The Los Angeles Lakers have spent the summer reshaping almost everything around Luka Doncic. The result is a younger roster with a very different identity. Yet when the roster is measured against the NBA’s best, there are still some obvious gaps. Former Lakers champion and coach Derek Fisher pointed out this glaring reality with a direct comparison to OKC.

“NBA rosters very rarely are missing pieces necessarily,” Fisher said on 97.1 The Fan LA. “The question is what are we comparing it to? Like missing compared to what? To Oklahoma City. Oh, Yeah (missing quite a few pieces). To San Antonio? Oh yeah. That’s where, again, I think these conversations, it’s not always for us, but it’s so much more nuanced when you start getting into what they have or don’t have necessarily.”

The Lakers have added Quentin Grimes, Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton, Matisse Thybulle, Sandro Mamukelashvili and others while moving on from several veteran rotation pieces, including LeBron James, Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard.

On paper, Luka Doncic gives the Lakers an elite offensive centerpiece, while Austin Reaves remains another major creator. Kessler also gives the team a legitimate defensive presence in the middle, something the roster lacked for much of last season. But Oklahoma City sets a much higher standard.

The Thunder enter the new season with elite scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams leading a group that combines star power with depth. They are again predicted to be contenders as they also have players such as Isaiah Hartenstein, Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell.

In the end, Fisher added what the Lakers are actually missing.

“So it comes down to, like, defensively, what is the ceiling for this team? And so you could say maybe that’s what’s missing, like a 3-and-D elite wing player.”

The failed pursuit of Jonathan Kuminga makes that need even more apparent. Los Angeles spent much of the offseason exploring a deal for the former Warriors forward, who ultimately chose Minnesota on a shorter-term contract. The Lakers had reportedly offered him a starting role, but the trade never materialized.

Now, Kuminga could have addressed more than one concern at once. He offered size on the wing, athleticism in transition, and the ability to defend bigger perimeter players. His arrival would also have given JJ Redick a more natural starting forward option instead of asking the roster’s existing pieces to stretch into a role they may not be built to handle.

Quentin Grimes helps, but the Lakers still need another starting-caliber player who can handle major minutes without disrupting the offense. Their current depth chart leaves the forward spots less settled than the backcourt or center position.

Grimes, the 6-foot-5 guard, signed a four-year, $60 million deal and is expected to provide two-way play on the perimeter, and he fits that mold. Thybulle brings another defensive option, Kessler provides rim protection, and Sexton adds downhill pressure and another ball handler.

This supporting cast around Luka Doncic can handle its responsibilities without asking him to manufacture everything.

Even Forward Ziaire Williams recently joined the Lakers. The 2021 No. 10 pick signed a one-year deal with Los Angeles after the Nets declined his team option. He averaged 10.2 points last season and gives JJ Redick a 6-foot-9 wing with the athleticism to defend across the perimeter.

In August, Williams revealed that Reddick wanted him to be a “main defender, point-of-attack defender.”

This role could put him directly into some of the difficult assignments the team needs help with. He has also spent the offseason getting stronger and added roughly 30 pounds, moving from the 185-pound range listed by the NBA to about 215 pounds.

That’s why Derek Fisher stated that comparison is not straightforward in isolation. But there remains a gap. However, any player on the roster could step up.

Fisher even compared the Knicks as another parameter. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns provide the headline talent, but players such as Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges have made their value clear by mastering their assignments. Los Angeles is trying to build something similar around Luka Doncic.