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The addition of Anthony Davis ahead of the 2019-20 NBA season made the LA Lakers clear contenders for the NBA title. A year later, the LA Lakers are the reigning NBA champions after LeBron James and AD's duo led them to the promised land.
5 teams who can challenge the LA Lakers in the Western Conference
Last season, the LA Lakers controlled the NBA's regular season, leading the stacked Western Conference with a 52-19 record. In the 2020 NBA Playoffs of the Orlando bubble, the LA Lakers dominated their rivals.
The six-game series win over the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals was the only matchup in which they lost more than one game in the NBA Playoffs.
For the upcoming 2020-21 NBA season, the LA Lakers are the team to beat as they have also had a solid NBA Free Agency 2020.
General Manager Rob Pelinka and his team added Montrezl Harrell, Dennis Schroder, Marc Gasol, and Wesley Matthews to their squad. The LA Lakers have a renewed, younger bench in their quest to win back-to-back titles.
In the rest of the Western Conference, some of the LA Lakers' rivals had good signings (such as the LA Clippers landing Serge Ibaka).
However, teams like the Denver Nuggets (the LA Lakers' rivals in the 2020 Western Conference Finals) lost some key pieces of their system (Jerami Grant and Torrey Craig).
On that note, we will review the five challengers who could dethrone the LA Lakers from their Western Conference pedestal.
#5 Houston Rockets
Before a likely James Harden trade happens, the Houston Rockets are still a team to look out for in the Western Conference. Last season, the Rockets had a nice run before the pandemic hit, but their performance in the NBA Playoffs was not great.
Ultimately, their small-ball philosophy did not work against the LA Lakers as LeBron James and Anthony Davis imposed their height and power in their second-round matchup.
James Harden and Russell Westbrook are reportedly looking to get out of Houston. Reports suggest the two former MVPs do not want to play with each other anymore. However, Westbrook dismissed the information, and the noise on those possible trades has calmed down.
The Rockets also signed DeMarcus Cousins, an All-Star just two years ago and a two-time member of the All-NBA teams. If Cousins stays healthy and his level is similar to his pre-injury version, he could be a good matchup against Anthony Davis and the LA Lakers' bigs.
If the Rockets maintain Harden and Westbrook, adding Cousins could be a nice fit to face the LA Lakers.
The Rockets' defense could be their weak area again (they were 14th in Defensive Rating last year), especially after trading Robert Covington to the Portland Trail Blazers.
#4 Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz played a historic first-round series against the Denver Nuggets in the 2020 NBA Playoffs. Even though they suffered a heartbreaking first-round exit, their performance against the Denver Nuggets was well-respected.
Donovan Mitchell signed a five-year, $195 million extension with the Jazz and will be the centerpiece of the organization in years to come. Mitchell had a great run in the 2020 NBA Playoffs, and his progression should continue in the right direction in 2021.
Mitchell is a unique scorer who averaged 24 points per game in last year's regular season with 45/37/86 shooting splits.
In the seven-game series against the Nuggets, he averaged 36 points, five rebounds, and five assists per game. Moreover, Mitchell shot 52% from the field, 51% from the three-point line, and made 95% of his free throws.
The team also have a great paint defender in Rudy Gobert. The Frenchman is a two-time DPOY who could manage to make Anthony Davis work harder on the post (though he will not be able to slow him down).
Still, the Jazz is a solid team with a group of players who have been playing with each other for years. They also have a coach, Quin Snyder, who has been there for the past six seasons. They could be a threat to the LA Lakers, and the matchup wouldn't be a bad one for the Jazz.
Utah was 13th in Defensive Rating last season, and that is an area to upgrade for the upcoming season if they expect to challenge the LA Lakers.
#3 Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets had an unbelievable run in the 2020 NBA Playoffs, though their dream ended at the hands of the LA Lakers. Michael Malone's team came back from a 3-1 deficit in the first round against the Utah Jazz to beat them epically.
The LA Clippers seemed too big for the Nuggets before Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray mounted another 3-1 comeback in the second round and eliminated them. Then, the LA Lakers put an end to Denver's season, but the team can return to the same spot next year.
Their appearance in the WCF against the LA Lakers was a surprise as the expected matchup was the LA squads' battle. Still, the Nuggets earned their chance.
Jokic and Murray played unbelievably in the 2020 NBA Playoffs. However, role players on the team, such as Jerami Grant, were huge for their collective work.
Grant is a great defender and a good body to throw at King James, as they did in the WCF. He also averaged 12 points per game in last year's regular season while making 39% of his three-point shots.
Grant had a good series against the LA Lakers. He averaged 16 points per game with a shooting efficiency of 46%. However, Grant left Denver to sign a three-year, $60-million contract with the Detroit Pistons.
Grant's departure will hurt the Nuggets, and it is why they are out of the Top 3 of the Western Conference. Still, the signing of Argentinian Facundo Campazzo from Real Madrid could be impactful.
Campazzo is a solid point guard who has immense creativity to pass the ball. He can find his teammates consistently and should have a nice connection with Jokic.
If they can solve their depth issues, they will challenge the LA Lakers again.
#2 LA Clippers
The LA Clippers were poised to face the LA Lakers in the 2020 WCF, but the team had a horrendous meltdown against the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the NBA Playoffs.
Despite being considered the favorites heading into the 2020 NBA Playoffs, the Kawhi Leonard-led LA Clippers blew a 3-1 lead over Denver in the second round.
Their second-round exit generated many questions about their team chemistry and the character of the team's leaders; Leonard and Paul George. The two superstars combined for zero points in the fourth quarter of the seventh game against Denver as the team fell apart in the second round.
For the upcoming season, the LA Clippers lost the Sixth Man of the Year, Montrezl Harrell, after he signed with the LA Lakers. They are also expected to trade Lou Williams in order to find a playmaking point guard to start their offense.
The Clippers signed Serge Ibaka in free agency to a two-year, $19-million deal and he will be a great pickup to play the center position. With Ibaka, their matchup against the LA Lakers looks a little bit better as he would be able to follow Anthony Davis from the post to the three-point line.
Ibaka is also an elite rim protector, but the Clippers might need more weapons to challenge the LA Lakers.
There are too many questions about the LA Clippers and their leaders. After their bad performance in the NBA Playoffs, they might have lost their spot as the number one threat to LeBron James and the LA Lakers.
The Clippers will also have a new coach in Tyronn Lue, and adjusting to a new system might be another disadvantage against the established LA Lakers.
Lue was an assistant in Doc Rivers' coaching squad for the LA Clippers and will get his chance to lead the team and unleash their potential.
The LA Clippers are likely to pursuit Nic Batum after he was waived by the Charlotte Hornets. Will that be enough against the LA Lakers?
#1 Dallas Mavericks
Luka Doncic can become the greatest player in the league in a short time. The Slovenian superstar already showed his incredible performance in the 2020 NBA Playoffs, and the Dallas Mavericks could go a step ahead in 2021.
They could become a Top 2 team in the West, behind the LA Lakers.
Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis are one of the best duos in the NBA, though Porzingis has been injury-plagued. These two players could play well against any duo in the league, including the LA Lakers' pairing of LBJ and AD.
Last season, Doncic averaged 28.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 8.8 assists while making 45% of his shots. He finished fourth in the MVP voting behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, and James Harden.
In the regular season, Doncic led the Mavs to the highest Offensive Rating in the entire NBA (116.7). In the NBA Playoffs, the team fell to the LA Clippers after Porzingis sustained a knee injury, but Doncic proved he is a real weapon.
The Slovenian averaged 31 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game against LAC. The Clippers had Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, two tremendous defenders who could do nothing to stop the 21-year-old player.
Porzingis could match up well with Anthony Davis and could get him out of the paint due to his three-point shooting, which would nullify AD's rim protection.
If Porzingis is healthy, the Mavs will be the biggest threat to the LA Lakers in the Western Conference.
The Latvian is expected to return in January 2021, but if he remains healthy throughout the rest of the season from that point to the NBA Playoffs, the LA Lakers might have their hands full with him and Doncic.
Also read: 5 major challenges the LA Lakers could face during the 2020-21 NBA season
