Despite Play-in Situation, Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Believes Healthy Lakers Are as Undefeatable as Before

Published 05/19/2021, 9:08 AM EDT

The Los Angeles Lakers, who were an offensive powerhouse last season, find themselves in a pickle right now. They went through the regular season shorthanded as LeBron James and Anthony Davis were benched with respective injuries.

At present, the Lakers stand at the seventh seed in the West, just at the brink of clinching a playoff spot. However, they have an entire Play-in tournament to survive in order to have a chance at defending the title.

The former champions, finishing 42-30 in the regular season, are still recovering from an injury-plagued phase. Fortunately, Bron and AD made a promising comeback on the court in the last couple of games. But, without a doubt, they have a long way to go.

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Will Lakers exhibit dominance yet again?

Former Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar believes the LA team is going to be as fierce as before if injuries don’t play spoilsport. Kareem told Lakers’ opponents to particularly watch out if the All-star duo unleashes their dominance in the upcoming Play-ins.

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“If Lakers are healthy, watch out. That’s all I’m gonna say. If they got injuries, Davis gets hurt LeBron’s ankle doesn’t hold up, they can’t do it without the horses. But, when those guys are healthy, that’s a tough team,” Kareem told Player FM. “You’re not gonna beat them easily.”

That message could be solely directed towards Golden State Warriors for now. An intense matchup between the two rivals, Lakers and Warriors is coming up, and it smells quite competitive.

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On one hand, there is MVP-like Steph Curry, breaking records like no other in the league this season. And then there’s Playoff LeBron, who can thrash defenders if at all being healthy is the only concern.

Do you think Los Angeles Lakers have the winning spark left in them?

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Pavni Ahuja is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Housing a keen interest in sports journalism, she is pursuing an undergraduate Journalism degree from Christ University. Pavni is an ardent fan of the NBA, with prior district-level playing experience in basketball.

Despite Play-in Situation, Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Believes Healthy Lakers Are as Undefeatable as Before

Will Lakers exhibit dominance yet again?

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