Los Angeles Lakers: Has LA improved enough to repeat as champs in 2021?

Did the Los Angeles Lakers do enough to guarantee a repeat in 2021?

Even though the Los Angeles Lakers will be defending their title once the season begins in a few weeks, their road to successfully win back-to-back championships may be a bit more difficult this time around.

The Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Pelicans, and Dallas Mavericks should be much better with the offseason additions and upgrades to their rosters. But no matter how many talented players a team adds, they still have to find the right chemistry and avoid potential injuries that could derail their title hopes.

This new-look Lakers team will have to create chemistry of their own as they welcome a new cast of players after some key departures this offseason. Gone are Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard, Danny Green, and Avery Bradley. New to the team are Marc Gasol, Dennis Schroder, Wesley Matthews, and Montrezl Harrell.

General manager Rob Pelinka has done an outstanding job supplementing the roster with experienced veteran players. This is a completely different roster compared to last year’s bunch and we will have to see how the new additions mesh with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The question is whether the new roster is more improved and better than the one that won the championship?

It will be interesting to see how head coach Frank Vogel adjusts his lineup as he has plenty of options at his disposal and decides who will be where once he establishes a rotation and whether the players will be satisfied with their roles. With the starting lineup pretty much determined except for the backcourt, the bench should be a major strength for the Lakers as they added not only depth but quality as well.

With these moves, it remains to be determined whether the Lakers widened the gap between themselves and the rest of the NBA as they begin their title defense.