4. Twelve-Win Improvement
It may seem too be too much for a young Lakers squad. However, LaVar Ball has placed a target on the Lakers for a 50-win season. (We will come back to this later)
Now no one is expecting the Lakers to win 50 games this season. They are not elite enough to win over 44. The Lakers don’t have a transcendent superstar like Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, or Kawhi Leonard. Nevertheless, it still does not mean that the Lakers should try to compete in the hell-hole called the Western Conference.
They owe their pick to either the Philadelphia 76ers from a former trade. As a result, the incentive to tank for a better draft pick has been completely eliminated.
The Lakers have a proven scorer in Brook Lopez, three-and-D player in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and many young prospects who are looking to break out this year. Although it may not be the same as the Lakers failed superteam in 2013, the Lakers have pieces to win games. However, it will be on a polarizing player’s shoulders to carry them to those wins.