Los Angeles Lakers: 3 candidates for a breakout season in 2019-20

2. JaVale McGee

When DeMarcus Cousins suffered a torn ACL in his left knee on Aug 12, it was a devastating blow to a player who is trying to bounce back from a ruptured Achilles’ tendon and a torn quadriceps all suffered within the last two years.

It was also a devastating blow to a Lakers team that had signed Cousins in July with visions of forming a Big Three with LeBron and Davis capable of bringing more championships to L.A. sooner than later. Cousins was a superstar before the injury bug hit — a four-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA pick in his stints with the Sacramento Kings and Pelicans.

While Cousins faces a long road to recovery, the Lakers could ease their pain if JaVale McGee plays up to his potential.

McGee was L.A.’s starting center last season, averaging a career-best 12.0 points to go with 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. McGee was expected to move to the bench with Cousins’ arrival, but now he’s presumably back in the starting five.

McGee is 31 years old and heading into his 12th pro season, but with his athleticism and infamous proclivity for head-scratching decisions (just ask Shaquille O’Neal), he seems a lot younger and less experienced.

Not many players breakout in their 13th season while on the other side of 30. McGee could be one of those rare cases.

He can feast on scoring opportunities in transition and on put-backs, plus he’ll benefit from shots created by L.A.’s talented crew of playmakers. McGee’s most important contributions, however, will be defensively and as a rebounder. He and Davis can form one of the league’s most rangy and bouncy frontcourt tandems and provide the kind of defense the Lakers sorely needed last season.