Right now, the Western Conference goes through the Spurs and the Thunder. Every other team is looking up at them. That is why the Los Angeles Lakers made wholesale changes to the roster. They are looking to compete with those top teams.
Los Angeles still has Luka Doncic on the roster, though. He led the league in scoring a year ago, and he is still one of the best players in the NBA. One pundit believes that the Lakers are the main challengers to the Thunder and Spurs because of Doncic.
Lakers Seen as Main Challengers to Spurs and Thunder Thanks to Luka Doncic
According to Law Murray of The Athletic, he believes that LA is the main challenger to the two top teams in the West because of what Doncic can do.
“Three seasons ago, Dončić led the Dallas Mavericks, a five-seed, through the hot coals of the Western Conference. This Lakers team is further formed in Dončić’s image, with new money paid out to his chosen sidekick (Austin Reaves) and an optimal bodyguard (Walker Kessler) and without having to account for LeBron James anymore,” Murray wrote.
Figuring out the offense with all of the new pieces will determine whether or not the Lakers can actually make a push. Bringing in Kessler is supposed to help them fix the defense. He is one of the best shot-blockers in the league when he is able to stay healthy.
Health is going to be the biggest key to LA challenging the top of the West. Doncic and Reaves were both hurt in the playoffs a year ago. Doncic didn’t play at all, which derailed any shot they had of making a deep run. Kessler has only played 63 games in the last two years combined.
Managing the loads of their guys throughout the regular season might be necessary in order to make a run in April. Of course, that won’t be easy in a competitive Western Conference. LA might need home-court advantage in the first round to have a chance of making a run at the title.
Improving Defensively With New Players is Key for Los Angeles
Last season, the Lakers had the 11th-worst defense in the league. Part of that was the fact that they had a slow forward in James and one of the worst defensive backcourts in the league. With James gone, they have a better chance to keep guys out of the paint.
That’s the main reason why Rob Pelinka made the bold move to sign and trade for Kessler. They are betting a lot on his shaky health. If Kessler gets hurt again midway through the season, their chances go out the door. Kevon Looney was brought in as a backup, and he isn’t good enough to be the backbone of an elite defense.
Lakers Seen as Main Challengers in the West for One Big Reason