Coming off a busy offseason in which they completely reshuffled their roster, the Los Angeles Lakers are trying to get back to their winning ways and bounce back from an injury plagued 2020-21 NBA season that produced a first-round exit from the playoffs at the hands of the eventual Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns.
Now that they've had an entire offseason to rest and recover, LeBron James and Anthony Davis are locked in and ready to lead this re-tooled Lakers squad back to the NBA Finals next season.
However, that may prove to be more challenging than expected, especially with all the new additions the Lakers made during 2021 NBA free agency.
They'll have to make all the pieces fit while re-establishing a winning culture and keeping pace with a loaded and evolving Western Conference landscape. With all this working against them, let's take a look at two reasons why the Los Angeles Lakers won't win the 2022 NBA championship.
Lakers have too many adjustments to make
With the additions of Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, and Rajon Rondo, the Lakers will have to develop an inclusive style of play. These are all great additions to the team as they are all players with experience and a winning attitude, but Westbrook and Melo are more effective with the ball in their hands and thrive playing in isolation sets.
On a team led by James and Davis that absolutely won't work and it'll create a ton of work for them to create cohesive on-court chemistry. They may be able to co-exist and make it work, but there's also the chance that a ton of drama and tension will ensue due to their dissatisfaction over Bron and AD getting most of the touches on each offensive possession.
Granted Rondo was able to check his ego at the door and buy into the team concept during their NBA title run in 2020, but he wasn't able to find a proper fit splitting time with the Hawks and Clippers last season. So there's no guarantee he can repeat this magic and revert back to what worked so well last time. Especially taking into account that he's returning to a different Lakers team during the 2021-22 NBA season. Hoping to get back into the NBA elite and make another title run this season, the Lakers will definitely have their work cut out for them.
Youth is not on their side
After feeling the wrath of a shortened offseason and a plethora of injuries all up and down their roster last season, the Lakers haven't done themselves any favors by adding a ton of seasoned veterans and a minimal amount of young talent. Even with a full offseason to rest, recover, and gel with one another, this very well could be a recipe for disaster and cost the Lakers another title run.
At this point, James and Davis will need all the help they can get and with the current roster they've assembled this may lead to a ton of activity prior to the NBA trade deadline. Especially things don't work out or they get plagued with a series of untimely injuries once again. This season will prove to be an uphill battle, even with the Lakers having All-Star caliber talent across the board. There's no denying that the mileage on these guys and their lack of youth may be what ruins them this season.
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