With the NBA season ready to tip-off in a few hours, here is your annual 2018-19 Regular Season Preview for the Lakers. Good times are coming for us Laker fans. The team has a stable core, a stable front office and coaching staff, and a superstar of all superstars to put the icing on the cake. As usual, I pick out some headlines for the upcoming season that are of utmost importance and I provide a trajectory of where this team is going to go. Let's break this down!
"Age of LeBron"
Yes, clearly this title is a rub on Avengers: Age of Ultron if anyone's wondering. It was a summer to remember for us Laker fans when LeBron James signed with the Purple and Gold to a 4-year, $154 million deal. Whether or not this brings the team out of the dark age remains to be seen. But, this what has been lacking from the Lakers from the past few years: the allure to attract a superstar player. Dysfunction from the Front Office and lack of a foundation were the main pitfalls for the Lakers' failure to attract top-tier free agents. That was all cleaned up last year when Jeanie Buss took the keys to the franchise away from Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak and handed the reins over to Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka. The ever-infectious charisma of Magic and the cerebral mind of Pelinka proved to be a great duo so far. The Lakers improved to a 35-47 record last season in Magic and Rob's first full season in charge of the franchise. The additions of Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Josh Hart in last year's draft and the emergence of Brandon Ingram helped catapult the improvement last year. This past offseason, the front office put their stamp on the franchise, luring in arguably the best player in the world right now in LeBron James. Just the mere presence of LeBron alone on this Laker team sent the local and national media into a frenzy and made the Lakers the most talked about team again. This move puts the Lakers into instant title contention once again. He's in for the biggest challenge in his career though in a super stacked Western Conference. And honestly, we don't how much he has left in the tank with a lot of mileage heading into the finals 8 straight times with both the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers. Not to mention, he's in the same conference with the team that beat him 3 out of 4 consecutive meetings in the NBA Finals in the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors further reduced parity in the league this past offseason and countered the LeBron addition by adding All-Star, DeMarcus Cousins for cheap. It'll be a tall task to dethrone the defending back-to-back champions. But, the Lakers will be competitive as long as they have LeBron and that young core takes the next step into developing as the Lakers' home grown All-Stars.
Sidekick Star Player Wanted
Following up from the last sentence of the last headline, the Lakers are banking on one of their first round draft picks big time to emerge as LeBron's sidekick. They had a lot of cap space remaining to max out another star player, but they chose not to since the best available were no longer available. As mentioned, DeMarcus Cousins pulled his best Kevin Durant impression by joining Golden State. Paul George flaked to re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder. They had a chance to trade for Kawhi Leonard, but the Spurs were asking for a whole lot. And good thing the Lakers stood pat. With the Lakers rolling the dice, all eyes are on Brandon Ingram to emerge as that 2nd option. Ingram showed a lot of glimpses last season improving his overall stat averages from his rookie year in 2016. He further showed his scoring capabilities and showed playmaking potential. Defensively, he's a disruptive force with his length and wing span. During the preseason game against the Kings, Ingram deflected an inbounds pass four times before getting the steal and the foul the fourth time. I was hyped and definitely the Laker bench was hyped on Ingram's capabilities with his length. Great expectations are set for the 3rd year player out of Duke and he's embracing the challenge. Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma are also due for a 2nd year leap. They'll provide B.I. some competition to be the King's right hand man. Zo's presence rubs off the team with unselfish team play. He showed some capabilities to play off ball as well in limited preseason action. Kuz is a spark plug off the bench that can score in bunches as well as make plays for his teammates. They'll be better with LeBron's presence. But, the ceiling is sky high for Ingram because he still has a lot of intangibles that are left untapped.
The "Other Guys"
So the Lakers didn't go out and use their remaining cap space to sign another All-Star. But, what they did is sign some quality vets for the minimum. Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee, and Michael Beasley come on board with the Purple and Gold. The duo of Rondo and McGee showed out this preseason. They ran pick and rolls into perfection with McGee being a major beneficiary. Lance Stephenson is plus off the bench as a bunch scorer and playmaker. It's still weird that he and LeBron are on the same team together. But then again, think Ron Artest (MWP) and Kobe and then later Matt Barnes. Beasley hasn't shown much, but we have to live with his inconsistency. When he's on, he's a major X-Factor. All four vets have the characteristic of being "lunch bag" guys, doing all the dirty work. If they don't pan out, then the Lakers had nothing to lose as they are on one-year deals. Most definitely, that puts a lot incentive on them to play for more than what they're worth.
SG Competition
The shooting guard position is probably going to be the biggest position to watch as the season progresses. The Lakers bring back KCP on a 1-year deal. However, he's got some stiff competition he needs to hold off. Josh Hart showed out down the stretch last season. Hart is not afraid to take shots. He can rebound and he can defend. This draft, they picked up Svi Mykhailiuk in the 2nd round after Isaac Bonga and Moritz Wagner. Svi has the ability to knock down long range shots and has a lot of playmaking potential. With his 6'8 height, he's a true swingman that can play guard or forward. For now, KCP has the edge because he's a 5-year vet. He's a capable scorer and a solid defender. It'll be interesting to see how this revolving door works for the 2 spot.
Luke Walton's Job in Jeopardy?
I'll refer back to the acquisition of LeBron. Not only is his mileage a concern, but the reputation he brings as the "de facto" head coach and GM brings some baggage as well. Remember in Cleveland, he played a big part in getting David Blatt fired. He didn't completely see eye-to-eye with Tyronn Lue. Same in Miami, he had some heated tension with Erik Spoelstra on the sideline. So, this begs the question, is Luke Walton next? That'll be Luke's biggest challenge is how he will handle a superstar of LeBron's caliber. They came from the same draft class, but that is irrelevant. The ceiling for Luke Walton as a coach is sky-high. The Lakers improved their record in his first two years. Now, it's a matter of taking the next step to getting back to true playoff contention. The offensive system he brought over from Golden State carried over well to this team with some kinks in it to fit with the personnel. The defense still needs a little work as shown this preseason. The only thing missing in Luke's itinerary is his rotation. That and he needs to use that to exploit favorable matchups. We saw glimpses of the Lakers' own "Death Lineup" this preseason with Kuzma playing the 5. I wouldn't say Luke's job is on the line as the Lakers have an upward trend during his coaching tenure. But definitely, all eyes will be on him to see how he manages the young cores, LeBron, and a whole lot of misfits.
Season Outlook (Concluding Thoughts)
With that being said, the goal is simple - make the playoffs in a super Conference that is the West. As mentioned, the Lakers have gradually shown improvement in the last two years. Now is the time to make the big leap forward in turning this franchise around. That doesn't mean win a championship. Teams like Golden State and Houston are head and shoulders above everyone else. Oklahoma City, Utah, and New Orleans are in the middle of the pack. Dallas has a sleeper core with Dennis Smith Jr. and Luka Doncic. Portland, San Antonio, Denver, and Minnesota are also teams to look out for, but at the very least, three of those teams are due for a regression (San Antonio in rebuilding mode after trading Kawhi, Jimmy Butler drama in Minnesota, etc.). Playoffs are not completely out of the question for the Lakers. Most people are expecting a 50-win season. But there are some things that have to tilt in the Lakers' favor in order for a 50-win season to be reality. Ingram needs to play like an All-Star on a consistent basis. Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Josh Hart need to take a step forward to their development. Mo Wagner, Isaac Bonga, and Svi Mykhailiuk are gonna be wild cards depending on Luke's rotation. Rondo, Stephenson, McGee, and Beasley are going to contribute and become X-factors in big game moments. And of course with LeBron, the Lakers are guaranteed big numbers coming from him in his 15th season. Realistically, I see this Laker team going 45-37 and making the playoffs. Best case? 6th seed. Worst case? 8th seed or tying with a couple of West teams and losing out due to some otherworldly tiebreakers because the West is full of playoff-hopeful teams. Regardless, this is the first true chapter in the Lakers' return to greatness. I'll see you guys on Thursday when the Lakers open up on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum have had the Lakers' number in the last few meetings. Now, that the Lakers got LeBron, it's a whole new ball game. GO LAKERS! I'll see you guys on Thursday.
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