The Los Angeles Lakers are on the brink of elimination after back-to-back losses in Minnesota. Despite entering the fourth quarter with a double-digit lead, the Lakers collapsed towards the end in Game 4 to fall 3-1 behind against Anthony Edwards and Co.
This was emblematic of the problem the Lakers have had all postseason. As The Athletic's Jovan Buha noted on X, the Lakers have been outscored 105 to 69 in fourth quarters in this series.
The main reason for these struggles is the Lakers' roster construction. GM Rob Pelinka is the name to blame for this.
The Wolves have outscored the Lakers in each fourth quarter in this series. The fourth-quarter scoring margin is 105-69. That's been the difference.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 28, 2025
Rob Pelinka's Obvious Mistakes Are Costing the Lakers the Series
On Sunday, head coach JJ Redick played the same five players the entire second half. Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and Dorian Finney-Smith played all 24 minutes, and a few of them were visibly gassed towards the end.
Doncic, coming off a stomach bug only 36 hours before Game 4, was particularly exhausted, limiting his effectiveness against the solid Minnesota defense.
Redick didn't have any players he could trust, even for a few minutes. This is especially a problem in the frontcourt. Finney-Smith, Hachimura, and James are the only reliable frontcourt players. Jaxson Hayes, despite being the only viable center on the roster, has been completely marginalized.
This brings about questions about the lack of frontcourt additions after the Luka Doncic trade. The Lakers tried to trade for Mark Williams, and when that deal was rescinded, the Lakers were left without alternatives and opted to sign Alex Len. That signing aged like milk, as Len has not been a part of the rotation whatsoever.
Pelinka could have gone ahead with the Williams deal or initially traded for a different center with no injury concerns. Not having a follow-up trade ready to go to add another center after getting rid of Anthony Davis has come back to bite the Lakers.
The Lakers simply have too many players on their roster who they are not getting anything out of. Dalton Knecht, Alex Len, Bronny James, Shake Milton, Markieff Morris, and Maxi Kleber are non-contributors, and it's very hard to go on a deep postseason run in the NBA when you are wasting six of your 15 roster spots.
While Pelinka should be celebrated for the Luka Doncic trade, his failure to surround he, LeBron, and Reaves with a good enough roster to compete has been a major disappointment.