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Los Angeles Lakers: Which players will improve the most next season?

By Addam Goldman

HOUSTON, TX - JANUARY 19: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets conrols the ball defended by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope #1 of the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half at Toyota Center on January 19, 2019 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - JANUARY 19: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets conrols the ball defended by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope #1 of the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half at Toyota Center on January 19, 2019 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /
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Los Angeles Lakers
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Which three players on the Los Angeles Lakers will show the most growth next season?

Last season the Los Angeles Lakers as a whole sputtered during the regular season due to injuries, lousy roster construction, and chemistry issues. However, the biggest reason why the Lakers missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year was because of inferior individual performances from most of the players on the squad.

The Lakers have six players returning from last season’s crew. Here’s how they played throughout 2018-2019:

  • LeBron James played great on offense, but he was average at best on defense even before he went down with an injury.
  • Kyle Kuzma went through a nasty sophomore slump that saw him morph into one of the worst high volume 3-point shooters in the NBA.
  • Rajon Rondo had a -10.5 overall net rating for the season (one of the worst marks in the NBA for a regular rotation player) because he didn’t exert energy on defense.
  • Kentavious Caldwell-Pope struggled on defense, and he shot a below-average clip from beyond the arc for the Lakers last season.
  • JaVale McGee started last season strong for the Purple and Gold, but as the year progressed his stout play turned soft, and he finished the season with a -4.5 net rating, one of the worst marks on the squad.
  • Alex Caruso was one of the lone bright spots on the Lakers last season. He played great on both sides of the ball, but nobody knows if he can replicate his 25 game success during 2019 throughout a full year.

Many of the new faces on the Lakers also had off years.

  • Anthony Davis had a difficult 2018-2019 season due to an injury and a minute’s restriction that was placed on him after he demanded a trade.
  • Avery Bradley played for the Clippers and Grizzlies last season, and during his time on both organizations, he had an awful defensive metrics.
  • Dwight Howard was injured almost the entire 2018-2019 season.

Danny Green, Quinn Cook, Jared Dudley, DeMarcus Cousins, and Troy Daniels round out the rest of the Lakers roster, but due to a variety of reasons, they probably won’t show much progress next year.

Many of the players on the Lakers have a good chance of playing better next year than they did during the 2018-2019 season, but only three men will take a significant leap forward.

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