The Los Angeles Lakers are coming off a storybook performance, which has bettors salivating at all sorts of Lakers odds for the upcoming season.
The team persevered through the loss of franchise legend Kobe Bryant, hunkered down, and played incredible ball amid a global pandemic.
Ultimately, they triumphed in a shortened, bizarre bubble season to bring a 17th title to Los Angeles.
Bookmakers and fans of the purple and gold believe this could just be the beginning of a new Lakers dynasty. Behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis, L.A. is already favored to take home next year's title as well.
Because of these lofty expectations, sportsbooks have set the Over/Under for the Lakers' Regular Season Wins at 47.5.
Lakers odds: Over/under wins for 2021 season
Lakers Over 47.5 Regular Season Wins: -130
Lakers Under 47.5 Regular Season Wins: -110
Here are the arguments for why the Lakers could surpass this total, or fall short of the goal.
Why The Lakers Will Win 48+ Games
In the 2019-20 season, the Lakers finished with a record of 52-19, good for first place in the Western Conference.
Their closest rival in the race to the top of the West were the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers finished a full 3.5 games behind the Lakers.
Along the path to the title, the Purple & Gold proved to the world they were the cream of the crop in the West.
So, what has changed since then? The Lakers had arguably the best offseason of any NBA team in 2020.
Sure, the team lost some rotation pieces. JaVale McGee, Danny Green, Avery Bradley, Dwight Howard, and Rajon Rondo are notable departures.
But when you see the replacements, all fears should be put to rest. Montrezl Harrell and Dennis Schroder unite to form a dynamic Sixth Man duo, finished first and second for the award last season respectively. Wesley Matthews should do a respectable job filling Danny Green's shoes. Marc Gasol brings veteran leadership, high basketball IQ, and championship experience to the frontcourt.
So, with these changes, it's difficult to see the Lakers having a worse record.
Last year, Los Angeles finished with a .732 winning percentage. They just need a .667 winning percentage to cash this futures bet.
LeBron and company will be out to prove that last year's championship was no fluke. It deserves no asterisk.
The best way to prove that is to set the tone early, as they did in the 2019-20 campaign. If the Lakers get off to a hot start, these Lakers odds for wins could come across as straight silly.
Why The Lakers Will Win Less Than 48 Games
The Lakers are powered by their two other worldly talents: LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Yes, the team improved their depth this offseason. But would you really trust this team to win 67% of its games if one of those stars misses extended time?
James joked with President Obama that he might take it easy the first half of the season due to the quick turnaround from the 2019-20 campaign:
James: “The first half of the season, I’m cherry-picking the whole first half of the season.”
Obama: “Hey, you’ve got to save yourself for when it counts.”
James: “Yes sir.”
Of course, James isn't going to leave his teammates hanging on the defensive end, but it is a serious possibility that James misses several games for rest amid a grueling schedule.
In the first 30 days of the NBA season, the Lakers play 16 games. It would be a surprise to see the aging star suit up for every one of these games after playing championship basketball just over two months ago.
We also have to take into account the quality of the Lakers' opponents. Because of the emphasis on cutting back on travel, easy wins over the cellar dwellers in the East have disappeared.
The Knicks, Pistons, Cavaliers, Magic, and Hornets are five of the weakest teams in the East, and arguably in the league. The Lakers are scheduled to play three games against those opponents in the first half of the season. An easy 8-to-10 wins becomes 4-to-5.
Instead, the Lakers will face the bloodbath that is the West. There will be few, if any, nights when the Lakers can stroll into an arena and expect an easy win.
Add that to the fact that the Lakers have placed a massive target on their back by hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy a few months ago, and the competition might be too stiff to gut out a .667 winning percentage over 72 games.
The regular season begins Dec 22nd. Let's see if the Lakers can pick up where they left off. Good luck to all bettors!
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