Los Angeles Lakers: 3 potential problems during the Orlando NBA Playoffs
By Tyler Soso
2. The long break
The entire Los Angeles Lakers staff and roster have not practiced or played a regular-season game in a little over 3 months to date. That being said, it will take some time for this championship contending team to get used to playing with one another once again.
Not every player on the Lakers has had access to home gyms or a regulation court to practice on during the COVID-19 pandemic, so going back to playing basketball at a neutral site like Orlando will definitely require a learning curve.
The Lakers will have to deal with playing in front of no fans which could prove its problems as the team is used to playing in front of the amazing Staples Center crowd every home game. The suspension of the NBA season couldn’t have come at a worse time for the squad, as they were in the midst of playing their best basketball of the season.
Before their loss against the Brooklyn Nets in March, the team had just come off of an impressive four-game win streak against the Pelicans, 76ers, Clippers, and the league-leading Bucks. With LeBron James taking control of the games and successfully defending Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard, and reigning league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo on multiple possessions, it seemed as if the Lakers were ready for the playoffs.
However, sometimes things don’t always go as planned and now the team will have to overcome this problem if they want to add another championship to the franchise’s history.
Luckily the Lakers will not be the only team who has to face this challenge, as the other 21 teams who were selected to play in the Orlando bubble and eventually the playoffs will also have to make adjustments to address these potential problems.