
USA Today via Reuters
May 15, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) gets a high five from forward Anthony Davis (3) after a foul in the second quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

USA Today via Reuters
May 15, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) gets a high five from forward Anthony Davis (3) after a foul in the second quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
17-time NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers have been busy during the off-season. While they won the NBA championship in 2020, they failed to go past the first round last season and crashed out of the championship. After a poor title defense last season, the Lakers have strengthened their roster with some quality signings.
They have had 13 incomings to their roster for the coming season. Carmelo Anthony, Malik Monk, Dwight Howard, Russell Westbrook are some of the quality additions to the Lakers roster. However, they have also had 13 departures, which include Alex Caruso, Kyle Kuzma, Jared Dudley, and Andre Drummond.

via Getty
Los Angeles, CA, Saturday, February 6, 2021 – Lakers teammates enjoy their pregame ritual before taking on the Detroit Pistons at Staples Center. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith also rates the Lakers roster highly. In a recent interview, Stephen revealed the purple and gold player who he thinks should take the last shot.
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Stephen A. Smith reveals the Lakers player who should take the last shot
Stephen shared his thoughts about the Lakers and the Nets for the coming season. However, in the end, he was asked about the player who should take the last shot. To this, Stephen replied, “AD or LeBron.”
Can’t blame Smith for his choice. Anyone would expect one of the best clutch players of the game to take the last shot. LeBron James is among the NBA players with the most clutch performances in the past two decades.
Most game-tying/go-ahead FG in the final minute (last 25 seasons):
🐍 Kobe – 101
👑 LeBron – 97 pic.twitter.com/PIqsWUVX76— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 20, 2021
While many would completely agree with Stephen A. on this, some would argue the inclusion of Anthony Davis. Both AD and James struggled with injuries last season. As a result, the Lakers struggled in both the regular season and the playoffs. However, now that they have a revamped roster, they can challenge for the NBA title once again.
Stephen A. Smith feels Brooklyn Nets are the front-runners for the coming season
In a recent interview, NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith has talked about the title contenders for the coming season. Stephen thinks the Nets are the front-runners for the coming season, ahead of the Lakers. He also talked about how stacked the Lakers roster is for the coming season.
“The Los Angeles Lakers are not the front runners, that would happen to be the Brooklyn Nets,” Stephen A. said.
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“That being said, I fully expect the Lakers to meet them in the NBA finals. And how will they come together? It’s very, very simple. LeBron James is one of the top two players on the planet. AD is one of the top five players on the planet. Russell Westbrook is a superstar and that three-headed monster, along with some of the pickups, Carmelo Anthony, Malik Monk. People like that, they are built for the postseason.”
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The Lakers and the Nets definitely boast one of the strongest rosters in the NBA right now. Both teams already had some of the world’s best players and they’ve added more firepower during the off-season. If in case the Nets and the Lakers face each other in the NBA finals next season, NBA’s viewership will skyrocket by massive numbers.
READ MORE: Kyle Kuzma Reveals Which Lakers Legends Helped Him Settle in Los Angeles
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