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The new-look Los Angeles Lakers are off to an abysmal start to their 2021-22 campaign. The squad acquired 11 new faces for this season after their first round exit to the Phoenix Suns last season. With a 2-3 record to begin the year, their two wins were a close squeaker against the Memphis Grizzlies and an overtime victory versus the San Antonio Spurs without LeBron James.
James has missed their last two games because of a lingering ankle injury, but the chemistry and defense of the Lakers have been a cause of concern. It is just early in the season, but the composition of this iteration of the Lakers have not been a great sight to see for their fans. Russell Westbrook has had trouble playing with James and Anthony Davis because of his subpar shooting abilities and inefficiency on taking care of the ball.
As they look to bounce back from surrendering a 26-point to the Oklahoma City Thunder, here are four bold predictions for the Lakers entering their next game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Four bold Lakers predictions vs. Cavs
Russell Westbrook will approach quad-dub territory (again)
Westbrook has continuously been one of the most ferocious and athletic point guards in the association. He can rack up the stat sheet just because of his sheer desire and determination to win a game. However, he is known to excel individually with one superstar, but he needs to learn to complement his game with two superstars in James and Davis.
In their upcoming game against Cleveland, the backcourt tandem of Darius Garland and Collin Sexton does not have the size and strength to prevent Westbrook from dominating the paint.
With James still questionable for that match, Westbrook will still record a high usage rate in order to orchestrate the offense for L.A. as well. The efficiency of Westbrook is already well-documented, but he needs to improve on it for the Lakers to have a deep playoff run and win the NBA championship this season.
Malik Monk will score over 20 points
Malik Monk was a brilliant signing by the Lakers in the offseason as they got him for a one year minimum deal. After being a sixth man and a flame thrower for the Charlotte Hornets last season, Monk is the perfect complement to James and Westbrook because of their consistent passes right on his shooting pocket.
Monk is having a slow start to the year as well adjusting to the system of coach Frank Vogel, but his phenomenal game against the Spurs is a sign of things to come for him. If Monk continues to enhance his defensive capabilities, he could be part of the closing lineup because of his outside shooting prowess. As the Cavaliers are not known for their perimeter defense, Monk could easily score over 20 points from dish-offs from Westbrook and Rajon Rondo.
Anthony Davis will be an absolute two-way menace
When Davis is healthy, he is easily one of the top five talented individuals in the league. On both ends of the floor, there are only very few players that could compete with him step by step. Davis has a vast amount of moves on the post, whether it is back to the basket or facing up the opponent.
The inexperience of Allen and Mobley to defend someone with the caliber of Davis will be tested in this specific matchup. Allen has been averaging 14.4 PPG and 9.2 RPG, while Mobley is tallying 13.8 PPG and 8.6 RPG in their first five games this season. Thus, the big men trio of Davis, Dwight Howard, and Deandre Jordan will be heavily motivated to contain these two young studs from Cleveland. Davis will likely make the Cavaliers feel his presence on both sides of the court.
The Lakers will win by over 15 points
After their atrocious loss to the Thunder, L.A. will come back up with a vengeance and bounce back with a victory over the Cavaliers. The Lakers will be inspired to perform their best in front of their home crowd with or without James. When the Lakers go on a flurry of their points with their fast break opportunities, Cleveland does not have enough firepower to keep up with the stars of the Lakers.
The Lakers have a home-heavy schedule for the first games of the season, and their dismal start will be thrown out of the blue in the next weeks. By the All Star break, their ability to mesh and play well as a well-oiled machine will be top notch already and a force to be reckoned with come playoff time.
