NBA Hall of Famer Predicts Lakers Will Repeat After Incredible Off Season

Published 11/25/2020, 4:00 PM EST

The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the biggest winners in Free Agency. They managed to bring in the reigning Sixth Man of the Year in Montrezl Harrell, his runner-up in Dennis Schroder, and two solid veterans in Marc Gasol and Wesley Matthews. They already had a strong team, and now they have grown stronger.

During his appearance on the Dan Patrick Show, Hall of Famer Charles Barkley praised the Lakers for their off-season moves. Unsurprisingly, he also named them as the title favorites.

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He said, “Schroder is a great backup. I think he ran into trouble when he was starting in Atlanta, but you saw in Oklahoma City, he’s a great backup.

“They got Montrezl Harrell coming off the bench. Gasol to me is a really good pickup. Don’t forget Wes Matthews. But listen, all that stuff is irrelevant.

“You got LeBron and AD, you can get 5 guys off the street (for them) and they’ve got 5 guys who can really play. The Lakers are going to be the clear front runners for the championship.”

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Will the Lakers live up to the expectations?

Last season, the Bucks and the Clippers were named as the favorites. Both succumbed to that pressure and had embarrassing exits in the Playoffs.

Meanwhile, the unfavored Lakers kept their heads low and played at a high level, which eventually led them to the championship. Now they have to bear the burden of the favorites tag.

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LeBron James and Anthony Davis showed how deadly they can be without having another star name on the team. And now they have brought in Harrell and Schroder, who are quality players, much better than what they had last season.

So it will be tougher for them, mentally, and also defensively, since they lost 3 excellent defenders in Avery Bradley, Dwight Howard, and JaVale McGee. The responsibility on Davis will increase, but he has the veteran Gasol alongside him to help.

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While the West hasn’t gotten any tougher, the Lakers need to worry about the Nets. They got Kevin Durant back from injury and combined with Kyrie Irving, they will be a serious problem. All eyes will be on the Lakers, as the season begins in a month’s time.

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Aaron Mathew is a sports analyst at EssentiallySports. A graduate in Mass Media from Xavier’s College, Aaron has been a part of EssentiallySports since May 2020 where he covers both NBA and NCAA basketball news, and has also covered NBA 2K. In the past, Aaron has worked at the Sports Desk of Mumbai Mirror.

NBA Hall of Famer Predicts Lakers Will Repeat After Incredible Off Season

Will the Lakers live up to the expectations?

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