Having an identity is a quality of elite, long-standing franchises across the NBA and professional leagues as a whole. For example, you can watch a certain player or prospect and say “Oh, that’s a Spurs player” or “Man, that guy is built for the Heat.” Jimmy Butler? Long been clear he was a #HeatCulture guy. Boris Diaw excelling in San Antonio made perfect sense.
The Lakers had an opportunity to become one of those franchises. They won an NBA title in 2020 with a distinct style of play. They swallowed teams up defensively, using a mindset of “bigger, faster, stronger” to overwhelm the rest of the league in the bubble.