Los Angeles Lakers: 5 reasons they have a championship-caliber roster right now

(Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
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Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

1. They have a good mix of young players and veterans

Former Lakers coach Phil Jackson once said, “You win with men,” and the team has added some grown men who can not only play well, but have gone all the way before.

On this roster, James, Cook, McGee, Rondo and Green have all won at least one NBA championship. Howard has been to the NBA Finals before, while Dudley and Bradley have played in the conference finals.

That will go a long way in helping to make sure that young guys like Kuzma, Davis, Caldwell-Pope, Caruso and Daniels won’t be afraid when the bright lights of the playoffs or championship series go on.

Those young players will also be able to help the team moving forward. As the Lakers are over the salary cap (as usual) and have traded two future first-round draft picks to acquire Davis. They need decent young talent on team-friendly deals in order to remain competitive in the years to come.

If the Lakers remain relatively healthy for once, there seems to be a great chance they’ll still be playing once we reach Memorial Day 2020.