“Everyone will be backtracking on their words 10 games into the season” - NBA scout reckons the new-look LA Lakers will silence their critics
The new-look LA Lakers have drawn plenty of criticism for how old their roster is right now. They are the only team with an average age of over 30 heading into the upcoming NBA season.
Several analysts feel that the Lakers will find it tough to get going. However, an anonymous NBA scout thinks otherwise.
Here's what NBA Analysis Network's Evan Massey reported:
"Just texted with an #NBA scout about the #Lakers. [He said] "Let the haters hate. Everyone will be back-tracking on their words 10 games into the season. This team is going to be GOOD."'
The LA Lakers added Russell Westbrook to their roster this offseason. The main reason behind his addition was to give the team an additional playmaker. LeBron James will be turning 37 by the end of this year, so the Lakers are looking to manage his workload for next season.
Just texted with an #NBA scout about the #Lakers.
"Let the haters hate. Everyone will be back-tracking on their words 10 games into the season. This team is going to be GOOD."
Following Westbrook's addition, the LA Lakers also added several veteran role players. That includes the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Kent Bazemore and DeAndre Jordan.
The LA Lakers currently have a variety of players to work with. They have deployed different lineups around Westbrook, James and Davis in practice sessions as they continue to prepare for the preseason that starts on October 4th.
They are obviously happy with their offseason and roster re-construction, but only time will tell how successful their experiment will be.
How far can the LA Lakers go in the 2021-22 NBA season?
The LA Lakers are well aware that this is a championship-or-bust season. Their management and players have pointed this out too.
As far as their roster composition is concerned, they do look like title-contenders. If healthy in the postseason, the team will have a great advantage over their opponents due to their experience.
However, the LA Lakers will take time to get going. Only three players from last season are with the squad for the upcoming campaign. So it may take a while for them to build on-court chemistry. However, once the players get used to each other, they will likely be an unstoppable force.
Vogel said not to overreact to the lineups we see in the first four preseason games. Ideally, they’ll have some direction for the starters and rotation by the fifth and sixth preseason games. But they’ll try out several options.
The Lakers have multiple shooters who made 40% of their shots from the three-point line last season. They also have fast-break specialists in Russell Westbrook and LeBron James, which gives their offense a dynamic look.
If the LA Lakers manage to execute their plans to perfection and stay in top shape physically through the postseason, they could go on to win the NBA championship.