The Los Angeles Lakers are going all-in on winning a championship this year. The Lakers have been one of the most storied and winningest franchises in the NBA. In Los Angeles, the Lakers have made the playoffs in 51 out of their 61 seasons, winning 12 championships. With this current roster, the Lakers will be heading into the 2021-2022 season with serious expectations. In this article, we will be looking at the Lakers 2021-2022 season preview.
Los Angeles Lakers 2021-2022 Season Preview
Recap of Last Season
The Lakers had a solid 2020-2021 regular season with a record of 40-32, finishing seventh in the Western Conference. The expectations for last season’s Lakers team were very high based upon their NBA Championship win a year prior in the bubble. In addition to this, the Lakers also landed both Dennis Schroder and Montrezl Harrell in the offseason while bringing back most of the championship-winning roster. This only heightened expectations. However, these expectations would be short-lived as many Lakers players dealt with injuries throughout the year. The Lakers were once again led by one of the best players of all time, LeBron James. The Lakers’ two best players LeBron James and Anthony Davis both had very productive stats when they played. James averaged 25.0 points, 7.8 assists, and 7.7 rebounds per game last season. Davis averaged 21.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game.
However, the Lakers players two best players missed a lot of time a year ago.LeBron James played 45 regular-season games out of 72 while Anthony Davis only played 36 out of 72. The Lakers had a solid mix of contributions from players such as Kyle Kuzma, Andre Drummond, and Dennis Schroder. As the regular season winded down, the Lakers were as high in the standings as many predicted before the season. However, with both Anthony Davis and LeBron James returning for the playoffs many people believed they would make a lot of noise. Nonetheless, the Lakers were knocked out in the first round by the finals-bound Phoenix Suns.
Offseason Changes
Coming off of a first-round exit many predicted that the Lakers would make a wholesale change and that is exactly what they did. Los Angeles made the biggest move of the offseason by trading for Russell Westbrook. In the Westbrook trade, the Lakers sent Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Wizards. The fit with Westbrook and James will be interesting to monitor all season as they are both supremely ball-dominant players. The Lakers also brought in a ton of other players including Kendrick Nunn, Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington, Dwight Howard, Kent Bazemore, Malik Monk, Rajon Rondo, and DeAndre Jordan. While bringing in a ton of new players the Lakers also let a ton leave. Players such as Dennis Schroder, Kyle Kuzma, Alex Caruso, Markieff Morris, and Andre Drummond all walked out the door.
Expectations for Next Season
After their terrific offseason, the Lakers will likely be competing at the top of the Western Conference. It will not be easy for the Lakers to win the championship have to go through teams like the Nets and Suns but you can never bet against a LeBron James-led team.
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