Los Angeles Lakers did not start well in the current season, which made their chances more difficult. They had a problem with their roster needing a better mix and balance. At first, the front office thought their campaign would have the three big stars – LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook. With “The Big Three”, it would be a piece of cake for the franchise to win another title after 2020. But the plan failed as Westbrook turned out to be exemplary only on paper but not on the court.
Hence, keeping a player on the roster only because of his name and fame was not making sense anymore. So they had to get rid of Westbrook, but it was not easy or quick. The Lakers had to wait for a long time to sign the perfect deal to give up Westbrook and get some quality recruits. The kind of new additions the Lakers were looking for was to fill in the gaps in the roster.
Lakers Need To Be More Cautious For Further Injuries
By the very end of the trade deadline, the Lakers managed to get the contract they were looking for. A three-team deal that involves the Utah Jazz and the Minnesota Timberwolves gave them players like Malik Beasley, D’Angelo Russell, and so on. The Lakers traded Westbrook to the Jazz. Finally, the team was looking like a balanced force to reckon with. Their star LeBron James at 38, had been at the peak of his game, making the dream look very possible. However, things fell apart again when the Laker’s main man hurt his foot and got ruled out for the next two weeks with only 19 games to go. The new recruit of the Lakers, D’Angelo Russell, is also out with a sprained ankle and will miss four games in a row.
Anthony Davis, who came back from an injury, will have to take the responsibility of taking the Lakers over the line. But the coach Darvin Ham says in case of any back-to-back games, AD will miss either of the games. That is the strategy to not put too much pressure on the feet of the man who will need to be the main man of the team. However, the Lakers have statistically the third most manageable remaining schedule in the current regular season. So now, they must find a way to stay alive until the King returns after two or more weeks. Everybody on the team knows what they need is a winning streak.
Tough And Easy Games Out Of The 19 Games
Out of the remaining 19 games, the toughest will be against the Grizzlies and the Suns. The Lakers were able to beat the Thunder without the trio – LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and D’Angelo Russell. After that, they climbed up to the 11th seed. They need to carry on the momentum and get closer to making the postseason. The Lakers need to brace themselves as tough battles are coming up against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Utah Jazz, and also the Golden State Warriors.
Easy games for the Lakers must be against the Rockets, the Bulls, the Magic, and the Thunder. In nine out of the remaining games, the Los Angeles franchise will face teams who have records at or more than .500. The other ten teams have records of sub-.500. Apparently, LeBron James will try to return on March 24 against the Thunder. And as the King returns, the Lakers should face only three teams having recorded at or more than .500.