New FSM Season Preview: The 2021-22 Los Angeles Lakers

New FSM Season Preview: The 2021-22 Los Angeles Lakers

Franchise Sports Media

 

Welcome to the start of the 2021-2022 NBA season. The Los Angeles Lakers are revamped and ready to make a run at title #17. Ahed of opening night, let’s get caught up and preview the Lakers upcoming season.

 

The Los Angeles Lakers are coming off of a disappointing 2020-21 season. The Purple and Gold were plagued with inconsistency, lack of chemistry, and injuries to their stars, as well as key role players. So the 16-time NBA champions got busy this offseason, bolstering their lineup with big free agency trades and signings.

Perhaps the biggest move made in the NBA was when the Lakers traded for Long Beach native and All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook. “Brodie” will join small forward LeBron James and power forward Anthony Davis in creating the Lakers’ new “Big Three.” The Lakers also picked up center DeAndre Jordan, along with bringing back a ton of former players who once wore Purple and Gold. L.A. brought back former Lakers Rajon Rondo, Trevor Ariza, Kent Bazemore, Wayne Ellington, Avery Bradley, and fan-favorite Dwight Howard. The Lakers added even more depth to their bench adding Kendrick Nunn, Malik Monk, and former NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony to the current roster.

Lots of questions have been circulating the media airways and the fanbase in regards to how this new-look Lakers team will gel together.

They are projected to have the oldest starting lineup in NBA history with Talen Horton-Tucker being the only real “young gun” along with Nunn. The team is composed of legendary players that we have seen over the course of the past decade and a half. Carmelo Anthony has looked better in his two seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers and Westbrook put up great numbers with the Washington Wizards. With Anthony’s role as a role player, it will be interesting to see how they play as teammates.

 

Anthony Davis, now in his third season at Staples Center, has a faced questions about his health as a plethora of injuries plagued his season last year

 

Davis struggled with a groin injury late in the season that forced him to miss extended time and affected his availability against the Phoenix Suns in the playoffs. Davis left game six after just over four minutes of action due to reaggravating the injury. This season, Davis is looking to stay healthy and show the world why he is worthy of the five-year supermax contract he signed after the Lakers’ 2020 championship year.

Health will be the key for Davis as well as LeBron James. “The King” was bothered by nagging injuries last season that caused him to play in only 45 games. This year he won’t have to be the primary ball-handler with Westbrook, Rondo, Nunn, and Bradley on the team. That should limit the wear and tear on James’ body and allow him to get the ball on the wing in space to create offense.

The big question mark for the Lakers will be how quickly they can come together as a unit. The Lakers team chemistry last season wasn’t great, unlike the previous year when they won their 16th championship. The moves Lakers Vice President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka made this offseason were calculated changes that resemble that 2020 squad. He got away from the blueprint he had in 21. He was bold enough to scrap it and go back to what worked.

 

The returning players will be key for this season.

 

Avery Bradley was with the Lake Show until the pandemic shutdown in 2020 but left the team when the season resumed in the bubble. Now he is back looking to bring the defense for which he is known. Dwight Howard also won the championship with the team that same year but left to play for the Philadelphia 76ers after miscommunications with the front office. In his third stint with the Lakers, Howard is looking to be the powerhouse off the bench and get the points and rebounds needed in the paint while bringing energy to the floor.

Trevor Ariza’s last game with the Purple and Gold was during their championship year in the 2008-09 season. After bouncing around eight different teams since that year, Ariza is back home in the Purple and Gold. Ariza will likely be a reserve for the time being, but his 41.1% field goal shooting could be a factor when the starters are resting during games down the stretch.

One other thing to watch for is the strength of schedule. For the first 20 games of the season, the Lakers have the easiest schedule in their division, as well as tied with the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets, all of whom have opponent winning percentages of 44.4%. The Lakers have the easiest five-game stretch of any team on the full schedule, with games five through nine featuring two games against the Houston Rockets, two games against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and one against the Cleveland Cavaliers, all with a combined 2020-21 record of 59-155.

 

The Lakers open up their 2021-22 season this tonight October 19 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California against the Golden State Warriors at 7:00 PM PT. The game can be seen live on TNT.

 

 

 – Matt Dobbs – Franchise Sports Media

Follow Matt on Twitter @RecordBowlerFSM

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