LeBron James and Anthony Davis won the 2020 title in the bubble, but the Lakers never looked like true contenders again. Denver swept them aside more than once, OKC, Phoenix and Minnesota all knocked them out, and one year they missed the playoffs entirely. So this isn’t about recovering from LeBron’s departure. It’s about a new era, with Luka Doncic as the clear face of the franchise.
A superstar without enough help
The Lakers are lucky to have an MVP-caliber player in his prime, but they have to build around him. Austin Reaves gives Luka a very good offensive partner, and Kessler, Sexton and Grimes are solid role players. But in a Western Conference with superteams in OKC and San Antonio, plus Denver, Houston and Minnesota, I can’t see this team getting past the first round as currently constructed.
Where it falls apart
The core problems are frontcourt depth and team defense. Doncic and Reaves are both major liabilities on that end, and the roster isn’t nearly strong enough defensively to cover for them. It creates an impossible task for head coach JJ Redick to navigate.
The bottom line
The Lakers will be fun to watch, because that starting backcourt has so much offensive talent. Unfortunately, they’re not a contender right now.