The Los Angeles Lakers' goal for the 2019-20 NBA campaign is pretty simple: championship or bust.
After swinging a blockbuster trade for Anthony Davis earlier this summer, the Lakers went from mere playoff hopefuls to title contenders, and all of the supporting pieces they have added this offseason haven't exactly hurt their cause.
With LeBron James turning 35 years old in December, the clock is ticking for Los Angeles.
The Lakers need to win a championship, and soon.
So, here are four secrets to LA winning a title this coming season.
4. Load management
If you would have used the term “load management” in NBA circles 10 years ago, no one would have known what the heck you were talking about. But in today's game, resting players has become a very common — and effective — strategy.
Just look at how the Toronto Raptors handled Kawhi Leonard's minutes this past season and how much they benefited in the playoffs.
In order to maximize the effectiveness of their players, the Lakers are going to have to employ those same tactics this year, particularly in the case of James and Davis.
LeBron may not like it, but his playing time is going to have to be cut this season. It would be absolute insanity for him to lead the league in minutes per game for the third time in four years, as he is entering his 17th year in the league and is coming off his first real injury.
As for Davis? While he has never had any major injuries, he has not exactly been a beacon of health throughout his career, so the smart thing to do would be to limit his minutes and give him some time off.
James and Davis need to be fresh for the playoffs for the Lakers to have any chance.
3. LeBron's relationship with Frank Vogel
It's no secret that James is not exactly the most coachable guy in the league, and there are some who question whether or not new Lakers head coach Frank Vogel can handle him as a result.
LeBron's relationship with Vogel will be a key ingredient to any type of success Los Angeles has this year, as his respect for Vogel will spread on down the rest of the roster. If they clash? That, too, will reverberate.
Basically, James needs to listen to Vogel and avoid taking passive-aggressive shots at him through the media like he has with previous coaches.
Fortunately, Vogel is a veteran, so LeBron is probably more likely to respect him than someone like Walton or David Blatt, but this is LeBron we're talking about.
Hopefully for the Lakers' sake, James deals with Vogel with an open ear.
2. The development of Kyle Kuzma
It's pretty obvious that Kyle Kuzma is going to end up being the third option on this team behind James and Davis, and one thing we know about Kuzma is the kid can score.
Kuzma isn't a great defender or rebounder, but he can fill it up in a hurry. Given James and Davis are likely going to coast at points, there may be some nights where Los Angeles depends on Kuzma to carry the team.
Of course, it would be nice for Kuzma to be a bit more efficient, as he has posted a rather middling true shooting percentage of 54.8 percent over his couple of NBA seasons, but perhaps he'll get better with time and experience.
It will help to have James and Davis take some of that load off for him offensively. Those two stars are sure to attract the lion's share of the attention defensively, which should open Kuzma up for some advantageous matchups and easy buckets.
1. Healthy role players
The Lakers' roster is full of solid role players. Dwight Howard. Avery Bradley. JaVale McGee. Danny Green. Rajon Rondo.
All of those guys can absolutely be a part of a championship rotation, but the problem is that outside of Green, they are not exactly a durable bunch.
Howard played in just nine games last season due to back surgery, Bradley has never played a full season, McGee tends to get little nicks and Rondo has consistently missed time.
While James and Davis are good enough on their own to make the Lakers championship contenders, they are probably not going to have enough between the two of them to best, say, the Los Angeles Clippers, in a seven-game series.
The Lakers are going to need their role players to step up and not only perform, but remain healthy, which is a rather big question mark given the checkered injury history of most of their supporting cast.
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