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Lakers’ record last season with big 3 shows that health won’t lead to more success

By Mike Luciano

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 01: LeBron James #6 and Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers during a break in the action in the first half of the basketball game at Crypto.com Arena on April 1, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 01: LeBron James #6 and Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers during a break in the action in the first half of the basketball game at Crypto.com Arena on April 1, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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Jeanie Buss, along with many optimistic Los Angeles Lakers fans out here, are putting last year’s nightmare in the past and moving fully forward with the 2022-23 season. Russell Westbrook is still here, but LeBron James and Anthony Davis will be in positions of prominence.

The Lakers are assuming that last year was an anomaly due to poor health. Can a team with three future Hall of Famers possibly be that bad two years in a row? Well, looking at how they performed at full strength, they shouldn’t necessarily rule that possibility out.

When all three players in LA’s collection of stars played alongside one another, the Lakers were a perfectly average 11-10. That record doesn’t even look too impressive considering the fact that they beat the dregs of the NBA to even reach such a laughable mark.

Four of those wins came against two of the worst teams in the NBA in the Pistons and Rockets. A win against the Mavericks came without Luka Doncic, and a triumph over the Nets was done without facing Kevin Durant and James Harden. That’s not the most encouraging set of results.

The Lakers weren’t very dominant last year.

The Lakers are currently hitching their wagon to someone who is going to be 38 next year and has missed time with injury over the last two years, someone who has been in and out of the lineup with various ailments for the last half-decade, and a point guard who was so ineffective that everyone wanted him gone. What a team!

The Lakers have the potential to compete for a championship, but it’s not going to happen without a major change in performance from Westbrook and the rest of the rotation. Letting James and Davis take over is key, but they can’t be so inactive that they look clueless if called into action due to injury.

If James and Davis are indeed healthy and ready to perform at their best, reserves like Patrick Beverley, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Lonnie Walker will at least help with depth. The key to all of this is Westbrook, who is still one of the highest-paid players in the league despite last year.

The Lakers can at least take comfort in the fact that the Western Conference got much worse this season, giving them a very clear path that could end up with James and Davis fighting for their second championship in forum blue. Being a .500 team at full strength is not going to be acceptable.

Heads may roll if history repeats.

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