Rob Pelinka and the Los Angeles’ Lakers front-office has been very busy this offseason not only in terms of adding NBA championship-caliber players to their roster, but the Lakers added a ton of notable names to their roster this offseason in attempts to win their 18th championship in team history.
Coming off of their championship run in the NBA Bubble back in 2020, the Lakers began the 2020-21 season very hot, winning 21 of their first 27 games, but then Anthony Davis went down with a calf injury LeBron James suffered a high ankle sprain.
With their two stars out, likely because of durability issues with the quick turnaround from the bubble to a new season, the Lakers struggled mightily, and they did not get Davis nor James back until near the end of the season.
By then, Los Angeles had already fallen in the standings, and they had to earn the 7-seed by defeating the Golden State Warriors in a one-game play-in game.
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In the first round against the Suns, LeBron James still looked bothered by his ankle sprain, and Anthony Davis still looked a little off, but then Davis suffered a groin injury that kept him sidelined for the back-end of this series. The Lakers lost to the Suns 4-2 in the first round, thus beginning their offseason much earlier than expected.
However, this early exit in the playoffs may have been the best thing for LeBron James and Co. The Lakers have finally had a chance to relax and refresh their bodies, something they did not get to do last year.
Los Angeles only had 50 days between Game 6 of the 2020 NBA Finals and their Opening Night matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers to begin the 2020-21 season, which was no time whatsoever for them to get healthy again relax.
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The Lakers will have had 138 days between Game 6 against the Suns in the playoffs and their Opening Night matchup against the Warriors, which is highly advantageous to them. Not only are LeBron James and Anthony Davis ready to prove Los Angeles is still the best team in the Western Conference, but they have some pretty big names to back them up.
Russell Westbrook, Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, Carmelo Anthony, Kendrick Nunn, Kent Bazemore, Trevor Ariza, and a handful of other impactful players joined the Lakers this year offseason, not only giving the Lakers a ton of talent but giving them years of experience.
As of right now, the Lakers’ average age of their roster is just about 31.5-years-old, making them one of the oldest teams in NBA history!
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So far, they have a combined 149-years of NBA playing experience on their roster, which is why this Los Angeles Lakers team is unique. We really have not seen a team like this put together before, which is why they will absolutely be a team to watch during the 2021-22 season, but the Lakers are not done yet.
Rumors continue to circulate Marc Gasol’s future. Now, with the Lakers expected to sign DeAndre Jordan after he reaches a buyout agreement with the Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles may be adding yet another former All-Star to their roster. With this said, let’s check out the latest intel surrounding some key storylines relating to the Lakers as training camp nears.
