NEW YORK — The Los Angeles Lakers haven’t really been the Los Angeles Lakers this year.

Around the team, they’ll point to LeBron James’ absence to start the year and Austin Reaves’ midseason injury as reasons why this team, at least in the way it was envisioned upon construction, has rarely been whole.

There’s also been a push and pull between the immediate and the future — the Lakers still wanting to compete now while clearly having their eyes on the post-LeBron era that’s quickly approaching.

So forget narratives and personalities for a minute. Focus on ball. With the Lakers finishing their eight-game, 16-day Grammy road trip with a 5-3 record and close to full health after a 125-109 win over the Brooklyn Nets, now is a good time for NBA writers Dan Woike and Law Murray to talk one last time before Thursday’s trade deadline.

If the Lakers, with their limited assets, can address one need, what’s most fixable?

Murray: Consolidate the glut of power forward-type players. I’d even say find a different starting center, but Deandre Ayton is making backup center money and has been an adequate starter who finishes at a high level offensively.

The Lakers have about $46 million committed to Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jake LaRavia and Maxi Kleber. That doesn’t include two-way contract Drew Timme, who was in the rotation for much of the trip with Reaves out. Their two best players – LeBron James and Luka Dončić – would be best suited to guarding power forwards, even though James is a nominal small forward and Dončić a nominal point guard.

The Lakers lack athleticism, and it shows most in secondary rim protection. Only the Utah Jazz protect the rim worse, and the Jazz just acquired Jaren Jackson Jr. to possibly address that. The Lakers not only need fewer power forwards, they need one who provides more resistance when Ayton or Jaxson Hayes aren’t in the area.

Woike: They need shooting. Athleticism. Perimeter defense. Toughness. Other than that… I think upping their toughness would have the greatest regular-season impact. Find a player who plays with consistent energy and intensity, and hope that it’s contagious.

If they stand pat, what’s this team’s ceiling?

Murray: The Lakers should be able to win a round in the playoffs, but this isn’t a contender. Of the 16 teams with winning records, only the Orlando Magic have a lower point differential than the Lakers (plus-6). Los Angeles has the worst defense (24th in points per 100 possessions) of any team with a winning record. If they weren’t a star laden purple-and-gold, they wouldn’t even be in the contender conversation.

Woike: I think this team, if everything breaks right, can make the Western Conference finals — which is just an insane prediction given their point differential and quality of their wins. But people inside the locker room and opposing talent evaluators say they’re built more for playoff basketball than regular-season play. They have top-end offensive talent that can win stretches of games with their greatness, and even in a league where depth seems to matter more than ever. The ceiling is WCF. The floor? Well, that could be a Play-In loss.

What should their starting five be if they don’t make a move?

Murray: The group that opened the second half in Brooklyn: Marcus Smart, Reaves, Dončić, James and Ayton. I’m not reading much into the Nets game. Brooklyn moth-balled Terrance Mann, their best Dončić defender and the game was unserious by time Reaves checked in.

But the Lakers need someone who can start halves guarding the point of attack. Smart is the only player that qualifies. The trick for head coach JJ Redick is breaking up the Dončić-Reaves-James trio to get complementary defenders around them.

Woike: I was a holdout on Rui Hachimura moving to the bench, but a conversation we had in Dallas a few weeks ago cemented it for me. They need a more balanced start. Whether it’s Marcus Smart or Jake LaRavia guarding on the perimeter, the Lakers should pair one of them with Reaves-Dončić-James-Ayton.

What’s the most important type of player to have around Dončić?

Murray: A Dorian Finney-Smith or Derrick Jones Jr. 3-and-D wing. The Lakers do not have that kind of player right now. Their defenders don’t hit shots. Their shooters don’t play with consistent energy, particularly on defense. That’s why it is hard for the Lakers to create advantages against good teams.

Woike: Lob threat, rim protector. It’s a dual-use role — giving Dončić vertical gravity to play around with on offense while also having someone at the back of the defense to clean up the inevitable blowbys. Obviously, you need shooting. You need athletes on the wing. And you definitely need a secondary playmaker (which they have in Reaves). But for it to all make sense, you need a defensive anchor who can go snatch a lob.

Best guess — do the Lakers make a trade? 

Murray: Yes. There are just too many one-dimensional players. Too much positional overlap. Too many guys you wouldn’t reasonably trust with a 25-minute role in a playoff series. The chemistry isn’t in a bad place, but the Lakers could benefit from some new energy and new personnel.

Woike: Hmmmmm … can I say I don’t know? I’ll tilt yes, mostly to get further under the first apron and open and to give themselves some wiggle room for the buyout market. But trades usually happen because teams want your picks and/or players. The Lakers have basically two tradeable picks (one first, one second) and a roster stocked with low-value contracts. If the Lakers can get really creative (sell a swap or two for seconds or something like that), maybe more options shake loose. But it’s a tough spot.