The Los Angeles Lakers have completely reshaped their squad going into the new season. Last season, the Lakers were getting ready to defend the NBA championship that they won in 2020. But the Lakers had a lot of struggles. Anthony Davis suffered an injury in January that kept him out for most of the regular season.
Whereas LeBron James also suffered an ankle injury in March that kept him out for the rest of the regular season. He returned for the NBA Playoffs, where Davis was also back.
But the Lakers struggled greatly with form and chemistry and were knocked out by the Suns in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs. Their playoff exit came down to another untimely injury to Anthony Davis.
This was the first time LeBron James was knocked out of the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Clearly not looking to take that, James and the Lakers got to work and decided to revamp their roster to make it a true championship contender.
The Lakers got rid of every player they had aside from James, Davis, and Talen Horton-Tucker. The first big move the Lakers pulled off was a trade to bring All-Star and Finals MVP Russell Westbrook to join the franchise to form a big three with James and Davis.
Then, the Lakers made a lot of smart moves in the free-agent market. The Lakers signed veteran free agents like Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington, and Kent Bazemore. On top of that, they also signed young stars like Malik Monk and Kendrick Nunn.
The Lakers are not taking any chances, and they’re looking to get back to NBA championship status. But how does their team line up with their 2019-20 title-winning squad?
The Lakers starting five during the 2019-2020 championship season was quite different from their potential starting five now. The Lakers had Avery Bradley, Danny Green, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and JaVale McGee.
Whereas now, the Lakers squad looks very different. Currently, their potential starting five could be Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Dwight Howard.
The only remnants from the Lakers’ 2020 championship team are LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Talen Horton-Tucker, and Dwight Howard, who just came back to the team after leaving last season for the Philadelphia 76ers.
