The Los Angeles Lakers have great opportunity
When the 2019-20 season was rushed into hiatus, the Los Angeles Lakers were fresh off back-to-back impressive wins over the Milwaukee Bucks and LA Clippers. LeBron James was quickly rising back up NBA MVP boards and Anthony Davis had become a contender to win the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award.
Just when it seemed as if the Lakers were finally beginning to round into the championship contender many expected them to be before the season, the regular season was put on pause. As the season prepares to officially restart, one of the big questions surrounds whether or not the Lakers will be able to pick up where they left off, per se.
Quite honestly, it’s an almost impossible question to answer at this point. However, with the season tipping off tonight, it’s certainly something that we’ll be able to get a clearer picture of.
More from Sir Charles In Charge
- Dillon Brooks proved his value to Houston Rockets in the 2023 FIBA World Cup
- NBA Trade Rumors: 1 Player from each team most likely to be traded in-season
- Golden State Warriors: Buy or sell Chris Paul being a day 1 starter
- Does Christian Wood make the Los Angeles Lakers a legit contender?
- NBA Power Rankings: Tiering all 30 projected starting point guards for 2023-24
Will the Los Angeles Lakers come out hot?
The Los Angeles Lakers will open the restart against their biggest rival, the Clippers. Ironically enough, it’s also against their biggest competition. Both teams are expected to be healthy (the Clippers will be without Lou Williams, though).
While it may not be a clear indication of what we should expect in a potential Western Conference Finals series, this game could set the tone for what we see from both teams in the bubble. The last time these two teams faced off, the Lakers emerged with a nine-point victory. LeBron James finished 28 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds. Anthony Davis led the Lakers in scoring with 30.
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George combined to score 58 of their own points, but their efforts fell short. It was the first time during the regular season that the Lakers beat the Clippers and, perhaps most importantly, the first time that the Lakers looked like a real contender. For the first time, they looked like a team that could overwhelm the Clippers and control the matchup from wire-to-wire.
For the Lakers to win the 2020 NBA Championship, they’re going to need strong performances from both LeBron and AD. There’s no denying that. However, they’re also going to need some of their other rotation players to step up. It’s one of the reasons why many favor the Clippers, who happen to be one of the deepest teams in the NBA, in a potential conference finals series.
The first step in the Lakers proving that sentiment wrong will come in their first matchup tonight.
Winning the restart opener against the Clippers won’t give the Lakers a 1-0 series lead or any more of an upper hand than they already have (and, remember, homecourt advantage won’t really exist in the bubble), but it could give them a psychological advantage that they currently don’t have.
The Los Angeles Lakers will have an opportunity to pick up where they left off in the regular season. Ironically enough, it will have to come against their biggest threat to a championship. The NBA is back, and it’s almost perfect for the Lakers and Clippers to tip it back off.