2. The competition is going to get tougher
The Los Angeles Lakers need to get better this offseason because if they don’t they will be getting worse compared to the rest of the league. Next year the Lakers won’t have the same target on their backs as the defending champions, which helps, but every contending team in the league is going to look to improve in the offseason.
Some will improve just by health alone, like the Lakers. The Brooklyn Nets were eliminated early with James Harden playing one on and a half hamstrings and Kyrie Irving missing the entire Milwaukee series. When that team is fully healthy they are the hardest team to beat in the league, period.
But then we look at who the Lakers have to play in the West and while a lot is up in the air, we could be looking at some really good basketball teams. The Phoenix Suns will have this experience in their rear-view mirror with their young players only getting one year better. They will continue to be elite.
Damian Lillard could be traded somewhere else in the Western Conference, forming a scary tandem with whatever star he ends up getting paired with. The Denver Nuggets are actually going to be healthy and should not be slept on when they are.
New teams will land stars, key free agents, and shake off the injury bug. The Lakers will shake off the injury bug as well, but they need to improve with the rest of the league to avoid the risk of falling behind, especially in year three of this partnership.