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The Lakers had a very dramatic off-season. They started off brilliantly by trading for Anthony Davis. They lost everyone apart from LeBron James and Kyle Kuzma in that trade. But that also enabled them with the cap space for another max free agent.
The onset of free agency saw the Lakers get heavily involved with Kawhi Leonard. With Leonard taking his own time and space to come to a decision, the Lakers could not go after some of their other targets. Eventually, Leonard decided to sign with the Clippers, leaving the Lakers with few options in the market.
The Lakers recovered brilliantly to build a very competent team. The team is now very solid at almost every position. They hired some proven veterans like Danny Green, DeMarcus Cousins, Rajon Rondo, etc. They have one of the best odds of winning the championship next season.
Let's have a SWOT analysis of the LA Lakers roster:
Strengths: LeBron James and Anthony Davis
The Lakers have two of the top five best players in the world playing for them now with the acquisition of Anthony Davis in the trade with the Pelicans. James averaged 27 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists last season on more than 50% shooting from the field. He missed a lot of games through injury but looked a dominant force whenever he stepped on the court.
Anthony Davis was leading the PER for most of the season. He ended with 26 points and 12 rebounds, despite barely playing high minutes in the latter part of the season.
The combination of James and Davis will be too lethal for any opponent to handle. They give the Lakers the kind of firepower that they lacked when James went out injured. The Lakers are one of the favourites to win the title because they now possess the best duo in the league.
Weaknesses: Point Guard and Center:
Anthony Davis has made it pretty clear throughout his career that he prefers playing at the power forward position. The Lakers went out to sign Cousins and McGee from the market. But there is no guarantee that either of them can play crucial minutes at the centre position.
Cousins was injured for most of last season. He looked good upon his return but again got injured at the start of the playoffs. When he came back for the NBA finals, he looked like a liability for the Warriors. He was majorly exploited on the defensive end and didn't look his dominant self on the offence.
The Lakers also don't have an elite point guard in this guard-dominated era. They re-signed Rajon Rondo but Rondo is a very poor shooter and has also gotten poor on defence. Alex Caruso hasn't played meaningful minutes in the league. The Lakers might need to play LeBron James at the point guard position in clutch situations.
Opportunity: The end of the Warriors dynasty
This NBA off-season saw the departure of Kevin Durant from the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors also lost Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston and Quinn Cook who all played a very crucial role in their championship pursuits. The NBA no longer has a clear-cut favourite for the title.
The Lakers have a very good supporting cast and look like a top bet for the ring. GM Rob Pelinka has already made a statement that anything short of a championship will be poor for the Lakers this season. Anthony Davis also openly expressed about the possibility of winning with this roster.
LeBron James has a history of taking teams to NBA finals. With another superstar alongside him in Anthony Davis, the Lakers will be a must-watch team in the NBA next season.
Threats: The competition in the Western Conference
With so many changes taking place in the off-season, the Western Conference has become even more competitive. Last year, only the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets had realistic chances of coming out of the West.
Plenty of other teams made significant improvements to their roster for next season. The Clippers have added two superstars in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to a roster that already finished 8th in the Western Conference last season.
The Rockets got better by replacing their ageing point guard, Chris Paul with one of the most dynamic point guard that the league has ever seen in Russell Westbrook. Utah Jazz also addressed their areas of concern. They added Conley and Bogdanovic and look like one of the most improved teams from the previous season. The Warriors still have Curry, Thompson, Green and also added an All-Star talent in De'Angelo Russell.
The Lakers need both James and Davis to play at an elite level to survive this stiff competition in the Western Conference.
