Hot Takes on Lakers' Roster and 2024 Title Hopes Ahead of NBA Season
The Los Angeles Lakers hope their productive offseason put them on the NBA championship track.
And they just might be right.
With LeBron James still hovering near his prime, Anthony Davis in the heart of his and Austin Reaves climbing toward a perpetually rising ceiling, L.A. has the top-level talent to pull this off. Tack on a supporting cast loaded with reliable role players, and the Purple and Gold should be an absolute force.
Can the Lakers make good on their title dreams, though? We'll examine that topic and more with a round of Hollywood hoops hot takes.
D'Angelo Russell Will Be Gone by the Deadline
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It's quite possible D'Angelo Russell opens this season as the Lakers' starting point guard. It's the same gig he held for nearly his entire run following his deadline deal back to the franchise that made him the No. 2 pick in 2015.
It's also very possible he ends this season wearing something other than an L.A. jersey. Just like he lost his grip on that starting spot during an up-and-down playoff run, he could easily wind up being replaced on this roster.
He works best with the ball in his hands, which will always make him a less than ideal fit with James. And that's before getting into the touches Russell is likely to lose with L.A. eager to increase Reaves' on-ball responsibilities.
If Reaves becomes what the Lakers think he can be, and Gabe Vincent thrives as a defense-first lead guard who consistently buries catch-and-shoot buckets, the Lakers won't need Russell. They can kind of already sense that, too, which must be the reason Russell already waived his implied no-trade clause.
Anthony Davis Will Be the Defensive Player of the Year
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The Lakers will have nights when they can light it up, but this team is built to win with defense. More specifically, it's built to win with dominant defense from Davis.
When L.A. won it all in 2019-20, it did so on the strength of its third-ranked defense, per NBA.com. Davis, an All-Defensive first-teamer that season, had his fingerprints all over that success, leading the Lakers in boards (9.3), blocks (2.3), steals (1.5) and defensive win shares (4.4, per Basketball-Reference).
That version of the Brow is a full-fledged game-breaker. And if he ever stayed on the injury bug's good side, he could reach that level of defensive greatness again.
This past season, he snared a career-best 12.5 rebounds to go along with 2.0 blocks and 1.1 steals. His 3.4 defensive win shares were the most he'd posted since that championship banner-raising campaign. If he can simply sustain that level—let alone increase it—and clear the 65-game threshold, his defensive impact could be award-winning quality.
L.A. Wins It All
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The Lakers won't open this season as championship favorites, and they shouldn't.
The reining champion Denver Nuggets lost a few role players, but no subtractions were so significant to rule out their potential to repeat. The Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics made major additions to rosters that already ranked among the Association's best. The Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors are always threats to win it all.
The list of legitimate contenders goes on and on.
And yet, this feels like a season in which everything could come together for the Lakers. James knows his clock is ticking, so his urgency could be incredible. Davis has already seen what can happen when he's at his best. Reaves appears destined for a leap into—or at least in the vicinity of—stardom. This roster has depth. This front office has assets to cover any holes that could arise.
So, L.A. fans might want to keep their June calendars clear. If our crystal ball is onto something, there just might be a championship to celebrate.
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