Derek Fisher Makes Bold Lakers Prediction After LeBron James’ Exit

One of the biggest bombshells of this NBA offseason came right before free agency got underway, with future Hall of Famer LeBron James letting it be known that he was leaving the Los Angeles Lakers after eight seasons with the storied franchise.

Ultimately, James decided to take his talents to the Philadelphia 76ers, joining a stacked team that recently acquired one-time NBA champion and NBA Finals MVP, Jaylen Brown, in a blockbuster trade with the Boston Celtics.

James's signing sent shockwaves through the league and left many questions for the Lakers about the direction the team is headed as it goes all in on the Luka Doncic era in Los Angeles.

Derek Fisher: Lakers Won’t ‘Fall Off’ Without LeBron

Although many have chimed in on the post-LeBron era of the Lakers, believing the team could struggle without the legendary forward, Derek Fisher doesn’t think it will matter all that much, as he said on 97.1 The Fan LA.

“You think about the few organizations where LeBron has been, you tell me where their record has gotten dramatically better after he left,” Fisher said. “So it’s not going to fall off that much because Luka is there. I think Luka and Austin Reaves are basically an All-Star backcourt that you can roll out every night, and then Walker Kessler is a young, developing, almost All-Star-ish type of big in terms of his elite defense and rebounding. I think you have a chance at 45 to 50 wins, a lot of things are going to have to go right, but it feels fair to me.”

Byron Scott Believes New-Look Lakers Will Struggle Defensively

Fisher may be going the optimistic approach about his new team and all the changes that have been made following LeBron’s departure, but another Lakers legend isn’t so sure about the team’s immediate future with Doncic leading the way.

Three-time NBA champion Byron Scott, who famously was a big part of the Showtime Lakers playing alongside fellow legends Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy, believes the team’s defense will struggle next season.

“They’re gonna struggle defensively,” Scott said of this Lakers team. “Let’s get that out right now. They’re gonna struggle defensively. The pieces that they’ve put in place right now, obviously, [Walker] Kessler helps them in the center position, as a rim protector. There’s no doubt about that. But he’s going to do a lot of help because it’s gonna be a lot of blow-bys on the perimeter, unless they do a better job, and Luka [Doncic] in particular, making second or third efforts.”

As Scott points out, the Lakers are better defensively in the paint with the addition of Walker Kessler. The team prioritized upgrading the center position and did so with the Kessler acquisition.

However, Scott may have a point about the Lakers’ perimeter defense, which could put a lot of pressure on Kessler when the team struggles there. Los Angeles made some sneaky good moves this summer to address the perimeter defense, namely bringing in Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams, but it remains to be seen if that’s enough to make up for the team’s deficiencies.

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