Los Angeles Lakers: 3 players facing the most pressure in 2019-20

The Los Angeles Lakers missed the playoffs for the the sixth straight season. In order to turn that trend around, they will need big seasons from three key players in 2019-20.

The Los Angeles Lakers added one of the game’s greatest players in LeBron James prior to the start of the 2018-19 campaign. Despite the odd pieces they added around him, the Lakers got off to a decent start, winning 20 of their first 34 games.

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The team’s early season success would be short lived, as James sustained a groin injury that forced him to miss 17 games. As expected, the Lakers struggled without James in the lineup and they won just six times during that stretch.

When it was all said and done, the Lakers failed to reach to the playoffs once again, marking the sixth straight season in which they missed the postseason.

Fortunately, the Lakers have had an active offseason, adding the likes of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins, giving Los Los Angeles a formidable frontcourt.

With a healthy James, along with the pieces they’ve added during the offseason, the Lakers are fully expected to return to the postseason dance for the first time since 2013.

With that sentiment in mind, here’s a look at the three players facing the most pressure heading into the 2019-20 NBA season.