The Los Angeles Lakers have been struggling this season especially since Anthony Davis’ injury. But since then the team has gone through an overhaul as they have traded for new players in the trade deadline, providing more support to LeBron James in his 20th season in the NBA. The Lakers have brought players like Mike Beasley, D’Angelo Russell, Jared Vanderbilt and before that they also secured the services of Rui Hachimura among the notable additions. So NBA Analyst Stephen A. Smith is not counting the Lakers out for now. He feels that LeBron and company may just have an outside chance of winning the NBA Championship this season.
The Purple and Gold army had a squad full of questions heading into this season and despite having superstars like Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook, they never really looked like a team that could go on and win the Championship this time. Hence after a lot of struggle the Lakers front office decided to make a few moves and get a supporting cast that can actually help LeBron and AD in their title quest.
Rob Pelinka understood the situation and went moves that will provide adequate support to his two superstars. Things started moving when he got hold of Hachimura from Washington Wizards before trading off Westbrook and Juan Toscano Anderson and a few picks in exchange for players like D’Angelo Russell, Jared Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley.
Analyzing the trades, Stephen A. Smith shared his thoughts on the “First Take’ podcast where he highlighted that the Lakers do have an outside chance at the title this season. However he believes that the key players need to remain healthy for them to have some chance.
“I’m gonna say, it’s possible. … They’re only 3.5 games out of the six seed. … I got LeBron James healthy. … AD. I like D’Angelo Russell on the Los Angeles Lakers. … I like Malik Besley on the Los Angeles Lakers. I like this kid Vanderbilt,” Smith stated, speaking about the Lakers’ chances.
The Lakers went through a complete overhaul and have added some great pieces to their roster. They were one of the worst shooting teams in the league, the Lakers have added depth to their ranks and have improved their shooting with the addition of D’Angelo Russell. They have also snapped up one of the most underrated defensive assets in the league in Jared Vanderbilt.
If the Lakers want to have any chance at winning the NBA championship this time, they will have to do it the hard way. But before that they need to push for wins right after the All-Star break. Currently they are in 13th position in the West and they will have to push hard to get into the playoffs.
