LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers’ NBA title defence last season did not go according to plan. After injuries to superstars James and Anthony Davis left them needing to play in the play-in tournament just to make the playoffs, they were then knocked out of the first round by the Phoenix Suns.
In response to that disappointment, the Lakers made a massive splash by trading for Russell Westbrook and signing a number of veterans as they completely overhauled their roster in a single offseason.
With not much time left in LeBron James’ illustrious career, it seems clear that the Lakers are going all-in this season in a bid to make one last run at another championship.
The question now becomes whether all these moves have made the Lakers the title favourites once again or if they are no longer one of the teams to beat.
SBOTOP attempts to answer that burning question by taking an in-depth look at LeBron’s new-look Lakers.
Was Russell Westbrook worth it?
The Lakers made massive NBA 2021 news during the NBA Draft when they acquired Russell Westbrook in a trade with the Washington Wizards for Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell, two future second-round picks, and their 2021 first-round pick.
Westbrook, the 2017 NBA MVP, averaged a triple-double last season for the Wizards (22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 11.7 assists), the third time he’s achieved the impressive feat so in his career.
But despite his eye-catching numbers, the 32-year-old Westbrook has many weaknesses, which is in part why he’s now been traded three times in two years. He is a ball-dominant player who is statistically the worst volume 3-point shooter in NBA history at just 30 per cent. He is also a subpar defender and has had trouble staying healthy in recent years.
All those flaws make Westbrook a less-than-ideal fit alongside LeBron James. Westbrook offers very little else when he does not have the ball, so it is hard to imagine he will suddenly become an effective player while playing alongside James, who will (or at least should) have the ball in his hands a lot for the Lakers.
The argument for getting Westbrook is that it gives the Lakers another playmaker other than James to carry a heavier load offensively, especially during the regular season. Although, that was the same sort of thinking that led the Lakers to acquire Dennis Schroder, who turned out to be a massive disappointment last season as his fit issues came to the fore in the postseason.
On its face, Westbrook’s arrival at his hometown of LA does not figure to make the Lakers that much better of a team. And Lakers coach Frank Vogel now faces a tough task to find a fix to the concerning Westbrook fit issues that can make him a worthwhile piece in this potential title contender.
Supporting cast filled out well
While questions should be raised by the Lakers front office’s decision to make the deal for Westbrook, they should be commended for how they filled out the rest of the roster this offseason.
They addressed their lack of outside shooting by signing a slew of veterans – Wesley Matthews, Trevor Ariza, Kent Bazemore, Wayne Ellington, and Carmelo Anthony – who are all capable of knocking down 3-pointers.
They also brought back veteran centre Dwight Howard, who was a solid contributor to their title run in 2020, re-signed promising guard Talen Horton-Tucker, and brought in young guards Malik Monk and Kendrick Nunn for additional bench scoring.
The Lakers have been mocked for being an old team after acquiring so many veterans this offseason. And the lack of reliable two-way players in that group is slightly concerning, especially come playoff time.
But considering the circumstances, the Lakers did just about as well as they could have done in free agency to fill out the roster around their stars.
Lakers will go as far as LeBron and AD take them
While the Lakers have made a lot of moves this summer, it remains to be seen whether they are actually any better than they were last season. But does that mean the NBA 2021 odds will no longer have them as one of the top title favourites? No.
That’s because they still have LeBron James and Anthony Davis, arguably two of the 10 best players in the league when they are healthy – which they were not for most of last year. Had Davis not gone down in the postseason, they very well could have knocked out the NBA Finalist Suns in the first round.
Granted, with James now 36 years old and Davis constantly battling injuries for most of his career, the chances of them staying healthy until the playoffs are not great by any means.
If either one of them goes down like last season, the Lakers’ weaknesses – Westbrook’s imperfect fit, the lack of two-way players, possible slip in perimeter defence after the departures of Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso – will prove too much to overcome.
But with no other team in the West improving all that much in the offseason, the Lakers should still be considered the top team in the conference as long as LeBron and AD stay on the court. They are simply that good that they can minimise whatever problems the Lakers may have.
For example, Davis can help negate the Lakers’ spacing issues by playing more centre, which he has been reluctant to do in his career. And when he and Davis are locked in defensively, the Lakers should still be an elite defence under Vogel’s scheme.
So while the Lakers reshuffled the deck by bringing in Westbrook and several other new faces, they still have the aces up their sleeve in LeBron and Davis, who could yet lead the Lakers to one last championship run together.
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