Overview of their 2021-2022 season
It’s time to admit the truth: the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2021-2022 season was one of the biggest let-downs in franchise history.
Any team in the league that has LeBron James on the roster would expect to be at least in playoff contention. They recently won a championship in the 2020 bubble and were working to replicate their Finals run the following year. However, we obviously didn’t see that happen.
The Lakers were poised to recover from their first-round elimination against the Phoenix Suns last year, but they surprised everyone when they gave up a huge chunk of their core player rotation. They traded veterans Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who were part of the 2020 championship squad, and big man Montrezl Harrell for Russell Westbrook. With James and Anthony Davis, Westbrook completed a supposed Big Three that may rule the league and win the championship back for the Purple and Gold.
Unfortunately, the trio didn’t mesh up as well as they should have so they ended up finishing with a record of 33-49, missing the postseason that resulted in the dismissal of Head Coach Frank Vogel.
What’s new this season?
Westbrook still averaged a high 30.3 points for the season but due to the lack of team chemistry, those numbers didn’t convert into wins. James missed 26 games while Davis missed 42, giving Westbrook more workload and, of course, the flak from the fans.
Now, this upcoming season is going to be about redemption. The trio is anticipated to make a comeback this year as the franchise decided to stick with Westbrook. The Brow declared himself physically ready to lead the Lakers in a bounce-back year. In addition to that, new head coach Darvin Ham also plans to organize the offense around Davis, in order to minimize the workload of four-time MVP James, who is about to enter his 20th season.
THE guy
Everyone already knows who THE GUY is for L.A. It’s none other than King James, and he is still proving his superiority on the court even in his 20th year. Adding to his long list of accolades, he recently became the fifth player in NBA history to reach 30,000 points and 10,000 career rebounds, and the first player to record 9,000 assists with the prior two records.
He’s arguably one of the best, if not the best, player to ever join the NBA. His speed, size, and high basketball IQ gives him an edge against his opponents. He is able to blow past large defenders or shoot the ball in the perimeter. Other than his superb offense, his playmaking abilities are also one of the most commended in the league. James has excellent court vision, making it easy to spot Davis and his teammates in open spots, and he is an elite passer who can get the ball to them.
Sneaky fun guy
The Lakers traded Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson to Utah in exchange for Patrick Beverley. He was acquired to address the lack of outside shooting and perimeter defense in the team. As a 3-and-D backcourt role player in the league, Beverley would surely make an immediate impact for the Lakers.
Other than that, the veteran guard can also do secondary ballhandling duties, running pick-and-roll plays and penetrating the defense when spotting up on the opposite side of the rim. With his skillset and experience, he will thrive alongside ball-dominant players like James and Westbrook, just like during his playing time with James Harden for the Houston Rockets, and Kawhi Leaonard and Paul George for the Los Angeles Clippers. Beverley is the type of player that is going to lock down the opponents’ frontcourt, and at the same time, push his teammates to be more active off the ball.
Vibe check
The addition of Beverley and Dennis Schroder to the lineup can add more stability to their guard positions. We will also see improvement in field goals with Austin Reaves and the recent pick-up of Lonnie Walker IV.
Now stacked with a better frontcourt and deeper bench wing production, it is exciting to see how James, Davis, and Westbrook will fare and lead their Purple and Gold squad back to its former competitive level.
