With the Milwaukee Bucks officially crowned as the reigning NBA Champions, the race for next season’s title has already begun.
Naturally, contending teams looked to the offseason to make signings and pull of trades in an effort to make their team better, and the Lakers have been identified as one of the biggest winners.
After being eliminated in round one by the eventual Champs, the Lakeshow responded by making a string of acquisitions, including Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Wayne Ellington, and more.
And while feelings are flying high among Lakers fans, there are some who still have doubts they can make things work.
For Gerald Bourguet of FanSided, for example, there’s a simple way this new-look Lakers team can be stopped: a 2-3 zone.
https://twitter.com/washedbev/status/1424106422124662784https://twitter.com/GeraldBourguet/status/1424155617741078532
In the comments, fans continued down that line of thinking…
Any team playing them after 20 games. AD will hurt his ankle/something. Carmelo doesn’t do enough, Westbrook is an animal but can’t shoot and Lebron will be busy making SpaceJam 2 after AD gets hurt.
— Body (@RGK91605631) August 8, 2021
How many teams have you seen play 2-3 with sustained success in the NBA? Your tweet is funny and all but 0% chance it works game in and out in the NBA.
— Aaron Phillips (@aphil_12) August 8, 2021
I can't wait for the season and for the narrative to switch from they old to but but Lebron always gotta stack teams that championship don't count 😂
— hayesc03 (@hayesc03) August 8, 2021
Totally agree!! Also there age will be the number 2 stopper!! A young Phoenix club will beat them outta the West..
— JevonCarterSzn #Bulldog #Wvu (@JevonCarterszn) August 8, 2021
I hope they play that lineup all the time. Might as well erase the 3pt line
— Kenn Korb (@packer_craze) August 7, 2021
3-4 years ago this lineup would have been scary to play…next season? No
— DaVe24 (@Dbake2) August 8, 2021
Obviously, as good as this Lakers team is, they do have a number of flaws. Besides the age of most of the players, which is well beyond the average, there is a glaring lack of shooting, save for a few role-players.
Still, their roster is undeniably interesting, and that much is pretty clear. Here’s what ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski had to say about it:
“Free agency moves fast. Players are coming off the board, you’ve got to be aggressive in there and find the right pieces. And LA, certainly a lot of players in this group who have been in LA before. Trevor Ariza, Dwight Howard. But then Carmelo Anthony, obviously a lot of history with LeBron James. They go back to their teenage years at the old ABCD All-American camp, they certainly played together on Team USA. So he has become one of the better catch and shoot three-point shooters in his later years, this is a top-10 all-time scorer, and this is really unique group with tremendous star power…This is going to be an interesting ride with them next season.”
LeBron and the Lakers have put together some interesting teams in the past, teams that include names like JaVale McGee, Lance Stephenson, and Rajon Rondo.
And now, they’ve got a clunky roster with some guys many would consider being past their prime.
Nonetheless, there is both faith and doubt that they can reach their goals. We’ll see which gets proven right in the end.
