When we think about last year’s at times hilariously disappointing Lakers season, injuries will probably be far and away the factor most people look back on and wonder what might’ve been. A lot did change in the seasons after the 2019-’20 title, though, and while Russell Westbrook is clearly the main addition that might have derailed the franchise’s direction, subtractions from the sidelines mattered quite a bit, too.
This week on “The Anthony Irwin Show,” I welcomed Kirk Henderson of Mavs Moneyball to discuss a coach whose presence might have mattered a whole lot more than we originally thought it might.