2023-2024 NBA Season Preview: Los Angeles Lakers
We are officially two weeks away from the start of the 2023-24 NBA season. Up until opening night on Oct. 24, we will be previewing all 30 NBA teams! Today, we will be previewing the Los Angeles Lakers, who are coming off a valiant Western Conference Finals run spearheaded by LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
What Happened last year?
The Los Angeles Lakers had an up-and-down season in 2022-23. The team was underperforming and then the Lakers shook up the whole roster at the trade deadline. Los Angeles traded away Thomas Bryant, Patrick Beverley and Russell Westbrook and received Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley and D’Angelo Russell.
Admittedly, the roster overall did not look bad and it created some new hope for the Lakers. Los Angeles then went on a winning streak toward the end of the season. The Lakers finished the 2022-2023 season with a 43-39 record.
Los Angeles was a seventh seed in the playoffs. Surprisingly, the Lakers finished fifth in the Pacific Division as those five teams held positions 3-7 in playoff seeding. The Lakers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round in six games before beating the Golden State Warriors in the same number of games.
Unfortunately, they ran into the buzzsaw that was the Denver Nuggets, getting swept in the Western Conference Finals. However, a Western Conference birth was phenomenal considering how the Lakers looked at the beginning of the season.
Offseason Recap:
Los Angeles had a busy offseason as they resigned pieces from the last deadline as well as signed players. It started on July 6, when the Lakers signed free agents Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish and Jaxson Hayes. This provides the Lakers with depth at multiple positions. The big free agent signing was Vincent, who raised his play averaging 12.7 points, 3.5 assists and 37.8 percent from distance in the playoffs, helping the Miami Heat reach the NBA Finals for the second time in four seasons.
Los Angeles re-signed a lot of their key pieces, such as Austin Reaves and Hachimura. Hachimura was a great role player for the Lakers and Reaves became a capable starting shooting guard. Also, the Lakers re-signed Vanderbilt and Russell.
Vanderbilt is a huge part of the Lakers’ defense and Russell stepped into the point guard role averaging 17.4 points, 6.1 assists and 41.4 percent from three. The last moves from the Lakers were drafting Maxwell Lewis and Jalen Hood-Schifino, as well as signing Christian Wood. Wood is a solid big man as he is an efficient inside-out scorer and a good rebounder.
Projected Starting Five:
D’Angelo Russell, PG,– Russell is a solid starting point guard and a former All-Star. He has played with other stars before so he is a decent fit with James and Davis. He can score from all three levels but will need to improve his defense.
Austin Reaves, SG,– Reaves has been great for the Lakers as he has become an important starter. He improved last year and took another leap in the playoffs the Lakers will need him to continue to excel. He only started 22 games last year so year three could be his breakout year.
LeBron James, SF,- Everyone knows about the greatness of LeBron James there is not much else to explain. This is year 22 for The King hopefully he has another elite year.
Jarred Vanderbilt, PF,– Vanderbilt is a good defensive piece who can guard multiple positions. His offensive game leaves a little more to be desired but he has had a whole offseason to work better in the Lakers system.
Anthony Davis, C,- Finally, Anthony Davis is the most important player for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers will only go as far as Davis will take them. When he is healthy he is a top-ten player in the NBA but unfortunately, he just has not been able to stay healthy.
Notable Reserves:
Gabe Vincent, G,- Vincent will be important next year because he will have to run the second unit. He is an extremely capable backup point guard and he will be one of the better three-point shooters on the Lakers.
Rui Hachimura, F,- Hachimura will be another important player as he was an integral part of last year’s success. He works great with James and Davis and he is capable of carrying the scoring occasionally.
Biggest X Factor: Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis is no doubt the X factor this season. He averaged 25.9 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. Also, he is Los Angeles’ best defender, having averaged 1.1 steals and 2.0 blocks per game. James is still fantastic and he is consistent. He will get his solid numbers but he does not have the efficiency or defensive ability to carry the Lakers by himself, but the Lakers will need a healthy Davis for a large part of the season and, of course, the playoffs if they want to be champions.
Davis is a game-changer when he is on the court because there is no overt weakness in his game. His three-point percentage could be better but he does not shoot many in general. He led the playoffs last year with 3.1 blocks and 14.1 rebounds per game. Davis affects the game in a lot of ways and he will be imperative for their success next season.
Season Projection
The Los Angeles Lakers have a better team than last year but they are not NBA Finals favorites. The Western Conference is tough but it is always hard to count out a team with LeBron James on it. They returned their starting five as well as made good free-agent signings.
Los Angeles has better depth this year but not as good as other teams. It will come down to the health of Davis and if Father Time ever catches up with James. I have the Los Angeles Lakers finishing 46-36 as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference.
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