Checking in with the Los Angeles Lakers
We're about a month into the NBA season, and even though it’s early, let’s take a look at what’s happening so far with the Los Angeles Lakers 2020-21 season. I’ll be going over every NBA team in the next few weeks, which you can read in our series below.
The Los Angeles Lakers finished the regular season with a 52-19 record last year, ending up winning the NBA championship 4-2 over the Miami Heat. LeBron James (F) won his 4th Finals MVP, while Anthony Davis was able to capture the first championship of his career. This year the Lakers have gotten out to a 17-6 start and are a half-game out of first place in the Western Conference.
During the offseason, the Lakers lost rotation players Dwight Howard (C) to the Philadelphia 76ers, JaVale McGee (C) to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Danny Green (G)to the 76ers, and Rajon Rondo (G) to the Atlanta Hawks. However, they were able to replace them by adding veteran Marc Gasol (C) from the Toronto Raptors, Montrezl Harrell (F) from the Los Angeles Clippers, Dennis Schröder (G) from the OKC Thunder, and Wesley Matthews (G) from the Milwaukee Bucks.
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What’s led the Lakers to their 17-6 record is their dominant defense. Currently, the Lakers have the best defensive rating in the NBA and are 2nd in total NET Rating. Los Angeles has lots of length and versatility, which is a huge reason why they have been so good defensively.
The Lakers have two elite players in LeBron James, averaging 25.1 points per game 7.8 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game, and Anthony Davis (C) averaging 21.9 points per game 8.8 rebounds and just under 2 blocks. Schröder has added some scoring in the backcourt with 13.9 points per game, while Harrell has bounced back from his rough play in the bubble with 13.2 points per game.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (G) has provided solid defense and has done a great job knocking shots down, shooting a career-high 47.4% from the three-point line.
Alex Caruso (G), the tough 3rd-year undrafted guard from Texas A&M, has had an incredible year defensively, but the best story this season has been the development of second-year player Talen Horton-Tucker (G) out of Iowa State. The 2019 2nd round pick has had some nice moments, including a recent 17 point outing against the Denver Nuggets where he shot 8-12 from the field to go along with three steals.
The Lakers have been good this season, finding themselves one game back from the 1st seed in the Western Conference. They are built around two of the best players in the NBA, in James and Davis, and have surrounded these two superstars with plenty of depth, which includes a mix of both young and veteran players. The additions of Harrell and Schroder seem like great pickups thus far into the season, and as they become more comfortable in this system, we should expect them to get even better as the season continues. With the combination of depth and star power, rookies and veterans, and offense and defense, the Lakers seem to be the most well-rounded team in the NBA. There is no question that they remain the favorites to win the NBA Championship, and it would be very surprising if they did not represent the Western Conference in the Finals.
Golden State Warriors - 1/17
Sacramento Kings - 1/23
Los Angeles Clippers - 1/26
Phoenix Suns - 2/5
