NBA: Way-too-early prediction of the 16 playoff teams for the 2020-21 season

Los Angeles Lakers Anthony Davis (Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports)
Los Angeles Lakers Anthony Davis (Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports)
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NBA
Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

1. Los Angeles Lakers

Where else could we start? Coming off a successful second season for LeBron James in Los Angeles in which he helped lead the Lakers to their 17th NBA championship, this is a team that will once again be the favorites to win the NBA title.

In fact, you can make the case that the Los Angeles Lakers‘ roster this season will be better than they were last year. And that’s a scary reality for many other contenders. During the offseason, the Lakers added Dennis Schroder, Montrezl Harrell, and Wes Matthews – three players that will likely play big roles on the team this season.

As long as LeBron James and Anthony Davis are healthy, the Lakers are going to be the prohibitive favorites to come out of the Western Conference and win the 2021 championship as a whole. There’s a very real chance that the Lakers repeat.