5 Positives which the LA Lakers can take from disappointing 2020-21 NBA campaign

#3 Rest for the LA Lakers' stars

LA Lakers' LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

One of the positives from the LA Lakers' early exit from the NBA Playoffs is that LeBron James and Anthony Davis will have plenty of time to recover between now and the start of the 2021-22 NBA season.

At age 36 and entering his 19th NBA season, James can definitely make good use of the time he will have to get his body and mind in the right place for a better campaign next year. James is coming off playing 45 of the 72 regular-season games last year, plus six postseason games. All of this after getting just 71 days off between the 2020 NBA Finals and Opening Night of the 2020-21 season.

Meanwhile, Anthony Davis seemed to struggle all year with injuries and the recovery time could be even more essential for him. Davis played half of the regular season and desperately needs to reach full fitness before the 2021-22 season for the LA Lakers to be title contenders again.

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#2 Frank Vogel's defensive system

Head coach Frank Vogel.

Even though LeBron James and Anthony Davis missed 27 and 36 games of the regular season respectively, the 2020-21 LA Lakers finished first in the NBA in Defensive Rating, with 107.1 points allowed per 100 possessions.

The team battled defensively and competed every night, even with its two stars out due to injuries.

That effectiveness on the defensive end is a testament to Frank Vogel's coaching capabilities. He previously displayed his defensive acumen with the Indiana Pacers as well. Vogel's Pacers side always ranked in the Top 10 in Defensive Rating between 2011 and 2016.

The 2020-21 LA Lakers evidently struggled on offense without LeBron James and Anthony Davis. But the defensive end was solid throughout the entire season and was arguably the reason why the team managed to collect some victories without its superstars.

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#1 LeBron James' pre-injury form

LeBron James of the LA Lakers.

While Anthony Davis did not look quite fit during the early days of the 2020-21 NBA season, LeBron James was performing at a tremendous level from Opening Night until he suffered a high ankle sprain on March 20th against the Atlanta Hawks.

Prior to the injury, James averaged 25.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game with a 51/37/70 shooting split in 41 appearances. He was arguably the NBA MVP frontrunner at the time, and the LA Lakers also had a 28-13 record.

Though there might be some debate about LeBron James not being the same from the past after his injury, the LA Lakers had a 112.4 Offensive Rating with James on the court, and an excellent 103.2 Defensive Rating.

With enough time ahead of him to fully recover, James will hope to return to his pre-injury form and lead the LA Lakers to championship contention once again.

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