Los Angeles Lakers: 5 reasons to look forward to 2018-19 season
By Emilee Woods
The 2018-19 Los Angeles Lakers season is right on the horizon. Here are five reasons to look forward to the season!
I have to admit that this offseason was a bit perplexing for me as a Los Angeles Lakers fan. Because even while I rejoiced at the acquisition of LeBron James, I responded more and more quizzically to the rest of the signings we brought in.
When LBJ first announced he was signing with the Lakers, the prevailing wisdom was that this first season would be tough. But, if we could surround him with shooters, we could make a decent playoff run.
What did they do instead? Lance Stephenson, Rajon Rondo, and JaVale McGee were signed. Brook Lopez, who was at least a decent shooter and a capable seven-footer signed with the Milwaukee Bucks. Julius Randle left and signed with the New Orleans Pelicans with hopes of landing a lucrative long-term deal next summer.
Add to the picture Lonzo Ball, who is undoubtedly a talented all-around player but not known for his shooting by any stretch, and Brandon Ingram, who is a supremely gifted offensive player but not so much a spot-up guy, and you have a somewhat strange picture of a line-up surrounding James.
The obvious counterpoint is that James himself will fill up all the offensive stats. Players like Josh Hart, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Kyle Kuzma have decent spot-up games.
Incredible length is present at the 1-4 spots on the floor, which provides the capability to switch almost every screen. That is low-key a huge factor in today’s move toward “positionless” basketball. An uptempo, Mike D’Antoni-style offense could be a great way to maximize these assets and begin the rehabilitation process in Los Angeles.
I remain somewhat doubtful, as almost all of my initial reservations about our new non-LeBron signings still seem justified, but the preseason has given me a few things to be excited about. Here are five things to look forward to during the 2018-19 regular season.