The Los Angeles Lakers were the favorites to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals this season but the team could not even make the play-in. The Lakers’ season has been over for over two months as they have sat at home and watched the entirety of the NBA Playoffs.
Los Angeles does not have the luxury of blowing the roster up and rebuilding, either. With LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the roster, the front office has to go for broke to contend for a championship — even with extremely limited resources.
The odds of the Lakers winning the NBA Championship are extremely thin, however, in the world of sports, anything is possible.
Here are the three keys to the Los Angeles Lakers winning the NBA Championship in 2023.
1. Staying healthy
This is a relatively straightforward key but the health of the roster is the one narrative that hangs over the success of the team next season. Yes, every team has to stay healthy to contend but the Lakers staying healthy is far from a guarantee.
LeBron James is only getting older and with every day that we cross off on the calendar, he gets more and more likely to get injured. Anthony Davis might not be getting up there in age but he is one of the most injury-prone stars in the league. Injury-prone bigs don’t typically get more healthy in their 30s, either.
Davis getting hurt is what derailed the team in 2021 and is ultimately what made Rob Pelinka desperate enough to make the Russell Westbrook trade, which opened another can of worms. Speaking of Westbrook, he is just as big of a key as the Lakers staying healthy.