The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most followed franchises in basketball history. The impact that the ShowTime with Magic Johnson generated among young generations in the 1980s is still present today. In the last couple of seasons,the Lakers were mediocre, for they did not make it past the first round on any occasion, and the team could not clinch a playoff spot in another season.
The team seemed to make a successful adjustment when they got rid of Russell Westbrook’s massive contract in Jan. 2023. The team added interesting pieces in the trade deadline resulting in a trip to the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers were defeated 4-0.
Although the team came from a tough loss against the Nuggets, the future was bright. In the Free Agency, the team got much better, adding players such as Gabet Vincent, Jaxon Hayes, Cam Reddish, Christian Wood and others. Also, the team managed to re-sign young players like Rui Hachimura, Austin Reeves and D’Angelo Russel. And their main stars, LeBron James and Anthony Davis seem to be healthy now. So, the Lakers team has a shot at winning the 2024 NBA Championship.
The first reason is that teams like the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat lost some of their strength. The NBA has a lot of competitiveness now, but there are a few clear contenders, and the Lakers are on top.The second reason is that the Lakers team has experience in winning championships with James and Davis. This team can use their veteran skills to take down some of the young cores in the league.
The Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal era marked another peak of this franchise in the early 2000s. After Kobe’s retirement in 2016, the team went on to an enormous reconstruction, and the question of who would carry Bryant’s torch remained unknown for several years. In the summer of 2018, everything for the Lakers drastically changed.
After the free agency opened in 2018, it was announced that LeBron James was joining the Lakers franchise and the rest was history.
Unfortunately, Kobe Bryant passed away on Jan. 26, 2020, in a helicopter crash, resulting in the death of his daughter, GiGi Bryant, and nine passengers onboard. Bad news continued when in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic gave the NBA no choice but to suspend the regular season.
The NBA resumed action months later in Orlando, however the league had to make a bubble to restrict the access of outsiders in the competition.
At the end of the bubble tournament, the Lakers won the championship, the fourth LeBron ring and the Finals Most Valuable Player award.
In the last couple of seasons, the Lakers were mediocre, for they did not make it past the first round on one occasion, and the team could not clinch a playoff spot in another season.
The team seemed to make a successful adjustment when they got rid of Russel Westbrook’s massive contract in Jan. 2023. The team added interesting pieces in the trade deadline resulting in a trip to the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers were defeated 4-0.
Although the team came from a tough loss against the Nuggets, the future was bright for them. In the Free Agency, the team got much better, adding players such as Gabet Vincent, Jaxon Hayes, Cam Reddish, Christian Wood and others.
Also, the team managed to re-sign young players like Rui Hachimura, Austin Reeves and D’Angelo Russel. And their main stars, LeBron and Anthony Davis seem to be healthy now. So, the Lakers team has a shot at winning the 2024 NBA Championship.
The first reason is that teams like the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat lost some of their strength. The NBA has a lot of competitiveness now, but there are a few clear contenders, and the Lakers are on top.
The second reason is that the Lakers team has experience in winning championships with LeBron and Davis. This team can use their veteran skills to take down some of the young cores in the league.
Without a doubt this Lakers roster is a treat to the whole league and will hopefully result in future victories on the court.