Golden State Warriors v Los Angeles Lakers Last season: The Lakers finished with a record of just 27 wins against 55 losses, and the primary reason for that can be summed up with one word: injuries. L.A. was decimated by them at all positions for most of the year, and saw its players miss an absurd total of 319 games due to them — among the highest recorded in the past 30 years. The team wasn’t going to contend for a title with a roster that dropped off significantly from a talent perspective once you got past Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Steve Nash. But contending for a spot in the playoffs might have been a possibility, had Bryant and Nash managed to appear in more than 21 combined games.
Signature highlight from last season: It was tempting to run this one of Nick Young prematurely celebrating a three-pointer that he ultimately missed, because that’s really the kind of season it was in Los Angeles — embarrassing by the franchise’s lofty standards. But early in the year, before the injuries spun out of control and as the pieces began to fit into place, the Lakers came away with a victory in Houston over a much more talented Rockets team on a three-pointer near the end of regulation from Steve Blake — who was traded to the Warriors later in the season.
Key offseason moves:
- Lost Pau Gasol in free agency
- Claimed Carlos Boozer off of amnesty waivers
- Traded for Jeremy Lin
- Signed Ed Davis
- Drafted Julius Randle
Keys to the Lakers season:
Kobe Bryant: It isn’t only the health of Kobe Bryant, who appeared in just six games for the Lakers last season, that will determine the team’s fate in the upcoming campaign. Merely staying on the court won’t be enough, as the roster construction faces severe challenges on both ends of the floor. In order for L.A. to compete most nights, it will need Bryant to return to an All-Star level, scoring on a consistent yet efficient basis, while being a focal point offensively who can facilitate things on the possessions where he isn’t the one taking the shots. It may be too much to ask at this stage of Bryant’s career to do so much, and once again, the health concern is real after the two major injuries he’s suffered in the last two seasons. But if he can simply be the one who holds it all together, there’s a slim chance this team could exceed expectations.
Byron Scott: L.A. hired Scott as head coach this offseason, after an extensive search that included interviews with candidates that seemed far better suited to lead the team into its long-term future. The reasons given were dubious at best, especially the one about wanting a head coach with a defensive-minded reputation. Scott’s Cavaliers teams, where he coached most recently, were historically bad on the defensive end of the floor, and improved immediately the season after he was gone with Mike Brown hired as his replacement in Cleveland — an uninspiring fact, to say the least. Scott was hired for his ties to the organization, to be someone who understands the championship culture and to remind fans of the team’s storied past. But his decisions thus far have been cause for concern, and coaching as much as anything could be the team’s downfall if the thin level of talent in place isn’t properly utilized.
Defense: The Lakers were 28th in defensive efficiency last season, and despite Scott’s wishes, there isn’t much hope that the team is in a position to greatly improve its ranking. Boozer’s defense has been the biggest weakness in his game, and was exposed even more playing alongside such committed defenders while with the Bulls. Nash has always struggled to contain the other team’s guards, and Bryant, who has historically been able to defend extremely well when focusing his attention there, has been less interested in doing so in recent seasons. With an offense expected to struggle (especially if L.A. chases inefficient midrange shots more than it does three-pointers and shots at the basket), the Lakers aren’t going to be able to outscore very many opponents. Defense will be an important determining factor in the team’s quest for victories, and given the personnel in place, that shouldn’t exactly inspire an outlook here that’s overly-optimistic.
Why you should watch: Kobe Bryant essentially missed all of last season, and is one of the game’s all-time greatest players. He has two years remaining on his contract with the Lakers, and then will likely disappear from the NBA landscape forever. It’s worth tuning in to see the highlights he can still provide, even on a Lakers team that isn’t expected to be very good this season. Oh, and the same goes for Steve Nash, who is similarly in the twilight of his career, and is likely done after this season.
Prediction: If everything were to go perfectly for the Lakers this season, it would still be tough to envision a win total of more than 45 games — and even then, that probably wouldn’t be enough to reach the postseason in a traditionally loaded Western Conference. What’s far more likely is that Bryant and Nash miss time at some point due to injury (whether major or minor), and that the roster simply doesn’t have enough from a talent perspective to be able to compete on a nightly basis. A total of 35 wins and another trip to the Draft Lottery feels about right.
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- harshedmellow - Oct 13, 2014 at 10:21 AM
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A’yup.
Some suffering coming down the pike for Laker Fan. But that’s a GOOD thing! Payback for the league throwing playoff series for them.
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- therealhtj - Oct 13, 2014 at 11:07 AM
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More like payback for betting the farm on a broken down Kobe.
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- avb300 - Oct 13, 2014 at 11:43 AM
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How’s that $50 million contract looking, Kobe?
No problem in getting paid but don’t think that you can eat up a massive chunk of the cap AND attract free agents and win.
DIrk is as good as Kobe, if not better at this point in his career with his ridiculous efficiency. I’m not saying Kobe should take an insane paycut like Dirk but at least Dirk isn’t delusional. He knows that sacrifices are necessary to win and Cuban will take care of him forever, way beyond his contract.
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- therealhtj - Oct 13, 2014 at 3:06 PM
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Kobe coming off two major injuries and unable to finish at the rim is undoubtedly a lesser player than Dirk at this point.
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- blogsk3tball - Oct 13, 2014 at 5:33 PM
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If Kobe didn’t get the 50Mil… who were you guys spending it on last off season ?
LeBron said he wasnt going anywhere but Cleveland.
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- ocgunslinger - Oct 13, 2014 at 10:39 AM
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Most ridiculous comment I have ever read. Thanks A’ yup.
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- asimonetti88 - Oct 13, 2014 at 11:22 AM
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I think Julius Randle is a reason why you should watch. In high school, he was considered a top player along with Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker, and had an outstanding freshman year, and in fact, one of the best seasons by a Kentucky player ever. I am very interested to see how he turns out and develops.
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- therealhtj - Oct 13, 2014 at 1:39 PM
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He’s certainly the most talented Laker at this point, for whatever that’s worth.
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- RonKarate - Oct 13, 2014 at 11:28 AM
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The Lakers are going to be ti the NBA what the Raiders are to the NFL. Fans will just sit around talking about how good they used to be.
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- oosorio456 - Oct 13, 2014 at 11:50 AM
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Lakers will make playoffs
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- therealhtj - Oct 13, 2014 at 1:37 PM
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You, like the writer of this article, must not have watched last night’s game.
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- oosorio456 - Oct 13, 2014 at 1:50 PM
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Pre-season games don’t mean nothing. I believe in this Lakers team because Kobe is healthy and Boozer will have a good season. Besides Clarkson and Randle can be a good upgrades in the bench.
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- asimonetti88 - Oct 13, 2014 at 4:15 PM
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The game where the three leading minutes getters for the Lakers were Ronnie Price, Wayne Ellington and Robert Sacre?
The Lakers probably won’t make the playoffs, but to say that you can tell that because of a preseason game is ridiculous.
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- therealhtj - Oct 13, 2014 at 4:38 PM
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Saying that a even preseason game which showed such a disparity between a likely middle seed and the Lakers means nothing is also ridiculous.
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- danfrommv - Oct 27, 2014 at 1:14 PM
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I’d like to make a wager with you. I’ll give you 5-to-1 odds.
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- j0esixpack - Oct 13, 2014 at 11:53 AM
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I was critical of signing Kobe to such an outrageous contract but in hindsight I was wrong
Rebuilding might have gone quicker if they could spend his $ elsewhere but from a biz standpoint he keeps people in the seats
They will still be bad but not so bad as to get the best draft picks – but people will watch and the organization will make money
So the deal makes perfect sense
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- musician0785 - Oct 13, 2014 at 11:55 AM
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not to mention that because of the giant new TV deal the cap will go up, creating more money to sign players….
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- danfrommv - Oct 27, 2014 at 1:15 PM
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It goes up for every team. That does not give the Lakers any particular edge
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- musician0785 - Oct 28, 2014 at 12:22 PM
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The Lakers can already outspend most teams, giving them even more room under the cap to spend. How is that not an edge?
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- lakerade - Oct 13, 2014 at 12:25 PM
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Good, well-rounded preview, Brett. No rings this year, obviously, but some interesting beginnings for the post-Kobe future in Randle, Clarkson and the culture change (or reverting) from Scott, forced as it may be with this roster. I agree w the comments before me that say the impending rise of the salary cap will facilitate the rebuild sooner, I also want to add it may mean Kobe sticks around longer too, pending health of course. Either way, this year starts with the right attitude at least, which is a lot more than can be said for the last couple seasons when D’antoni abandoned defense or when Dwight held the franchise hostage. Go Lakers!
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- crillbill - Oct 13, 2014 at 2:08 PM
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I don’t think Kobe contract was much of a roadblock. To rebuild in nba you have to have draft picks, lakers have had very few. It’s an old team that never shifted to try and make itself younger. Happens to most teams except the Spurs.
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- money2long - Oct 13, 2014 at 5:13 PM
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Lol
Dirk better than Kobe.
Lol.
Never has been. Never will be.
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- bigdogarita - Oct 13, 2014 at 7:13 PM
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2011 wants a word.
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- 00maltliquor - Oct 14, 2014 at 3:24 AM
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He said it right. You can keep 2011.
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- ogexpress - Oct 14, 2014 at 1:08 AM
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You laker haters are idiots!!!! First of all don’t compare any current player to Kobe when they have 5 rings then put them in the same sentence with Kobe till then shut the F*** up!!!! As far as this year wait and see haters!!!! lakers will surprise everyone!!!!
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- alittle2014 - Oct 17, 2014 at 7:44 PM
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Ummmm, Tim Duncan. He’s got 5 rings, and has always been a better player than Kobe. Dude, I was at that game last night, Kobe looks old, and his supporting cast is TERRIBLE, Lakers will finish last place in the west this season.
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- omniusprime - Oct 14, 2014 at 8:42 AM
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Only a clueless sports pundit like you Brett would blame all of the Laker’s woes on injuries. We were cursed with the most incompetent coach in the NBA, dumbtoni, who had no clue how to use the players he had. We had a team of loser garbage as we were cursed with trash nash wasting Laker money so he could be grossly overpaid for not playing because he’s too old and decrepit to play any longer. Along with all the other worthless losers Klueless Kupcake brought in and it was no wonder last season was the worst ever.
Only a total moron thinks that a healthy over-the-hill Kobe will ever bring this new worthless team of loser garbage to success. Trash nash won’t last the season which will be good news and boozer will prove he’s no substitute for Pau Gasol. Sorry but no one player makes a team successful, basketball is a gleam game and it takes a great team to achieve great results. The Lakers have loser garbage like linstupid so don’t expect the Lakers to make the playoffs. I’m hoping they keep losing and get better draft picks for the future.
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- danfrommv - Oct 27, 2014 at 1:18 PM
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No, the Lakers will not make the playoffs. Find anyone who believes they will and bet them.
The Lin trade was a give-away by Houston that included a 1st and 2nd round pick. With the Nash trade, the Lakers gave away 2 1st and 2 2nd picks, in addition to the picks they gave away to get Dwight Howard. The cupboard is bare. This rebuild won’t start for at least two more years.
