The Los Angeles Lakers got unceremoniously swept by the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets last season in a series that left Lakers star big man Anthony Davis shaking his head in exasperation. Nuggets star Nikola Jokic dominated the Lakers with over 30 points per game, 14 rebounds per game and over seven assists per game.
The Lakers' 2023-2024 season is expected to tip off with much fanfare. The team made several key offseason moves including the re-signings of Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, D'Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt.
Offseason additions include Christian Wood, a talented power forward with deep shooting range, athletic rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino out of Indiana, and key former Miami Heat playoff contributor Gabe Vincent.
LeBron James recently praised another team for its recent professional title. The Lakers also just made a key roster move that hasn't been talked about much.
Lakers Need Better Defense in 2023-2024
Last season the Lakers were a top ten offensive outfit in the National Basketball Association as James continued his starring ways, Davis dominated inside and outside, and Reaves and other supporting cast players took their games to new heights.
The Lakers ranked sixth in the NBA in scoring and could easily improve on that ranking this season.
The Celtics, Hawks, Warriors, Kings and Thunder were the teams that finished ahead of Darvin Ham's Lakers on offense last year. With so much young talent bursting at the seams for potential career years in 2023-2024, Lakers fans can reasonably hope for an even better year on the offensive side of the court this season.
The big question for Lakers fans is, who will take the big shot late in games?
James has shown a willingness to do it, but he isn't quite as dangerous with the ball in his hands late in games as he used to be during his prime with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat. Reaves has the late game chops and scoring potential to take big shots late in games as well. James has shown he is willing to trust Reaves with the game on the line, and Reaves has delivered.
Whether or not Reaves will hit a sophomore slump this season depends on the type of condition he's in, as he will get opposing teams' best shots with each passing week leading into the playoffs.
Davis, meanwhile, has what it takes to dominate in the clutch.
With improved big man talent like Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren in place for Western Conference opponents, the former Kentucky star will need to raise his game this season. It just might be the motivation he needs to play his best throughout the season, in preparation for a late season rematch with Jokic and the Nuggets.
Lakers Defense Needs Serious Work
The Lakers finished just 20th in the NBA in defense last season. Ham's team gave up nearly 117 points per game.
The team got much better around the trade deadline and beyond. Still, the jury is out on whether this Lakers unit can become an elite defensive team, especially since James appears to have lost a half-step foot speed-wise and doesn't seem to make as many impact plays on the defensive side of the ball.
If Davis, James, Reaves, Vanderbilt, Hachimura and others put in the work on the defensive side of the ball and make it their identity, the Lakers can become a high quality defensive team.
If not, it could easily become their fatal flaw, preventing them from reaching what would be an all-time high NBA franchise mark of 18 titles by the time next summer rolls around.
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