Today we’ll take a look at the 2020 NBA Champs, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers were predicted to win the 2019-2020 season with Lebron and Anthony Davis joining forces in LA. The season came to a pause and resumed in the summer of 2020 in “The Bubble.” Although the year had its ups and downs the Lakers came out on top and brought another title to Los Angeles. LA fans waited patiently for this title and it was just as sweet as any other. Today’s topic is “How Good is the Lakers Roster This Season?”

So let’s get into the starting lineup for the 2020-2021 Lakers squad. 

POINT GUARD: Lebron James #23

It’s no surprise that Lebron James is starting in the point guard position. He can do it all and his court vision is one of the best in the NBA. He’s a BIG guard standing tall at 6’9 and 250 pounds. In the 2019-2020 season, he was shooting 49% from the field and 34.8% from the three. He averaged 25.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 10.2 assists for the regular season. Lebron is one of the greats and can play from anywhere on the floor. With him, the Lakers have an advantage over most teams because he can dominate at every position. Plus having a 6’9 point guard, most teams will struggle guarding him at that position with his height and power.

SHOOTING GUARD: Dennis Schroder #17

In his first season with the Lakers, Schroder is starting in the shooting guard position. He was traded to the Lakers after playing two seasons for the OKC Thunder. His previous season, he shot 47% from the field and 38.5% from the three. Schroder averaged 18.9 points, and 4 assists per game with OKC. At OKC, Schroder was a solid bench player and runner up for the Sixth Man of the Year award. He intends on starting as the point guard, even though Lebron has already filled the position. So I guess we’ll have to see what the final positions will be at the start of the season. He’s a great addition to the Lakers and with Rondo gone, he may deliver a bit more than he did. 

SMALL FORWARD: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope #1

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is going into his fourth season with LA. He’s been in the shooting guard position, but with the recent additions to the team he’s been moved to the small forward position for the 2020-2021 season. In the previous season with the Lakers he shot 46% from the field and 38.5% from the three. He’s a solid role player and has averaged 9.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.  He’s a great shooter and helps open up the floor for others to take it to the rack. He’s also a great defender, and with Lebron, Schroder and Davis, he plays all the supporting roles that need to be filled. 

POWER FORWARD: Anthony Davis #3

And of course Anthony Davis will be starting in the power forward position. AD parted ways from New Orleans to join Lebron James in LA for the quest for his first NBA title. The two were successful and he decided to stay in LA. In the 2019-2020 season, AD shot 50% from the field and 33% from the three. The big man also shot a high 84.6% from the freethrow line. He finished the season almost averaging a double-double with 26 points, 9.3 rebounds 2.3 blocks, and 3.2 assists. AD has always been a NBA star, but it got overlooked by him playing on a losing team. Once he decided to leave the Pelicans his stardom increased and he’s accomplished the one thing he’s been after since entering the NBA. AD is the second highest paid Laker and he’s made a new home in LA. 

CENTER: Marc Gasol #14

So another Gasol landed in Los Angeles. First it was Pau, and now his brother, Marc Gasol is a  Laker. He played the majority of his career in Memphis, and two seasons in Toronto. He said it was tough for him to leave Toronto for the Lakers after he earned his first and only title with the Raptors. In the 2007 draft, Marc was drafted by the Lakers, but traded to Memphis for this older brother Pau. So maybe it’s destined for Marc to be a Laker and him to finally win his second title. He’s a three-time All-Star and won Defensive Player of the Year in 2013. This past season he averaged 7.5 points and 6.3 rebounds. Lebron is happy to have him as their big man alongside AD and feels like they will work great together. He’ll also have some help in the big man position with other additions we’ll mention later on in the video.

Off the Bench:

So the Lakers acquired some new bench players as well. They somehow snagged Montrezl Harrell from the hometown rivals, the Clippers. He is the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, and for some reason he felt like the Clippers didn’t want him back. He felt like it was the best business decision for him, but he also has the same agent as Lebron and AD, so maybe they had some influence over his decision as well? This past season he had career high numbers averaging 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds for the season.

The Lakers also have Markieff Morris coming off the bench, who is another big man. This is his second season being a Laker and he averaged 9.7 points and 3.8 rebounds playing 20 minutes per game. Another solid role player that is returning for the 2020-2021 season is Kyle Kuzma, who’s going into his fourth season as a Laker. He’s proved his value over the years being a standout player even when the Lakers had the worst record in the NBA. He averaged 12.8 points, and shot 43.6% from the field and 31% from behind the arc. The Lakers acquired Wesley Matthews from the Bucks. He’s a solid role player who averaged 7.4 points and shot 39% from the field and 36% from the three. And lastly, the Lakers re-signed Alex Caruso who’s entering his fourth season for the Lakers. He’s averaging 18 minutes a game and 5.5 points. 

The Lakers have high expectations coming off a successful season. With the players that they continue to build around they’ve added in some solid players to the franchise. Lebron and AD have brought that winning culture back to LA and they have a solid chance at repeating and winning another NBA title. They have the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, plus Schroder who’s arguably better than Rondo, and a veteran center who’s a well-seasoned player. Some predict that Lebron will win another MVP, and AD will win Defensive Player of the Year. Lebron may be towards the end of his career, which is hard to say because he’s still a well oiled machine even at his age, but AD on the other hand is coming into his prime especially being a part of a winning organization. With all the new pieces the Lakers added, what are your predictions on the 2020-2021 Lakers season?