Experience
With the moves that the Lakers made this offseason, the team is undoubtedly improved. They should improve upon last season’s win total of 26; some fans even believe they could challenge for a playoff spot. However, there are a few things that will keep the Lakers from doing that.
One big obstacle facing the Lakers is how loaded the Western Conference is. It would not be shocking to see a team finish with a record above the .500 mark and miss the postseason. Virtually every team in the Western Conference seemed to improve this offseason, loading up to try knocking off the Golden State Warriors.
However, arguably the biggest thing facing the Lakers, and their biggest weakness this season, is their experience, or lack thereof. Once the Lakers fully embraced their youth movement last season, there were nights they were not playing anyone with more than two years of prior playing experience.
That will not happen again this season, but they will once again be relying on young players. Their new starting point guard will be rookie Lonzo Ball. Brook Lopez is the only player projected to be in the rotation that has more than four seasons of NBA experience.
Out of the 19 players currently on the roster, only Lopez, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Corey Brewer and Luol Deng have playoff experience.
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This is a team that has a lot of players that have to learn how to win, let alone the experiences of a playoff race. The Lakers are probably one more season away from being playoff contenders, but they are certainly heading in the right direction.