Currently, the Los Angeles Lakers are the most shorthanded they have been since LeBron James suffered a groin tear in 2018. It is even arguable that this is the worst a Lakers roster has looked since before James joined the team.
With injuries to both Anthony Davis and LeBron James, the team is down two max players and MVP candidates. This will leave the keys of a franchise that is looking to repeat as NBA champions in the hands of Dennis Schröder, Montrezl Harrell, and Kyle Kuzma.
No one would feel confident with these being your best players when a team has championship aspirations, however, there is a chance that with the added touches and shots we could see these players flourish.
With the added responsibilities these three will be taking on with Davis and James injured, it could go one of two ways for the Lakers.
How the Lakers could look when LeBron James and Anthony Davis return:
The first is that they are incapable of filling the shoes of the stars and the Lakers will go on an extended losing streak.
This could lead to Davis and James being forced to log extra minutes at the end of the season to try to keep the Lakers in contention for the playoffs or to try to get a better seed in the playoffs.
The second way it could go is they could thrive in the bigger roles and we will see them playing to their full potentials.
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If the second option occurs, it could lead to some chemistry issues further down the road for the Lakers. Players on a hot streak could be more unwilling give up their roles to James and Davis and be very unsatisfied going back to being role players when they prove that they could be capable of much more.
If anything has been learned about this Laker team during last season into this one, it is that they are fueled on chemistry and strong leadership. Although it is a possibility that there is a little bit of tension between players when their shots are taken away, the veteran leadership, amazing chemistry, and elite coaching will ensure that everyone is in line and ready to go before the playoffs.
Both Schröder was traded to the team over the offseason and it has been reported that he will be asking for a contract extension of around $20 million a year to stay with the Lakers. He will likely see this time without Davis and James as a chance to prove that he is worth that money and he knows that causing any chemistry issues further down the line will kill any chance he has of getting that money with Los Angeles.
Harrell signed with the team over the offseason on a very team friendly deal to add a championship to his resume. He has shown already that he is willing to do whatever is asked of him to win and although he did have some locker room issues with the Clippers, there is little to no chance the same issues will occur with the Lakers.
Finally, Kuzma has had stretches in which he has been the second or first scoring option with the Lakers. He has been on the team since the beginning of the LeBron James era and has always been willing to play whatever role is asked of him.
Although there might be a couple of awkward weeks of Lakers basketball once Davis and James make their return to the court, it is almost certain that the team will be playing better than ever once the playoffs begin.