Are the Lakers Going to Defy the Critics?

Jordan Clarkson
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Lakers have been one of the worst teams in the NBA since the last time they won the championship in 2010. The 2016 season looks a lot more optimistic in Lakerland to the minority of analysts, while the majority have repeatedly stated that the Lakers will just be like the last few years where they have finished towards the bottom of the Western Conference. The majority of Lakers’ fans have stated their optimism with incomers like Brandon Ingram and Luke Walton with the combination of legitimate young stars like D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson. It is incredibly difficult to determine if this Lakers team holds any water because of their lack of experience together. There is no testable data that analyst can look at and determine this group’s future. So, to say that they will be at the bottom of the standings or at the top is hard to determine. A lot of critics of the Lakers have stated that they believe they will be once again, one of the worst teams in the league, but how could those analysts know that. There is a new coach in town, a new star, a trio of young stars, and a bunch of new experienced players on the team. There seems to be no possible way of putting forth evidence to say that this will be an awful team. They have the talent, the leadership, and the passion to show up these critics and might possibly do so.

Let’s be real, though. The Lakers will not be a top team in the NBA next season and might barely make the cuff of the playoffs. I say this because the other teams in the Western Conference are too good and have been developed to the point where some teams (Lakers), unknown as they might be, have very little chance against them. Even if the Lakers have an assortment of great, young, enthusiastic, passionate players, that means nothing when they are going against a team like the Spurs. The Lakers will, however, steal a few wins from teams that might have written them off. These teams could include the Clippers, Trail Blazers, and Grizzlies… This list is actually quite large, basically the few teams not on this list would be the Cavaliers, Warriors, and Spurs. The Lakers have a chance of defying the critics this year, but have no chance of achieving greatness.

The real reason why I believe that the Lakers might do well this year is because of the0 fresh new look that they are getting this upcoming year. This is the first time since Phil Jackson, when they will be getting a winning coach, even if he has only played around 50 games as a head coach. Mike Brown, Mike D’Antoni, and Bryon Scott all failed in Lakerland. None of them could really guide the team that use to bring championships every other year and all of them contributed to making the Lakers the laughing stock of the league. The former Laker, Luke Walton will allow for a fresh, energetic attitude towards playing basketball again and this will allow the Lakers to play at a higher level than ever before. Luke Walton will bring a new era to the Lakers, just like what Pat Riley and Phil Jackson did in their storied times with the Lakers.

The last, but probably the most important factor that allows the Lakers to be a real team next year was the departure of Kobe Bryant. Don’t get me wrong, it was exciting and almost tearful watching Kobe play, especially in his last season, but it was time for him to go. The Lakers will now be able to flow with a new sense of energy without Kobe running the helm and carrying the load work from the rest of the team. This young team will be able to thrive because there will be no one specific “Kobe” on the team anymore.

I predict the Lakers will defy critics by getting a lot more wins than expected, but they will not reach the playoffs. Having said that, it will be very exciting to watch the Lakers play this year because of their young core that could turn into the future trio of the franchise. There is nothing stopping the combination of D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, and Luke Walton into turning the Lakers back into that championship team that we haven’t seen since the 2010 season.