Also, Darvin Ham is a first-year head coach. The Lakers were once again forced to load their roster primarily with minimum players, and if last season proved anything, you get what you pay for. * Bench is still light and questionable… While their bench should certainly be an improvement from last year, they still lack attributes on the offensive end. If they don’t get back to the level they were playing in 2020, it may not matter what other trades they make to improve the rest of the roster. James is still producing at an elite level, but the possibility of any slight regression entering year 20 could allow several other top stars to pass him on the upper echelon list. Injury concerns aside, Davis’ scoring has tumbled since and his three-point shot has lost all respectability. The theory of the Lakers is that as long as they’re playing at that level they are contenders, but that hasn’t been the case recently. * What kind of LeBron James and Anthony Davis will we get?… We are now about to be three seasons removed from the Lakers championship season where James and Davis played like unquestioned Top 5 players. If enough things go right for them, including getting enough players from their bench to step up, the Lakers should still pose a threat in the playoffs if James and Davis both play like they did in 2019-20. Injury luck has to eventually swing back to the Lakers’ favor, and it’s hard to envision Westbrook not making some sort of improvement from last season. *Star power… Both James and Davis missed significant amounts of time in the previous two seasons and couldn’t make it work with Westbrook. This should help keep their bench lineups flowing and they could have enough passing now to survive without Westbrook should they trade him without taking back another point guard. They made some big steps to improve that with the acquisition of Beverley and the return of Schroeder. * Improved playmaking… Apart from James and Westbrook, the Lakers were devoid of any other primary or secondary playmakers on the roster. These players should bring a lot more effort crashing the boards and helping on defense, among other small things. While their new younger and more versatile bench is unproven, they have more upside and bring much needed athleticism. Not only did these players not contribute in the areas they’re best at, but they were complete negatives when on the floor. * Their younger bench makes them more athletic… The Lakers going all-in on big-name veterans in their mid-to-late thirties tremendously backfired.
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