Los Angeles Lakers: 3 advantages LA has over the Brooklyn Nets
By Jason Reed
1. The chemistry of the Los Angeles Lakers’ superstars and how they complement each other
The Los Angeles Lakers added Russell Westbrook and that will be a variable that seemingly could turn this into a disadvantage. However, if we have learned anything in the past 17 years it is that LeBron James gets the absolute best out of anyone and as long as Westbrook buys in, he is not going to be a bad fit on this Lakers team.
The star duo of LeBron and Anthony Davis have been a joy to watch. There is not a duo in the league that plays off of each other the way that LeBron and AD do and the two players really do complement each other.
LeBron is the facilitator that runs the offense while Davis can stretch the floor, camp out in the post or be on the receiving ends on lobs. He is also an elite defender, taking a lot of the defensive stress off of LeBron, which is huge.
Westbrook might not fit on paper but at LeBron’s age, this is what the Lakers needed. Westbrook will help run the Lakers’ offense and facilitate more while LeBron stays rested for the playoffs. We are going to see a lot more off-ball LeBron this season and a LeBron that is likely going to take a lot of threes.
The Brooklyn big three are definitely talented, but they do not complement each other as a cohesive unit in the way the Lakers do. Sure, James Harden can average 10 assists a night but most of the time the Nets are simply running isolation plays with one of their three big stars.
There is also something to be said about the chemistry of the big three. While we have not seen any cracks yet, we know that Kevin Durant is not someone who is going to shy away from how he feels. That, paired with Kyrie Irving, is a blowup waiting to happen.