Even before opening week, the Lakers had many eyes watching them and even more expectations to fulfill. The purple and gold are hungry for another ring, coming in with a championship mentality.
Here are four expectations for LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the 2023-24 Lakers.
Four Expectations for the 2023-24 Los Angeles Lakers
1. Darvin Ham’s Championship-Level Coaching
Behind every superstar duo is an excellent coaching staff, and Darvin Ham—entering his second year in LA—has grown comfortable with the environment. However, he’s uncomfortable and unsatisfied with the outcome of his rookie season. With Ham at the helm of a revamped roster, there are plenty of expectations placed on him.
The first of such expectations is to manage what he calls a “championship-level roster.” Ham’s rotation is set with a stellar supporting cast. Now, it’s a matter of integrating the new pieces with the returners—a mix of solid veterans and energetic young guys.
At the same time, Ham will play a key role in LeBron’s 21st season. While James was mic’d up during LA’s opening game, he was heard talking with assistant coach Phil Handy, frustrated with his role:
“Y’all do know I can play point guard too, right? We got a lot left. I can play the point. With Rui in there, or Austin and T.P. at the 2 and 3. I’m just out there, just floating around. Unless I get it off the glass.”
The fact that James was subbed out with the Lakers down four—and came back with a double-digit deficit—didn’t help matters either.
LeBron’s minutes restriction is in line with Ham’s plan for him, a sign that minute management is top of mind this season. Ham redeemed himself by keeping James in during crunch time against Phoenix—with James playing 35 minutes total and putting his stamp on the first win of the year.
Going forward, the pressure will be on for Ham to do what’s right for LeBron and the Lakers. That means either keeping James in at the right times, or finding lineups that succeed without him on the floor.
2. Top-Five Defense
An aspect of Ham’s coaching to keep an eye on is LA’s defense. The Lakers focused on defense to open training camp, hoping to improve on their 12th-place finish (113.2) from last season (4th after the All-Star Break). Based on their approach and past performances, the Lakers could get back into the top-five soon.
The team signed several defensive-minded players, including Taurean Prince, Jaxson Hayes and Cam Reddish. Their returners are also eager to improve on that side of the ball.
The Lakers played standout defense at times last night, especially late in the game. Christian Wood, in particular, held his own against Kevin Durant in the fourth quarter. He limited KD to nine points and forced three turnovers. Ham had plenty of praise for his backup center:
“I thought he did about as good as anyone can do. He made a commitment to me when we signed him that that is a part of his game that he wants to get better at. […] With Christian, in particular, his length and his ability to contest and his focus, he’s trying to be good on that end of the floor. We saw he was in a good rhythm. He was getting some huge defensive rebounds. And so I decided to go with him and throw him in the deep end of the pool.”
The team as a whole held Phoenix to 5/20 shooting in the fourth, and forced ten Suns turnovers. Gabe Vincent believes they’re capable of doing that for a full 48 minutes.
“We just trusted our defense. We trusted one another. We picked up our intensity. And, to be honest, we told on ourselves a bit…Just because we do that in the fourth, that’s something we could do [for] an entire game. So we got to pick up on that.”
It’s performances and accountability like that which will allow the Lakers to thrive.
The Lakers have been capable of producing a top-ten (even a top-three) defense in recent years. Their best mark came in 2021, with a league-best rating of 107.1. The season before—when they won their 17th championship—saw them finish third in defensive rating (106.3). Davis and James have been the catalysts, but the buy-in from role players is critical to this goal.
With a new roster that mirrors the team’s title-winning formula, there’s no doubt that they can be a top-tier defense once again.
3. Backcourt Breakout: D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves
The backcourt duo of D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves found success late in the season, and they played an integral part in LA’s postseason run. In last year’s playoffs, they recorded a net rating of 4.5 (116.3 offensive, 111.8 defensively). Now, with a full offseason under their belts, it’s time for Russell and Reaves to shine—both together and individually.
D’Angelo Russell
Russell endured his share of struggles upon his return, but he now has a chance to maximize his effort with the Lakers. He was fourth among the team’s preseason scorers—averaging 13.5 points while shooting 45% from distance. However, he finished with 11 points and seven assists in LA’s season opener. His inefficiency continued last night—scoring 14 points on 6/16 shooting—but he also had five assists and two steals.
Russell has proven he can score in spurts and make plays that contribute to a winning team. These first two performances should be taken with a grain of salt in the grand scheme of things.
D’Lo may have to take a backseat with the team’s plethora of scorers, but he can still impact the game positively, and he has the potential to prove doubters wrong.
Austin Reaves
Similarly, Reaves’s jump has been well-chronicled, and he’s building on the momentum that propelled his second year. Continuing his role as the starting shooting guard, Reaves has impressed early on. After a rough scoring night Tuesday, he was more efficient against the Suns, putting up 10 points on 4/7 shooting from the field.
Reaves has also shown an increased maturity and ability to lead, now being one of the more prominent voices for the Lakers. He’s also entering the season with extra motivation, fueled by the doubters of his four-year, $56 million contract:
“All athletes, once you get a good contract, you’re looked at to live up to that, which is understandable. You’re getting paid that to be successful. And there’s obviously people out there that think I wasn’t worth that. … You hear those things, and you just [get] fuel off of that.”
All of these traits are admirable in a 25 year old undrafted player, who has embraced his new role and is making the most of his opportunity.
Overall, Reaves and Russell are ready for a new challenge, acting as steady scorers and playmakers in a tough Western Conference.
4. This is Anthony Davis’s Team (at least, it can be)
Finally, as James has indicated in the past, this team runs through Anthony Davis.
Davis has been subject to plenty of past criticism due to his injuries, with the recent blow coming from Colin Cowherd:
"I want to address Anthony Davis going scoreless in the 2nd half… Typically, NBA superstars are not like the milkshake machine at McDonalds. When it works, it's amazing, but that's about 50% of the time."
— Colin Cowherd 😅
(via @TheHerd)pic.twitter.com/4tXXAoQkqy
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 25, 2023
Luckily, AD shut the critics up last night with a dominant 30-point, 12-rebound performance against Phoenix. He also excelled defensively, tallying three steals and three blocks.
Afterwards, James responded to Davis’s doubters on his behalf, noting that no one on the team pays attention to the slander.
"We don't give a s*** about criticism about AD. AD doesn't care, he's not on social media." – LeBron on the criticism of Anthony Davis pic.twitter.com/Ut3XFA3EUx
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) October 27, 2023
With LeBron nearing 39 years old, it’s imperative that Davis takes the keys to the franchise. He has already shown a commitment to the organization, and has put in the work over the offseason to succeed when the games count. It’s performances like last night’s that will get everyone talking. Davis will continue to show, not tell, of his status as a top-tier forward in the NBA.
But still, things can’t be perfect. It’s likely that Davis will have to battle through injuries this year, making the team’s training staff and injury management equally important. It’s also why, in part, LA signed two effective backup bigs who can be great next to (or in place of) Davis.
But as long as AD can capitalize when he’s on the floor—and display winning habits off of it—the Lakers will be in great hands when LeBron hangs it up for good.
The Last Word
As always, the Lakers have the world watching them this season. While they have many expectations placed on their shoulders, none are greater than their current championship pursuit.
