The Los Angeles Lakers go into this season after making the Western Conference finals last season. LeBron James and Anthony Davis helped lead a group that was completely reshaped at the trade deadline. While the team is expected to compete for a trip to the NBA Finals this season, there are a lot of ways that this season could go wrong for the Lakers.
If the Lakers face injury to their two stars for an extended time, and make one or two trades at the deadline, this is a team that could be limited in what they can achieve this season. While some of these things are controllable, some of them are not.
Here's how it could all go wrong...
3. Gabe Vincent isn't able to be a quality rotational point guard in the playoffs
When the Lakers signed Gabe Vincent in the offseason, it was with the expectation that the team would be able to count on him in the playoffs. Yes, a regression from his hot streak playoff run with the Heat is expected but the Lakers are going to be counting on him in big moments.
Vincent is a very solid guard in this league but he has struggled on the defensive end at times during his career. He could heavily regress on the offensive end which would make him very unplayable in the playoffs against the top teams in the Western Conference. Part of the reason that the Lakers were eliminated by the Nuggets last season was due to the fact that they just ran out of players who could play good minutes in the playoffs.
If Vincent isn't able to be a viable option for the Lakers in the playoffs this season, it could be a thing that ends up taking them out of the playoffs before the team even makes the Western Conference Finals.
2. The Lakers don't acquire another big-man
If the Lakers want to beat the Denver Nuggets in a potential rematch, the team will need to acquire another big man who can play playoff rotation minutes. Depending on how Jaxson Hayes plays this season, that player will need to be a playoff starter or bench player. Of course, Christian Wood could have a comeback season but that is something that the team shouldn't expect to happen.
Wood is a player who was signed in the last days of the offseason because he didn't have a lot of interest around the league. Most likely, the former Mavericks player will not be the answer that the Lakers need at the big man spot. It would be great if the player could return to his days with the Rockets where he was able to be a double-double machine but it is not something that should be expected.
The team has plenty of ways to acquire a big man due to the fact that it is a player who will not cost a lot to get. Unlike last season, the center that the team acquires will most likely not cost a first-round pick or even a first-round pick that is highly protected. The Lakers can move one to two second-round picks to get the big man that the team needs.
This is unlike last season when the team needed to overhaul their whole roster and get three to four rotational players via a Russell Westbrook trade. This move doesn't have as soon as possible. Deals like these often occur right near the trade deadline. A good example of this is when the Lakers traded for Mo Bamba at the deadline. Yes, Bamba didn't end up working out for the team but this is a great example of a deal that the team might make.
1. LeBron James or Anthony Davis gets injured for a huge chunk of the season
The worst-case situation for the Lakers would be if LeBron James or Anthony Davis has to be out for a long period of time due to injury. While it is a very grim thing to say, both of these star players are expected to miss some kind of time with injury. Davis is a player who has been very injury-prone in the past.
In fact, the only recent season where he hasn't missed any time was during the 2020 NBA covid season. To be quite fair, the All-NBA center was hobbled during the NBA Finals after getting injured in the Western Conference Finals against the Nuggets.
Early on in his career, LeBron James was not a player who would be considered injury prone. As he has been aging, he has been having a lot of lower body injuries and it seems like at some point this season, he will need to take some time off. The Lakers should hope that both of these players do not miss time at the same time.
Also, the Lakers should hope that both of these players are healthy for the playoffs. If the team gets a high enough seed, L.A could get by one off one of their two stars. Still, if the team wants to compete for the championship this season, the team will need their two stars healthy for the entire season.
