The Los Angeles Lakers are officially stating their title-defense season.
Coming into the shortest offseason of all time for the reigning NBA champs, the Los Angeles Lakers embark on new history as the only team to repeat after having less than two months off.
A lot of people have the Lakers as the favorites and rightfully so, as they have re-invented themselves in such a short amount of time. After being the tallest team in the league and using that as an advantage, the Lakers decided to flip the script.
They traded Danny Green and a pick for Dennis Schroder, who immediately replaces Rajon Rondo and his inconsistency; signed Wesley Matthews to make up for the loss of Green; stole Montrezl Harrell from the Clippers with a shocking deal that was way below what the media was saying Harrell would get paid.
But the best signing of them all was Marc Gasol, who is replacing JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard.
Gasol offers so much more than his peers that’s it almost unfair to think what is possible with AD and LeBron as his teammates. Post-ups can actually result in points via isolation or just cutting the defenses apart with slick passes.
Don’t forget that Gasol is also a very capable three-point shooter, which bodes well for both AD and Bron in the half-court. The strategy is clear from Pelinka, he believes this regular season will require everybody contributing more than before due to the shortened offseason.
Bron and AD have played so many minutes that is very certain that they will take games off. Which is needed with the shortest offseason of all time.
This is the reason that signing these players matters so much. Also, the emergence of THT and Kuzma blossoming means that the stars can rest while the young bucks play back-to-backs. The Lakers know the goal is to repeat and that only happens if LeBron and AD are healthy.
Their health is key for this season. The biggest threat to the Los Angeles Lakers’ repeat chances is staying healthy because no matter what seed they finish in, nobody in the league wants to see LeBron and AD for 7 games.
This could be one of the most interesting seasons by far with no bubble and players having to show proper decision making to stay true to the cause. LeBron has shown to be the best leader in sports and will have to do an immense job this season to reach his 5th title.