Before I dive in to give my quick two cents, I'd like to take this time to promote my brand new 2019-2020 Lakers Hype Video. This is a follow up to the LeBron-AD hype video I made in August. For this one, I added in the Kawhi Leonard fiasco. A possible Big 3 was brewing, then Kawhi spurned the Lakers for the Clippers instead, bringing Paul George along with him. Now the battle for LA heats up. While the Clippers have been better, last time we checked, the score is still 16 championship banners to selfies. Enjoy the vid and get hyped for Lakers-Clippers tomorrow night!
Now the above is the one I wanted to plug for a quick Raiders 2019 preview and then Antonio Brown happened. Nonetheless, we shouldn't have any drama here, so let's cut right to the chase for the Lakers 2019-20 season outlook.
By last season, the Lakers were in play for Anthony Davis before the trade deadline. They were planning to give up the entire roster for one of Klutch Sports' top client. Unfortunately, Dell Demps, the GM before David Griffin backed out and tried to play the Lakers when in fact he played himself as the Pelicans fired him by season's end. Fast forward to this past summer, with David Griffin in charge, the Lakers and the Pelicans were able to come to a deal to send Anthony Davis to play alongside a well-rested LeBron James in exchange for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart. Once again, the Lakers spurn a long-term future for the short term in hopes of winning it all now.
The next domino to fall was Kawhi Leonard. The Lakers dangerously played the waiting game with Kawhi until he left them in the dust for the Clippers. Luckily, the Lakers had a solid plan B in place by resigning JaVale McGee, Rajon Rondo, Alex Caruso, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The Lakers then bolstered their roster by adding vet Jared Dudley and sharpshooter specialist Troy Daniels. I had to throw that out there because I totally forgot they were on the team. Their bigger FA moves came in the form of Danny Green, Avery Bradley, Quinn Cook, DeMarcus Cousins, and the return of the prodigal son, Dwight Howard. For the most part, this is a pretty solid plan B from Rob Pelinka. Well done.
Looking at this roster, it's solid on paper. The only glaring weakness I see on here is the back court. The front court of AD, Dwight, and McGee is stacked as evidenced in the preseason. The way they were dominant in the paint reminded me a lot of the 2008-2012 Lakers when you had Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol roaming the paint. Healthy LeBron on there running the show at point, that's a force to be reckon with. Back to the back court, it's filled with a lot of streaky 3 and D players. Danny Green and Avery Bradley are pests on D. They can score, but they can be wildly inconsistent. KCP, we know a lot about him. When he's hot, he's great. When he's not, he's plain garbage. And then there's Rondo. Also, the health of LeBron and AD are going to be key. Both struggled with the injury bug last season. The only difference we expect LeBron to be refreshed albeit being on the down side of 30 since he had otherwise an injury-free career. AD has a lot more to prove that he has set aside the injury bug that plagued him that has been otherwise a tremendous career to start. And he still has a couple of good prime years left.
The question is whether or not the Lakers can break their playoff drought with this roster? As long as the LeBron-AD duo stays healthy, yes. As long as there's no roster drama, yes. As long as each player understand their role, yes. This team is a playoff contender. And they have a pretty favorable schedule to start. From October-November, they are facing off against four playoff teams in my opinion (Clippers, Utah, San Antonio, and Dallas). In the opener tomorrow against the Clippers, they have an opportunity to get a jump on their little LA brother with Paul George missing in action. However, they're still not to be overlooked at as they retained most of their roster from last year sans Kawhi Leonard and PG13. It's going to be a matter of a team that has a lot of new parts vs. the team that already has components, but added a pair of big time upgrades. It should be an interesting season and definitely all eyes will be on LA all season long. But, the city is still drenched in purple and gold as it has been. GO LAKERS!
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