The Los Angeles Lakers haven’t been the most active team this offseason as many anticipated them to be. After a season where they could not even make it to the play-in tournament, many thought retooling the roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis was a must.
Although they did revamp the rotational unit, they still hadn’t tinkered with some rotational players like Talen Horton-Tucker. After a disappointing season where the guard did not step up, the gamble of keeping Horton-Tucker on the roster certainly did not pay off. Given how he couldn’t have much impact on both ends of the floor, the Lakers finally traded the guard along with Stanley Johnson and brought in veteran Patrick Beverley.
While Beverley might not be the best player offensively, he is a menace for other guards defensively. Often guarding the best guards in the game, Beverley defends with tenacity and physicality and is pretty persistent as well. This leads to a very less shooting efficiency for the opposition.
Lakers now have two guys on the list 👀 pic.twitter.com/8yhbaWm5ye
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 25, 2022
In fact, with Beverley on their roster, the Lakers now have two top five defenders in Beverley and Davis, who have allowed the least field goal percentage as closest defenders.
This is certainly a great sign for Laker fans. With Beverley in their lineup, the Purple and Gold should have a lockdown defender for the best guards in the league. While the likes of Westbrook haven’t been the best in defending other players, Beverley’s defense can have a massive impact on terms of the team’s overall defense.
Apart from that, the 2020 NBA champions will hope that Anthony Davis can stay healthy throughout the season. While last season he had a horrible time shooting the ball, when healthy, he showed why he was perhaps one of the most versatile defenders in the league.
With LeBron James showing that he can still average around 30 points per game and Davis also contributing to about 25 points per game when healthy, the Purple and Gold already have a decent offense for the upcoming season. If they can tidy things up in the defensive end, the Lakers can surely be a dark horse contender. What are your expectations from the Lakers?
