2024 Lakers: Replace Lebron w/ Peak Kobe

Matt15 · Post #1 » by **Matt15** » Tue Apr 30, 2024 6:56 pm

How far do the '24 Lakers go if you replaced Lebron w/ Peak Kobe?

Line-Up
G-D'Angelo Russell
G-Austin Reaves
F-Kobe Bryant(Peak)
F-Rui Hachimura
C-Anthony Davis

Colbinii · Post #2 » by **Colbinii** » Tue Apr 30, 2024 7:15 pm

Probably the same result, but I wouldn't have them as favourites against either the Nuggets or Timberwolves.

Post #3 » by **tsherkin** » Tue Apr 30, 2024 8:13 pm

About the same, I'd imagine.

advent11 · Post #4 » by **advent11** » Tue Apr 30, 2024 8:34 pm

It was a close series with Denver despite the 4-1 outcome. Lakers led at half time at every game and had a massive advantage in time spent leading the game. Replacing old Lebron with peak Kobe would put the Lakers over the top in this series and in the West. Boston would still be a solid favorite against them tho.

lessthanjake · Post #5 » by **lessthanjake** » Tue Apr 30, 2024 10:40 pm

Peak Kobe is better than current LeBron, but LeBron had a good enough series that there’s really no guarantee that peak Kobe would do better. And since the Nuggets won relatively comfortably, I’d go with losing in the first round to the Nuggets.

Unless we are putting peak Kobe on the team for the entire regular season too? In that case, the Lakers probably would have a better seed, so maybe wouldn’t be stuck with the Nuggets in the first round. Under that scenario, I think second round or conference finals. As I said, I still think they’d lose to the Nuggets if/when they met them. And I’m not confident about them beating the Wolves or Thunder either.

eminence · Post #6 » by **eminence** » Tue Apr 30, 2024 11:00 pm

If I'm allowed to balance the roster with a middling trade (say Reaves for a 3 or 4) I think the team's better and could grab the 4 seed. I'd still favor Denver, want to see OKC/MIN against more competition, but gut says I'd favor LA. I'll split the difference and vote for a 2nd round appearance.

If I'm not allowed any deals and it's a straight replacement then I think the fit is too poor and LA is still a first round out, now favoring OKC/MIN.

RSCD3_ · Post #7 » by **RSCD3_** » Wed May 1, 2024 1:55 am

eminence wrote:If I'm allowed to balance the roster with a middling trade (say Reaves for a 3 or 4) I think the team's better and could grab the 4 seed. I'd still favor Denver, want to see OKC/MIN against more competition, but gut says I'd favor LA. I'll split the difference and vote for a 2nd round appearance.

If I'm not allowed any deals and it's a straight replacement then I think the fit is too poor and LA is still a first round out, now favoring OKC/MIN.

What's a middling trade? Like Jerami Grant?

eminence · Post #8 » by **eminence** » Wed May 1, 2024 2:06 am

RSCD3_ wrote:
eminence wrote:If I'm allowed to balance the roster with a middling trade (say Reaves for a 3 or 4) I think the team's better and could grab the 4 seed. I'd still favor Denver, want to see OKC/MIN against more competition, but gut says I'd favor LA. I'll split the difference and vote for a 2nd round appearance.

If I'm not allowed any deals and it's a straight replacement then I think the fit is too poor and LA is still a first round out, now favoring OKC/MIN.

What's a middling trade? Like Jerami Grant?

Would seem like an attainable target. DFS/Kuzma are other guys who come to mind. Obviously depends on who was selling. But I think it'd be doable to move one of the guards to bring in a forward. Requiring light incentive or receiving light incentive depending on the player.

TheGOATRises007 · Post #9 » by **TheGOATRises007** » Wed May 1, 2024 2:43 am

If it's a straight swap, same result.

RCM88x · Post #10 » by **RCM88x** » Wed May 1, 2024 2:57 am

Lakers would have two players over 6'6 if this happened

EmpireFalls · Post #11 » by **EmpireFalls** » Wed May 1, 2024 3:03 am

The one X factor of peak Kobe is that you actually have an elite perimeter stopper. When I say peak Kobe I mean 2001-03 Frobe. Don’t try to bring up 2006, that’s not his peak in terms of winning basketball games. 2001-03, specifically the 2001 postseason, is the one.

So if he can actually do a job on Murray and then be a killer on the other end it helps.

On the other, I hate to say this but even 40 year old walking dead LeBron is a more secure decision maker, more reliable 3 point shooter, finisher, and provides an element of size that requires doubles even to this day. They’d be missing their brain on court without Bron and that could spell trouble vs the elite of the elite.

I say they still lose to Denver.

picko · Post #12 » by **picko** » Wed May 1, 2024 3:15 am

If they had peak Kobe for the entire season then they probably seed higher - increasing their probability of going further in the playoffs. Denver was quite clearly the least desirable match-up for the Lakers.

However, if you are just replacing current LeBron with peak Kobe in the playoffs then I doubt there is any meaningful change.

LeBron was a 26.9 PER ~ 0.191 WS/48 ~ 10.6 BPM player against Denver. That's genuinely elite.

During Kobe's greatest playoff run (2008-09): 26.8 PER ~ 0.238 WS/48 ~ 9.1 BPM.

So statistically it seems like a bit of a wash. And based on that, I just don't see a compelling argument for a Kobe-led 2024 Lakers overcoming the 2024 Nuggets.