Tactics

The Lakers hired Frank Vogel in the 2019 offseason due to the 46-year old’s playoff experience - he led the Indiana Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals in both 2013 and 2014. Vogel has been vocal about the Lakers’ offensive power for this season, and has suggested that their ‘90s-throwback’ post offense through Anthony Davis will be a key asset to the team going forward. In LeBron James, the Lakers have a player that can act as both the chief playmaker and key scorer, whilst the additions of Davis and Dwight Howard give Los Angeles tremendous height on the inside. With these guys on the court, it allows for players like Rajon Rondo or even Quinn Cook to use pick-and-roll plays to create scoring opportunities. Offensively, the Lakers could create the most devastating play in the league with a Davis/James pick-and-roll, but it is important for this team to keep the offense varied and diverse to avoid the physical effects of relentlessly using AD in the post, like we saw against the Clippers on opening night. On defense, the addition of Davis vastly improves the Lakers’ quality. His frame, ability to grab rebounds and make blocks will be the staple of this Lakers team without the ball, and we saw the value of having Davis suited up against the Jazz. The Lakers are aggressive and physical on defense, using their bigs to protect the paint whilst Danny Green and Bradley can protect the perimeter.

Predicted 2019-20 Record: 53-29

I believe the Lakers will dramatically improve upon their regular season record from last year. Some readers may even consider this prediction to have fewer wins than expected, but I anticipate Davis and James to both have some sort of ‘load management’ or whatever it is that the elite players are beginning to do (thanks for that, Kawhi). In James and Davis the Lakers have arguably two of the top five players in the league, and this isn’t the NFL - if you put two of the five best players in the game on the same team, they’re going to have success. It’s Western Conference Finals or bust for the Lakers in 2019-20.