Lakers News: The Athletic Doesn’t Have the Team as Favorites in the Conference
With only four players returning from last season’s squad, it will take time for this upcoming team’s team to adjust and build chemistry together. Nine new players come in on minimum deals, similar to how LeBron James’ Heat teams were constructed.
The Athletic’s John Hollinger recently released projections for all thirty teams. The biggest question mark of the Lakers’ for the former Grizzles executive was how Russell Westbrook’s fit would be for the team.
“The Lakers also addressed some depth and shooting issues, however imperfectly. Yes, they signed too many old guys, but the likes of Nunn, Monk and Bazemore can really help if they aren’t pushed out by the veteran riffraff. (One of Frank Vogel’s biggest tests, especially in the playoffs, will be his willingness to sit players like Rondo, Anthony and Howard to put his best quintets on the floor.)
That said, I don’t think we can elevate them to the status of favorites in the conference just yet. The fit issues with the three best players put a lot of pressure on tertiary performers to give them some semblance of playoff-caliber spacing, and I’m not sure the talent is overwhelming enough to offset the wonky fit.
If there’s one thing LeBron James’ career has told us, it’s that doubting him is an effective way to look like an idiot. He turns 37 in December and has played more than 60,000 NBA minutes, yet he has lost precious little from his peak. His presence alone almost assures the Lakers of being a legit contender, but as Phoenix showed a year ago, the Lakers don’t operate with much of a margin. We can call them “co-favorites” in this conference along with a few other teams, all of whom would be underdogs against Milwaukee or Brooklyn. Whether they actually crash the NBA Finals depends heavily on the quality of Westbrook’s fit.
Prediction: 52-30, third in Western Conference”
Even Hollinger knows, there is no point in doubting LeBron. Critics and pundits have tried time and time over the years only to come up looking like idiots. What’s interesting here is that the primary factor of the Lakers success doesn’t hinge on health, but more so how Westbrook fits with the team. Hollinger points out how having all three on the court during the playoffs may be troublesome, since none of them can consistently space the floor.
Hollinger had the Clippers finishing 38-44, 10th overall, much to the delight of Laker fans. The Jazz and the Suns finish one and two respectively, according to Hollinger. The uncertainty of the new pieces on the Lakers gives Hollinger and many other pundits caution, and that will certainly be entertaining for fans and haters to watch alike this upcoming season.
