lack of defense. They’ve also recently been blowing leads and have been unable to finish off opponents. Riley Tiernan has been brilliant, and so has the Thompson sisters, but they need much better defense if they want a shot at the title. In a country where women’s sports are becoming more popular, the pressure is definitely on for Angel City FC. Fortunately, help is on the way as Angel City’s new coach, Alexander Straus from Bayern Munich, will officially take the reins next month.
SPARKS
Speaking of women’s sports, the Sparks are in a similar position of pressure as Angel City FC. The Sparks are hoping the addition of veteran Kelsey Plum, and the reunion with her former Las Vegas Aces teammate and friend Dearica Hamby, will add some life to their struggling offense. With Rickea Jackson showing significant improvement last year, and Cameron Brink expected back after a torn ACL derailed her promising rookie campaign, there is cause for cautious optimism for the Sparks and their quest to return to their former glory.
RAMS
Like the Sparks, the Rams are gearing up for another season. There is already attempts to improve at wide receiver, as the Rams signed veteran Davante Adams. Last year’s numbers were disappointing for Adams, but having a more stable presence like Matthew Stafford could be what turns things around for him. They also resigned Tutu Atwell, and they still have rising star Puka Nacua. I’d argue there’s still some aspects of the defense they can improve on, especially after that beating from the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. However, getting Adams and keeping Atwell is definitely a step in the right direction.
CHARGERS
The other tenants of SoFi Stadium, the Chargers, are also hard at work to prepare for the upcoming season. The Chargers went a different route than the Rams to improve their stagnant offense: running back. They went out and got Najee Harris, and then drafted Omarion Hampton, who was ranked the second-best running back prospect going into the draft, in the first round. An effective running attack will definitely help quarterback Justin Herbert, who is entering his prime years. However, I’d still argue that the Chargers could give him more help in the wide receiver room. If Ladd McConkey is the best receiver in that corps…that’s not good. Combined with the holes in the offensive line…the Chargers still have work to do.
DODGERS
Okay, let’s address the elephant in the room. Why has there been so much pressure on LA’s sports teams to succeed. That’s easy: look at the Dodgers. With the roster they’ve assembled, many pegged the Dodgers as the favorites to go back-to-back for the first time in decades. But their season is off to a rocky start. Their rotation is already taking a beating by losing Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, and we still don’t have Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw back yet. So, what can the Dodgers do? The answer may not be as obvious as any of the “experts” have said: it’s the training staff. For the last few years, they’ve been doing a miserable job keeping the Dodgers’ starting pitchers healthy. Clearly something has to change, or Dave Roberts will have to rely more on the bullpen…again…
