Ever since LeBron James and Anthony Davis went down to injury, there are many that have doubted the Los Angeles Lakers' supremacy in the Western Conference. Without their two stars, they are now vulnerable, and probably little chance of catching the West's top four seeds, even with both James and Davis set to return sooner rather than later.
But that last part is key. If either LeBron or AD were down for the season, the Lakers' chances to even make it past the first round would be slim. But since both will be back in due time, with a chance to get back into game shape before the playoffs start, the Lakers aren't just set to outperform their seed.
They are still the true favorites in the Western Conference. Here's why:
Reason 1: LeBron James
When has it ever been smart to doubt a team led by LeBron James?
Regardless of where you stand on his place in the NBA's ranking of current or all-time players, LeBron James is still by far the best leader in the league. Outside of his injury-shorted 2019 campaign, James has not just made the playoffs, but gone to the Finals every season for the entire decade.
For anyone that doubted his grit and toughness, they should kindly refer themselves to tape from last year's playoffs, and the 2007 playoffs to boot.
LeBron James led a team to the NBA Finals in his third year as a professional, and his right hand man was Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
This man is the ultimate leader in NBA history. When he is on the floor, every single player around him gets an instant upgrade. Put him at the helm of any NBA team, and they will be an immediate threat to make the Finals, even if the rest of the roster is terrible.
Speaking of which:
Reason 2: The Lakers roster
Top to bottom, this might be the best roster that has ever been assembled around LeBron James. Let's run through it:
At the top, Anthony Davis is by far the best mix of talent and fit LeBron has ever had in a partner. Dwyane Wade comes close, but he was past his peak during the Heatles era, and he and LeBron had to take a year to truly gel. AD has none of those problems. His position as a modern, multi-talented big man is exactly what LeBron needs for his primary abilities, and he's the best in the game at being exactly that.
As for Dennis Schroder and Andre Drummond, they round out what is a legitimate Big 4. Schroder is a great secondary scorer on the perimeter, and Drummond is exactly what the Lakers have been missing on defense since JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard left in the offseason.
Drummond might be an awkward fit with James' playing style, but he is still in his athletic prime, and gives LeBron his most intimidating big man ever. Even better, the Lakers have a prime replacement on deck if the fit ever gets awkward on the offensive end: Montrezl Harrell.
Going further, Marc Gasol is not a great backup at this point in his career, but age has not taken his shooting or vision, making him one of the best third string centers in the NBA.
As for the rest of the roster, Kyle Kuzma is an amazing fourth or fifth scoring option, Alex Caruso fills the energy role nicely, Talen Horton-Tucker is wise beyond his years and extremely athletic, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is a nightly threat to explode from three.
This roster, alone among the NBA, has zero legitimate weaknesses.
Reason 3: Rest
Not only are the Lakers getting LeBron James and Anthony Davis back soon, they are also getting them back fully rested.
That should be scary for everyone else in the NBA.
With LeBron's age and AD's glass legs, many wondered how they would fare in the playoffs after a full-ish season. The Lakers lucked into a fully rested pair given the long gap between the suspended 2020 season and the Orlando bubble, after all.
Welp, looks like they found their answer. The Lakers have been able to tread water thus far without the two, enabling both to return at full strength instead of rushing back to save their playoff hopes. They're probably even going to avoid the 7-10 seed play-in tournament given their performance.
A fully rested LeBron and AD were impossible to face last season. Get ready for that to happen again.
Reason 4: Toughness
This builds on the previous reason. Without LeBron James, teams have been known to fall apart. They suddenly don't know how to function without him on both ends of the floor.
While this team hasn't exactly broken that trend, it has managed to tread water without him on the floor (in the West, no less), and might be the first to do so after such an extended period of time.
The returning players are all tougher and smarter after last season, which comes to all who experience the grind to become champions. As for the newcomers, no one should ever doubt the fight of Dennis Schroder or Montrezl Harrell on the court, and Andre Drummond seems revitalized playing on a contender rather than languishing in Cleveland or Detroit.
This team was underestimated for one reason: everyone expected them to be over-reliant on LeBron's greatness to succeed. But they have proven doubters wrong so far, and that should be a warning sign to all other title hopefuls.
If a team that leans too much on LeBron to win can still be an annual championship threat, how much more dangerous would one be that didn't?
5. Opponents' surrounding flaws
If nothing else, the other contenders for the West's crown have very marked flaws compared to the Lakers when LeBron and AD:
The Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz are both unproven. They're the best two teams in the West by record, but every single player on both teams has either choked or failed to live up to expectations in big moments.
The Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers are both lacking the interior threats to truly threaten the Lakers. If you think Jusuf Nurkic or Serge Ibaka could seriously compete with Anthony Davis, Montrezl Harrell, and Andre Drummond, go get your head examined.
Finally, the Denver Nuggets: they are the only team that can, on paper, challenge the Lakers in the West at full strength. But that last bit is important. Whether fairly or not, losing Jamal Murray has taken away their x-factor and best perimeter scorer.
As for the lower seeds, they have too many flaws to be seriously discussed here as true challengers to the throne.
Again, if LeBron James and Anthony Davis were out for the rest of the season, this wouldn't be a discussion. But that's not the case. They are returning, to a better and tougher roster than the one they left. You simply cannot beat this team when they add two of the five best players in the NBA.
Whether or not they capture the top seed, the Los Angeles Lakers remain the true kings of the West.
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