5 things the Lakers need to do to win the 2021 NBA Championship
By Robert Marvi
1. Acquire a ball-handling guard who can create his own shot and score
Since James is creeping up there in age, his responsibilities need to be gradually curtailed not just to help him age like a fine wine, but also as a preventative health measure.
He does so much for this Laker team – push the pace, organize their set offense when they don’t have anything, score 25-30 points a game, hit the open man and grab rebounds in bunches.
That’s so much for one superstar to consistently do, especially when most other players his age are retired.
Acquiring a guard who’s fast from baseline to baseline, can run the break and also score about 14-16 points a game will allow LeBron to conserve his energy without having to sit out games for “load management,” which would not only be bad for the team but would also cheat fans like us.
This doesn’t necessarily mean pulling off a pipe dream move for someone like Damian Lillard, or maybe even Victor Oladipo. Perhaps a player on the level of an Eric Bledsoe will get the job done.
With Danny Green in the second year of a large contract, Bradley in his prime and Alex Caruso getting lots of interest around the league, maybe general manager Rob Pelinka has enough resources to pull off a trade for this type of player.
In addition, the rest of the league will be even stronger next season.
The Golden State Warriors will be back, and the Los Angeles Clippers will still be really good. The Brooklyn Nets will become really good as Kevin Durant makes his team debut. The Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat will probably improve.
Next. Lakers that may have played their last game in LA. dark
That means the Lakers must improve as well, because at the end of the day, if you aren’t improving, you’re declining because there’s no such thing as standing still in this hypercompetitive world.