The Los Angeles Lakers shocked everyone last season when the storied franchise was able to completely turn their season around by trading Russell Westbrook and bringing in a crop of role players that proved to be exactly what the team needed to make a deep playoff run.
After adding D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, and Rui Hachimura into the mix, the Lakers were able to make it to the Play-In Tournament and then go on to defy the odds in the NBA playoffs by reaching the Western Conference Finals, defeating the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors in consecutive series.
With the Lakers brass seemingly putting the right pieces together and finally parting ways with Westbrook, the team’s goal in the offseason was to keep the roster intact while addressing some other areas of need in NBA free agency.
GM Rob Pelinka and the team’s front office were able to do just that, and now the Lakers are getting some buzz as a legitimate title contender heading into the 2023-24 NBA season.
According to Zach Lowe of ESPN, the Lakers can make another deep run in the postseason because last season was no fluke, via NBA on ESPN.
"They are in the inner circle of title contenders."@ZachLowe_NBA on the Lakers' potential this season. pic.twitter.com/d23aRQPflp
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 21, 2023
Even though the team was able to win the offseason with the moves they made, it remains to be seen whether this team can put it all together again next season while keeping their superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis healthy for another 82-game grind.
There’s no question this team has the talent, leadership, and coaching to get the job done, but there’s no guarantee the Lakers can have a repeat performance.
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