Home

NBA

Former Lakers’ Star Makes a Bold Prediction for Team Ahead of Next NBA Season

Published 11/28/2020, 4:47 PM EST

Follow Us

USA Today via Reuters

The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the busiest teams this off season. They have brought in stars like Dennis Schroder and Montrezl Harrell to replace older veterans like Rajon Rondo and Dwight Howard.

These trades and signings have made them one of the favorites for the next season. Even 5-time NBA champion and Lakers legend Michael Cooper thinks that the team is in for a repeat.

Cooper recently made an appearance on the SiriusXM NBA Radio and said, “I was a little hesitant because they just had a great run with some great talented players and then you see Rajon Rondo disappear and everybody starts losing but I think Jeanie Buss, Rob Pelinka, and the powers that be at the Lakers office are making some good moves.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Cooper also talked about the recent additions. He said, “We talked a little bit about Montrezl Harrell, I like him. I think that’s a great addition after losing Howard. I like Wesley Matthews until they re-signed KCP, to me that’s two similar players but again you got some high athletes with basketball IQ… The key is going to be getting Anthony Davis back which he will be, LeBron James getting a little bit of rest and if everybody can come together and keep the chemistry that they had especially in the bubble.”

Cooper added, “I like a lot of the moves… I personally think the Lakers are going to go back-to-back.”

What might be the biggest challenges for the Lakers?

The Los Angeles Lakers are in for a historically short off-season lasting only seventy-seven days. They are coming in with multiple new signings and trades.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

The champions will surely be one tired bunch of players with such a deep playoff run. One might not see much of their stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis early in the season.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest NBA stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

USA Today via Reuters

They will also be without the veteran experience of Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee. This might be a disadvantage because the vets have been known to turn it up a notch when the playoffs arrive. It will be a big challenge for the new additions of the Lakers.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

The champions do have a deep roster after such a busy off-season but still lack depth at some positions. They still haven’t signed a third point guard for their team, and the number of quality options available in the market is less.

The Los Angeles Lakers till now look like the favorites for another championship. But with the aforementioned challenges, the path will be tougher than it looks.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Aditya Mohapatra

1,275Articles

One take at a time

Aditya Mohapatra is a sports enthusiast who primarily covers the NBA for EssentiallySports. Having graduated in Mass Communication, he has prior experience in writing for ABP News, and has been writing for EssentiallySports since November 2020. This die-hard Los Angeles Lakers fan feels that LeBron James is the best thing to have ever happened to the NBA, and will hold a healthy debate with anyone suggesting otherwise.
Show More>