We know who the stars are on the Los Angeles Lakers, but who will be the breakouts?
The Los Angeles Lakers have one preseason game under their belt as the team looks to defend its crown as champions of the NBA in 2021.
The team started this title defense by adding some serious firepower in the offseason. Rob Pelinka didn’t just replace the players that the Lakers lost in free agency but he significantly improved upon them.
This is the rare example of a title-winning team getting significantly better and deeper without adding another superstar to the mix. Pelinka should be applauded.
We know that LeBron James and Anthony Davis are setting the tone and we know that the bench duo of Dennis Schroder and Montrezl Harrell will be near-impossible to match up against. But what about the players that have breakout years and surprise the league? Here are three prime candidates.
Breakout Los Angeles Lakers: 1. Talen Horton-Tucker
If you are an avid reader of Lake Show Life then you are probably sick of hearing about Talen Horton-Tucker. THT had a remarkable first preseason game and got the entire Lakers fanbase excited as a result.
We already covered why THT is legit and why Laker fans can expect him to blossom into a true contributor in the rotation. So we can keep this relatively short.
THT is still only 20 years old and is not going to become a huge name in year number two. However, based on how the roster is currently constructed, I think we can expect THT to get a solid 10-15 minutes per game and really play well in those 10-15 minutes.
Quite frankly, I would not be shocked if he plays himself into a spot in the playoff rotation over the summer. This is his breakout year where the pieces start to fall into place.