After an injury-plagued NBA Finals for the Warriors, they will be missing many considerable players for the next season. What teams will take advantage and claim the Larry O’ Brien trophy next season?
With the way the NBA Offseason is shaping out, some teams are looking to be in better situations than others. But the fate of many still looms large. The team I am putting my money on, for now, is the Los Angeles Lakers. They had a 37-45 record this season, and they will have to step up in big ways. Of course, their record suffered mightily after the injury of F LeBron James on Christmas Day. With their first big offseason acquisition secured (trading for Anthony Davis), Los Angeles is looking to have a memorable 2019-20 NBA season.
Last year, LeBron James was their storied signing. However, the Lakers are still figuring how to make the most of him. This past season, they tried limiting his minutes and ended up just benching him after the Lakers were eliminated from playoff contention. With another star (Anthony Davis) paired next to LeBron, the Lakers are certainly looking to secure their first NBA championship since 2010.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBqsWodxkF0
However, Los Angeles is still in need of a little depth around the point guard and shooting guard positions despite last night’s draft. At point guard, they are averaging a combined 9.2 points per game, a very meager number. At shooting guard, the Lakers are averaging 11.4 points per game, all from their starter: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. These small contributions need to be replaced either with better players or better effort and skill by the current ones.
HOW:
A couple of small trades or free agent signings are all the improvement this Los Angeles team needs next season. If the Lakers could land free agent G Kyrie Irving, they would have more of a complete and established scorer at the position. Last season, Irving averaged 22.2 points per game with the Celtics which would be a big boost for the Lakers. As the offseason starts, Kyrie is looking to sign with a team with a chance to contend. Having Davis (who he reportedly wants to play with) and LeBron should put the Lakers on the radar for Irving.
With the help of Davis and a step up by LeBron, the Lakers could be in serious contention for the playoffs.
