Lakers' Complete Guide, Preview for 2nd Half of 2021 NBA Season

Everything is magnified for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Whether it's the Hollywood backdrop, the franchise's storied past or the typical expectations attached to an NBA championship defense, something makes everything feel bigger when seen through purple-and-gold lenses.

Contrary to popular belief, though, the sky isn't falling amid the club's four-game losing streak. The Lakers still sit third in the Western Conference, and when Anthony Davis is healthy, they have the best two-man tandem in basketball with the Brow and LeBron James.

Heeding the advice of NFL orator Aaron Rodgers—R-E-L-A-X—let's shift focus with a look at what awaits this team in the second half of the 2020-21 season.

Schedule Breakdown

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Are the basketball gods secretly Lakers fans? The first chunk of their second-half schedule might spark some theories in that regard.

L.A. will ease into the second half in a way that should allow time for Davis to get healthy and perhaps James to get recharged. Four of its first five games are at home, and the only road trip is a quick flight up the coast to face the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco. After road tilts against the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans, it's back to Staples Center to close out March with three consecutive home games.

Six of the 11 March contests are against clubs currently under. 500, and two of the exceptions are the Indiana Pacers and Warriors, both of whom are hovering around mediocre.

The away games and competition level increase after that, but if the Lakers have a healthy Davis by then, they will be well equipped to tackle the toughest portion of their remaining slate.

State of the Stars

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The Lakers are built to go as far as James and Davis can take them. Considering the pair has clobbered opponents by a gargantuan plus-14.6 net rating across 517 minutes together, that could be very far.

But they need to be healthy and fresh to make that happen.

On the health front, all eyes are on Davis and his return from a right-calf strain. An initial timetable had the big fella down for at least four weeks—he last suited up Feb. 14—and it doesn't sound like that time frame is accelerating.

"He's not allowed to run around the court obviously," Lakers coach Frank Vogel told reporters. "So it's really just about strengthening the leg around the calf, and he's able to lift upper body. I think that's his focal point right now."

While James has mostly avoided the injury bug, his workload is increasing. He has topped 40 minutes four times in February and is averaging 38.2 minutes for the month. But the 36-year-old swingman dismissed the notion he should trim his floor time or take any rest days.

"I'm here to work," James told reporters. "I'm here to punch my clock in and be available to my teammates, and if I'm hurt or if I'm not feeling well, then we can look at it then."

Potential Upgrades

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The Lakers will likely tweak their roster between now and season's end. The manner in which they do it might determine the level of move they are able to make.

They could hit the trade market and see what clubs would send back for a trade chip like second-year swingman Talen Horton-Tucker. Teams can never have too much shooting, the center position seems worth monitoring and the offense might need another shot-creator.

But L.A. could be bigger players in the buyout market. With Quinn Cook on the way out, the Lakers will have two open roster spots to perhaps bring in whatever win-now talent clears waivers. The Athletic's Jovan Buha explored potential buyout candidates and listed the likes of Blake Griffin, George Hill, Andre Drummond, P.J. Tucker, Trevor Ariza, Hassan Whiteside and JaVale McGee.

In an ideal world, the Lakers could add both a bouncy center who can play above the rim and defend the paint and a big wing to help cover tricky defensive matchups. Saying that, ideal options don't always surface on the buyout market, so L.A.'s decision-makers will have to make sense of what's available.

All stats courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball Reference unless otherwise noted.