5 reasons why the Los Angeles Lakers will repeat as NBA Champions
By Robert Marvi
4. The Lakers have improved their bench
In the 2019-20 season, the Lakers’ bench was decent but unimpressive. They were largely relying on former cast-offs such as Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard and Markieff Morris, as well as unproven players such as Alex Caruso.
It was well documented that when James was not on the floor, the Lakers’ offense was about as high-powered as a 1978 Ford Pinto with two bad spark plugs and its ubiquitous exploding fuel tank.
Not anymore. Pelinka has done an amazing job of souping up the supporting cast so that the team will always have firepower.
First, he traded swingman Danny Green, who did his job as a 3-and-D player but is aging and an inconsistent 3-point shooter, for point guard Dennis Schroder (more on him later). It’s unknown if Schroder will start or come off the bench, but if he becomes the team’s sixth man (as he was this past season for the Oklahoma City Thunder), he’s a massive upgrade over Rondo.
The team’s other major acquisition was big man Montrezl Harrell, who they snagged from the rival Clippers. Harrell is the NBA’s reigning Sixth Man of the Year, and he averaged 18.6 points and 7.1 boards in 27.8 minutes a game this past season.
Harrell will be a major spark plug, and his athleticism and ability to finish strong in the paint will make the Lakers’ fast break even more lethal. There are some questions about how he’ll fit defensively, but I trust coach Frank Vogel and his staff to figure it out to satisfaction.
To replace Green, L.A. signed Wesley Matthews. He’s a solid man-to-man defender who had his moments in the playoffs against the Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler, and he has the ability to hit 3s as well as Green did.
Markieff Morris is also back, and he’ll give the team another reliable 3-point shooter while also providing physicality on the defensive end.
Marc Gasol, the younger brother of former Lakers star Pau Gasol, will give L.A. a wide-body center who can guard the Nikola Jokics, Jusuf Nurkics and Joel Embiids at one end while draining 3-pointers at the other end.
And, of course, the Lakers still have the biggest cult hero of all time, Alex Caruso. Caruso is still by and large overrated and overhyped, but when he’s hitting the outside shot, he’s one of the most valuable role players in the NBA.