Why Should The NBA Be Scared of the Lakers

[Forte IV]

First of all, if this goes well (and I'm hoping it does) maybe this can be a series leading in the the regular season where we talk about other contenders. I want this to be a positive, productive conversation. I know you see the Clippers to the left of my post, but I promise you, on my mama, this isn't a troll post. I'm just curious about people's opinions. At the end of the day, I love everything about the NBA and I want to learn more about every team. So once again, hopefully this can be productive so we can do other teams like the Rockets, Bucks, 76ers, Jazz, Nuggets, Clippers, etc.

First and foremost, I want you to convince me, and maybe others as well. I personally (and once again I want to reiterate the fact I'm not trolling) don't see why this team is scary in 2019. LeBron is going to be 35, he just complained about how his feet hurt on Instagram after a practice, and the team around Anthony Davis was arguably better last year in New Orleans before everyone got hurt. Additionally, the bench is questionable. I think Dwight can have a bounce back year, you can maybe get me to believe Avery Bradley has a somewhat bounce back year, but other than that there isn't much. Kuzma is overrated, he can't shoot, and at this point he's just a 6'9 Jordan Clarkson. I did see he did a lot of offseason work, but he's injured now, so we'll see. Why should other Western conference teams be scared of this Lakers team come playoff time?

The only logical explanation I have is that LeBron has always been great with shooters. But outside of Danny Green's outlier year last season(I expect him to shoot closer to 37% than 45%), Quinn "I can't guard anyone to the point I get played off the floor" Cook, and Troy Daniels (who I doubt even gets consistent minutes if any minutes at all). Who else is shooting at a high percentage? On top of that, they have nobody who can draw a foul outside of their top two guys, and you don't want LeBron and AD getting hammered in the paint all year long to preserve them for the playoffs. I don't want a "well it's LeBron answer". He's going to be 35 in December and just missed the playoffs after getting his first ever serious injury. He said he "activated playoff" mode and was awful. So that's not an acceptable answer.

Convince me why teams should be scared of them. I'm hoping for good answers and I want this to be productive.


**Please keep this discussion only about the Lakers (unless it has to do with a players performance on a former team). If this goes well I'll make threads about other contenders where we can talk about them in those threads.

[iamworthy]

Teams should not be scared of the Lakers.

[Magic Giannison]

BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA

[Reeko]

It's mostly tv talking heads and analysts that are overrating the Lakers. I think most people here do not view them as a serious contender, Lebron is too old to carry a team and AD has never shown the ability to carry a team to any significant milestone. Add the fact that they have very little depth, I just don't see it.

[levon]

They'll most likely have 2 of the best 3 players on the floor at all times. Should have elite rim protection and decent shooting. They have the best 2 way player in the game in AD (no, it's not Paul George and it certainly isn't Kawhi anymore, arguably Embiid).

[Yallbecrazy]

They'll most likely have 2 of the best 3 players on the floor at all times. Should have elite rim protection and decent shooting. They have the best 2 way player in the game in AD (no, it's not Paul George and it certainly isn't Kawhi anymore, arguably Embiid).

AD isn't a two way player. His rim protection instincts are severely lacking

[Optms]

The question is odd to begin with since most mainstream media and fans don't have the Lakers as favorites this up coming year.

But I'll bite, in a playoff format teams should always be wary of Lebron because he can single handed take over a series and impose his will. You cannot say that about any other player in today's game. They all need a loaded roster (KD) or literately have half the other team get injured (Kawhi) to win.

[RCM88x]

They probably have two top 5 players, and probably the best player in the playoffs.

Granted, they really only have 2-3 above average guys outside of that. So who knows what'll happen in a long series or against a team with great depth.

I'd certainly be more scared of playing the Lakers in the postseason than a Utah or someone like that, but there's also a lower chance of facing them in the first place due to the fragility of the roster.

[levon]

They'll most likely have 2 of the best 3 players on the floor at all times. Should have elite rim protection and decent shooting. They have the best 2 way player in the game in AD (no, it's not Paul George and it certainly isn't Kawhi anymore, arguably Embiid).

AD isn't a two way player. His rim protection instincts are severely lacking

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[Optms]

They'll most likely have 2 of the best 3 players on the floor at all times. Should have elite rim protection and decent shooting. They have the best 2 way player in the game in AD (no, it's not Paul George and it certainly isn't Kawhi anymore, arguably Embiid).

AD isn't a two way player. His rim protection instincts are severely lacking

What kind of a joke post is this?

"Severely lacking" - This is Anthony Davis you're referring to. Not Karl-Anthony Towns or some middle of the road traffic cone. What's next, "AD's length and athleticism are severely lacking"? lol

[Forte IV]

I'm hoping we get more productive posts here. So far, sort of good.

[Tor_Raps]

Bradley/ Rondo/ Caruso
Green/ Cook/ Daniels
Lebron/ KCP
AD/ Kuzma/ Dudley
Dwight/ Javale

Honestly, if you're not scared of this roster then something is wrong with you lol. 2 top 5 players with a roster of average to good depth is all you need in the NBA.

[ADMVP]

They'll most likely have 2 of the best 3 players on the floor at all times. Should have elite rim protection and decent shooting. They have the best 2 way player in the game in AD (no, it's not Paul George and it certainly isn't Kawhi anymore, arguably Embiid).

AD isn't a two way player. His rim protection instincts are severely lacking

Im a pelicans fan and that's just plain ignorant.

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[HoopsterJones]

They have Lebron and AD. The positives stop there.

[Forte IV]

Bradley/ Rondo/ Caruso
Green/ Cook/ Daniels
Lebron/ KCP
AD/ Kuzma/ Dudley
Dwight/ Javale

Honestly, if you're not scared of this roster then something is wrong with you lol. 2 top 5 players with a roster of average to good depth is all you need in the NBA.

Explain why we should be scared. You provided no points to back up your claim. I'm asking for reasons why you think this. You can't just post a lineup and not give context about it. Convince me why I'm wrong. I gave my reasons, you haven't. Give me some statistical evidence, or something. Not a generic "well it's LeBron" answer.

[XxIronChainzxX]

I think the crux of the issue is your comparison with Jrue. LeBron in his Miami days was a monster - his peak was one of the greatest in NBA history and subject to Curry's cheatcode regular season the greatest since prime MJ.

LeBron has fallen off from his peak to something closer to James Harden territory. That's still a great player. LeBron's dangerousness IMO was masked last season by a truly bonkers lineup - most of the guys he played with were nonentities on offense or just plain not NBA caliber players. AD by himself is a huge upgrade. He's the by far best player since prime Wade LeBron's ever played with, and we may end up debating that even very soon.

All of this is to say that you're underrating the top end of the team a fair bit.

The second, I think, is that you're underrating the value of Danny Green - especially in the regular season getting the benefit of LeBron + AD as a catch & shoot guy. I think he'll be a dangerous release valve for an SL that's playing 3 on 5 on offense with 2 guys who demand doubles.

The biggest thing is the playoffs. People have this misconception that Finals contenders have to win pretty or win early. But that's not necessarily true. You can make the Finals by being barely above .500 against good teams - a 12-9 record in the playoffs is a finalist. That's a 47-win pace.

LeBron and AD are dangerous and if they peak in the same game they'll be very hard to beat. It's tough to see what team outside of the Clippers can take 4/7 from them in that scenario.

The Lakers issue is more the regular season.

[Ticket]

Bradley/ Rondo/ Caruso
Green/ Cook/ Daniels
Lebron/ KCP
AD/ Kuzma/ Dudley
Dwight/ Javale

Honestly, if you're not scared of this roster then something is wrong with you lol. 2 top 5 players with a roster of average to good depth is all you need in the NBA.

I do not consider that average to good depth by a long shot. Lack of shooting and defensive depth will be a major problem for this team.

[Forte IV]

I think the crux of the issue is your comparison with Jrue. LeBron in his Miami days was a monster - his peak was one of the greatest in NBA history and subject to Curry's cheatcode regular season the greatest since prime MJ.

LeBron has fallen off from his peak to something closer to James Harden territory. That's still a great player. LeBron's dangerousness IMO was masked last season by a truly bonkers lineup - most of the guys he played with were nonentities on offense or just plain not NBA caliber players. AD by himself is a huge upgrade. He's the by far best player since prime Wade LeBron's ever played with, and we may end up debating that even very soon.

All of this is to say that you're underrating the top end of the team a fair bit.

The second, I think, is that you're underrating the value of Danny Green - especially in the regular season getting the benefit of LeBron + AD as a catch & shoot guy. I think he'll be a dangerous release valve for an SL that's playing 3 on 5 on offense with 2 guys who demand doubles.

The biggest thing is the playoffs. People have this misconception that Finals contenders have to win pretty or win early. But that's not necessarily true. You can make the Finals by being barely above .500 against good teams - a 12-9 record in the playoffs is a finalist. That's a 47-win pace.

LeBron and AD are dangerous and if they peak in the same game they'll be very hard to beat. It's tough to see what team outside of the Clippers can take 4/7 from them in that scenario.

The Lakers issue is more the regular season.

Now this is an answer. Thank you.

[red96]

The Lakers have 2 top 10 players, but only 2 good rotation players behind them. Their lack of shooters is a glaring weakness. How Bradley, Rondo, and Howard return is very important to the Lakers title hopes. If they all end up washed, I don't think the Lakers will have enough overall talent to come out the west.

[Triple7]

Bradley/ Rondo/ Caruso
Green/ Cook/ Daniels
Lebron/ KCP
AD/ Kuzma/ Dudley
Dwight/ Javale

Honestly, if you're not scared of this roster then something is wrong with you lol. 2 top 5 players with a roster of average to good depth is all you need in the NBA.

I do not consider that average to good depth by a long shot. Lack of shooting and defensive depth will be a major problem for this team.

I agree with this. They desperately lack shooting. Green is a good spot up shooter but can’t really play extended minutes. Other than Cook and maybe KCP, they have none. Health would be their main concern.