Superfans vs. Haters: 2015-16 LA Lakers Season Preview
Make way for the 2015-16 Los Angeles Lakers. They're going...somewhere.
Though the Lakers' 2015 offseason wasn't perfect, it was eventful. They drafted D'Angelo Russell, traded for Roy Hibbert and signed Brandon Bass and Lou Williams. Kobe Bryant and Julius Randle are also expected to return from season-ending injuries.
Assuming some semblance of health, this season's Lakers are primed to improve upon the 21-win tire fire from 2014-15. But in order to get a far-flung sense of where they stand, we turn to the people—or rather, the mindset of the people.
Welcome to the debut of Bleacher Report's NBA fandom season previews. It's crystal ball gazing for fans, crafted from the perspective of three fanatical stereotypes: homers, pessimists and realists.
How many games will the 2015-16 Lakers win? Will they be bad enough to flirt with keeping their top-three protected pick that's owed to the Philadelphia 76ers? How about good enough to flirt with fringe playoff contention, maybe more?
Our panel of made-up basketball soothsayers each has what they believe to be the answers, and they're ready to try to make their opinions become yours.
Hollywood Homer
Check it: The basketball bros at ESPN.com have my Lakers winning 26 games. Are they kidding me? Or have they simply forgotten to count Kobe's ringzzzzz?
Just think of all the offensive firepower we have in Jordan Clarkson, Russell and Kobe. Throw in Nick Young and Williams, and you have the makings of a legitimately weaponized offense.
Plus, we have Randle coming back. General manager Mitch Kupchak compared him to Lamar Odom once, and he was presumably talking about the good version.
I didn't even mention that Marcelo Huertas dude. I heard he can pass and shoot. Our offense is just stacked with talent.
I'll admit the defense is a little shaky. But Hibbert is going to fix almost everything. Dude can protect the rim. And besides, Kobe isn't even five years removed from his last All-Defensive Team selection. And Metta World Peace was an All-Star once.
Look, the West is crazy, so don't expect a championship. But it's not unrealistic to think that the Lakers will obliterate their win total from last season and pop the playoff bubble.
Prediction: PLAYOFFS BABY
Purple and Gold Pessimist
Anyone excited about the Lakers' prospects this season is batcrap crazy. They had a terrible offseason.
They didn't sign LaMarcus Aldridge or Marc Gasol. They didn't trade for DeMarcus Cousins. I bet they didn't even bother trying to trade for Kevin Durant, either.
Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers couldn't get rid of Hibbert fast enough, Williams is a slightly more efficient Young and Russell looked like a lost toddler at the Las Vegas Summer League.
It's good that Kobe is supposed to be healthy, but he is 37 going on 82 and has played in just 41 games over the last two years. And then, per NBA.com's David Aldridge, you have head coach Byron Scott saying things like: "Kobe can play 1, 2 and 3. There's no doubt in my mind. And there's some games. against some teams, where he'll probably play 4."
WHAT?
This is not a championship team, which is all that matters. The Lakers haven't won a title in, like, forever, and anything less isn't worth watching. I mean, does Jack Nicholson even still have season tickets?
If they're smart, the Lakers will just let Kobe try to go for 50 points every night and out-tank Sam Hinkie's Sixers. This way they'll have Russell, Randle and a top-three pick next summer, and I bet that gets KD's attention.
Prediction: Less than 20 wins by design
*Editor's note: It hasn't been forever since the Lakers won a title. They were last crowned champions in 2010.
Back to Reality
All things considered, it's difficult to hate the Lakers' direction—so long as you understand it.
"In the end, without the acquisition of any game-changing free agent, the Lakers will end up as just another team in the Western Conference attempting to escape the doldrums," wrote Basketball Insiders' Moke Hamilton. "And unfortunately, they won’t be successful, at least not this season."
No, the Lakers are not going to make the playoffs. Even with 2005-06 Kobe, that would be a categorical fact. But they picked up some quality rotation players in Bass, Hibbert and Williams without compromising their financial flexibility in 2016. Since they're still obviously bent on rebuilding through free agency, that's huge.
There clearly aren't enough touches to go around on the offensive end. Kobe, Williams, Young, Russell and Clarkson make for an implosive ball-dominant bunch. On the bright side, their collective shot-creation skills could also make for an above-average offense.
It's the defense that remains beyond troubling. Hibbert is still an elite rim protector, but he's also their only one. With Randle seeing extensive time up front, it's hard to see Scott deploying anything more than another bottom-five defense again.
Provided everyone remains healthy—specifically Kobe—the best Lakers fans can hope for is a mildly entertaining team that, potential tanking attempts aside, finds out what it feels like to win 30 games again.
Prediction: 31 wins
Stats and career earnings courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise cited.
Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @danfavale.
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