The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to make a big jump up in the standings in the 2019-20 season.
The Los Angeles Lakers fell short of expectations during the 2018-19 season. Signing LeBron James in the offseason pushed those expectations higher, but the team was not ready to take that next step.
Inexperience and injuries really held the team back. The gameplan the front office put together wasn’t a sound one, either, leaving much to be desired. The organization was overhauled this past offseason and expectations are once again high.
Los Angeles saw Magic Johnson resign as President of Basketball Operations and parted ways with head coach Luke Walton. Rob Pelinka took over more control of the front office and did an excellent job filling out the roster. Frank Vogel was hired to replace Walton on the sideline.
As a result, the Lakers have quickly turned themselves into contenders once again. Now, it is up to the players to get the job done on the court.
Many people are considering the Lakers as title contenders for the 2019-20 season. The roster is improved after acquiring Anthony Davis via trade from the New Orleans Pelicans and solid veterans such as Danny Green, Avery Bradley and Jared Dudley signing in free agency.
Over at ESPN, they use their real plus-minus to project how the season will go. While the Lakers aren’t projected to dominate the Western Conference, fans will be happy to know that Los Angeles is projected to end their playoff drought.
The Lakers have missed the playoffs for six consecutive seasons, the longest drought in franchise history. However, if these projections turn out to be correct, that streak will end.
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According to ESPN’s RPM, the Lakers will finish fifth in the Western Conference, averaging 46.6 wins. They also have an 85 percent chance of making the postseason.
That puts them just ahead of the Golden State Warriors, who are projected for 46.5 wins and right behind the Utah Jazz, who are projected at 46.7. The Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets are pacing the Western Conference with 53.8 projected wins, with the Los Angeles Clippers being projected in third with 48 wins.
It should be noted that the ESPN projections were updated for DeMarcus Cousins‘ injury as well. Prior to his injury, the Lakers were projected as the No. 3 team, behind only the Rockets and Nuggets. So, for those that don’t believe Cousins’ injury will be felt too much, you could be sorely mistaken.
The projections were redistributed with Cousins being sidelined. With JaVale McGee being the only true center left on the roster, it is no surprise that the numbers dropped.
While Kyle Kuzma has said he is preparing to play for center, and they still have Davis, the team will have to add another center to the mix. We saw first hand what going into the season with limited options up front can do, as the team improved immensely once they added Tyson Chandler to the mix.
Depending on who is added, the projections will change once again. The one thing that is certain, however, is that it will be a season-long battle in the Western Conference for homecourt advantage in the playoffs.