The Los Angeles Lakers’ role players will make or break the team’s success.
The Los Angeles Lakers are one of three teams that are the heavy favorites to win the NBA Championship during the NBA’s resumption in the Orlando bubble. Joining the Lakers in this trio of elite teams is the Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks.
If the Lakers win championship number 17 this season then they are undoubtedly going to have to go through the Clippers and the Bucks, barring a shocking upset for either team in a previous series.
The Lakers are on a collision course for the Clippers in the Western Conference Finals and the Bucks in the Finals. It would be one of the toughest back-to-back playoff opponents in recent memory.
The Lakers absolutely can beat both teams and we saw that before the season’s hiatus as the Lakers beat both teams in back-to-back games in early March. A four-game series is a little tougher, but with the Lakers being our favorites to win the NBA Title, they should be able to take care of business.
The performance of LeBron James and Anthony Davis is going to set the precedent for the team but it is going to be the production of the role players that really makes a difference in these series. We see it every year: the role players can shift an entire series with their play.
The Clippers and Bucks are vastly different teams, though, so in each series, there is a role player that becomes the most important to the team. Let’s break down who gets that honor in both series.