The Los Angeles Lakers, not unexpectedly, are the best team in basketball
We may only be a few weeks into the 2020-21 NBA season, but there’s one clear best team in basketball. It happens to be the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. Led by 36-year-old LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers have picked up where they left off in the NBA’s restart bubble in which they cruised to a championship.
Through the first few weeks of the season, the Lakers are 11-3, have the fourth-best offensive rating, the best defensive rating, and the best net rating in the league. They are one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the league and have two of the top 5 early-season candidates for the NBA MVP award.
Interestingly enough, no one seems to be talking about this team’s start. Which is par for the course considering that this team is the defending champs. The Lakers have already proven they can break through with this roster, so no one will talk or pay attention to what this team is doing until the playoffs.
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Even more so for a LeBron-led team, he will always be judged by what he does in the postseason. And now that he’s already won a title in Los Angeles, what this team does in the regular season won’t be focused on.
Nevertheless, we still shouldn’t overlook what this team is accomplishing during the regular season. The more that the Lakers aren’t talked about, discussed or focused on, the more that we should know they’re doing great.
In his 18th season, what LeBron is doing is absolutely absurd. At the age of 36, LeBron is averaging 24 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists on 49 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent shooting from 3-point range. The fact that he’s an MVP candidate at this point in his career is an amazing feat in itself.
What makes the Lakers so dangerous is the fact that LeBron might not even be the best player on his team. Anthony Davis is playing like the best player in the NBA right now, averaging 22 points, eight rebounds, and three assists on 55 percent shooting from the field and 37 percent shooting from 3-point range.
With arguably the best dynamic duo in the league, and with the championship monkey off their back, the Lakers have the confidence and talent of world-beaters. This is the best team in basketball and it’s not even close. It’s about time we start talking about them in such a manner.