When this version of the Lakers came together over the summer of 2021, they projected to be the oldest team in the NBA. So, in the exact ways that the internet inspires, we had some fun at their expense. Geriatric jokes. Nursing home humor. M. Night Shyamalan movie references. The jokes practically wrote themselves. We all made them, all the time, and we got a good laugh out of it.
Fast forward a few months, and well, those jokes... did not age well. Not because the Lakers roster transformed in any meaningful way, but because as injuries and COVID-19 ravaged the team and the coaching staff learned a brand new batch of players, the idea of what this team should be and the best way to get there evolved.