The NBA is back! Just like your favorite superhero story, the league brings fun, entertainment, and a lot of uncanny subplots to unpack. That’s why NBA.com Philippines decided to preview the new season comic-book style. We pick out fantastic characters that will take the stage and new amazing arcs to watch out for. Bang! Pow! Boom! Let’s go!
What’s their superpower?
Not breaking news, but LeBron James is a superpower–no matter the team, no matter the year. In Year 21, The King’s powers are different from what it was in Year 1. It's highly engineered and calibrated to its best capability. What makes his powers unstoppable is the way he harnesses it with the people around him.
The good news for the Lakers is that they’ve managed to build–at least on paper–a better-looking squad this coming season compared to the last, which is huge considering last season’s team was a series away from making it back to the finals. With Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes, and Cam Reddish donning purple and gold, it will be, as always, up to James to make them better versions of themselves.
What’s their kryptonite?
Also not breaking news, but the Lakers’ postseason results weigh heavily on the shoulders of Anthony Davis. Those shoulders are healthy so far—so are his knees. If he manages to keep it at a hundred by April to June, then the Lakers have no excuse not to make it far.
They got Wood and Hayes to fill in that hole if and when AD takes time off. Across Laker Nation, collective fingers are crossed that they won’t have to.
Who is their biggest hero?
If you were able to catch any Team USA game at the FIBA World Cup in Manila, it was easy to spot the biggest hero, the player who got the loudest cheer, the people’s champion. It was him: Austin Reaves.
Reaves is a fan-favorite for good reason. He can impact the game on both ends of the floor; he’s able to make the right play when needed and cash in a highlight when he wants to. In LA, he’s probably the fourth or fifth option, which makes him not the team’s biggest hero.
That, of course, still belongs to The King. But in an ideal Laker world where James, AD, and D’Angelo Russell are all clicking, the player who can and should turn them into a postseason threat is that fourth or fifth option.
Who is their biggest villain?
The Denver Nuggets, easy. There’s history there—way back four months ago when the Lakers were swept by the eventual champ Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.
Pettiness and Lakers’ daddy jokes aside, Denver is LA’s biggest villain just because they’re the defending champs, the new barometer in which all teams now gauge their standard. The best thing about this is that on opening night, these two teams will waste no time rekindling the fire.
Runners-up for the Lakers’ biggest villains? Father Time and the injury bug.
How does their story play out?
Every season (since LeBron James came to town), there’s always a high chance that the Lakers are going to win the championship. This season, despite it being Year No. 21 for James, is no different.
There will be drama, overreactions, midseason calls for trades, more #FutureLaker sightings, and all of that. That just comes with the territory. However the Lake Show story will play out, it’s guaranteed to be entertaining and must-watch.
