Los Angeles Lakers: Best candidates for 2018-19 NBA awards

Expectations will be high for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018-19, opening the door for the possibility of regular season award winners.

The Los Angeles Lakers were a young team in 2017-18 but they still made waves under the direction of head coach Luke Walton. Now, Walton will have LeBron James at his disposal in 2018-19, adding some extra motivation for their team to perform at the highest level.

The team finished 35-47 in 2017-18, but that should change drastically with LeBron and a slew of veterans on the roster now. After running things in the Eastern Conference, LeBron has upped the ante by joining the Western Conference under the brights lights of Los Angeles.

The rotation will have a lot of new faces on it in addition to up-and-coming stars Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball. The expectations will rise for a team that hasn’t seen a player win the Most Valuable Player award since Kobe Bryant won it back in 2007-08. Luckily for them, they will have a lot of weapons at their disposal this upcoming season.

It will be up head coach Luke Walton to find the right formula for success as the team will have an NBA title on its mind all season long. The Golden State Warriors will be the team to beat, but the Lakers playing at a high level will certainly push the envelope. Here’s a look at the best candidates for 2018-19 NBA awards.