2. The Lakers have gotten younger and defensive-minded this off-season
When the Lakers won the bubble championship two seasons ago they were a perfectly balanced unit. The team had veterans but also players who came in off the bench and played hustle defense and gave the team extra possessions. Give LeBron extra touches and you are unlikely to beat his team unless you are one of the aforementioned super teams.
Lonnie Walker, Patrick Beverley, Thomas Bryant, and Kendrick Nunn are the clearest examples of this mentality. Players that give the Lakers a huge defensive boost while still offering reliable offense that will give the team a chance.
It is exactly the off-season this team needed to have a year after adding Russell Westbrook and the 2012 all-star team to their bench. The Lakers were old, slow, and unable to score with any consistency.
These new Laker additions are going to change that as role players who have played their whole careers hustling and playing hard to earn roles on their former teams. This is the exact type of team LeBron and Davis will thrive with as the clear stars leading a group of great role players capable of helping the Lakers win their second title with James.