The Los Angeles Lakers current roster has four players on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team, including LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
While Los Angeles’ current roster resembles more of a retirement home than a basketball team in the Twitterverse, that doesn’t take away from the overall talent the Lakers sport in their starting five.
LeBron, AD, Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook are all members of the Association’s 75th Anniversary team. Melo and Brodie were signed just this offseason after the Lakers came up short of their championship expectations in 2020. With those two future Hall of Famers in tow, Los Angeles is among the favorites in the Western Conference, per Wynnbet.
Lakers lose season-opener to Warriors
The Lakers lost their first game of the season to Golden State in a rematch of the play-in game from the 2020-21 campaign. The struggles of Russell Westbrook down the stretch were well-documented.
James and Davis combined for 67 of the Lakers 114 points, while Westbrook and Anthony were held under 10 points apiece. It was always expected that the new-look Lakers would take some time to gel, and Friday night’s showcase against the Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns should be no different.
Despite finishing towards the bottom tier of the playoff spots out West last season, any team with LeBron on it is sure to have a target on its back.
Age will be a factor for this Lakers team, especially with LeBron nearing his 37th birthday. Injuries have taken a tole on James this past two seasons, and 2021-22 could be more of the same if the Lakers don’t implement some sort of load management system.
Having more depth — including the likes of Westbrook and Anthony — should help matters, as James won’t have to carry the load as he has in years past.