New Year’s resolutions for the Los Angeles Lakers
By Amaar Burton
In order to reach their team goal of winning an NBA championship in 2020, members of the Los Angeles Lakers have some individual resolutions to achieve.
New year, new team. A lot of NBA franchises and fan bases would love for that paraphrased holiday cliche to ring true, but the Los Angeles Lakers are not one of those in need of a makeover.
Things are going well enough as 2019 comes to a close that the Lakers should want to maintain status quo in 2020, with only some minor tweaks.
The Lakers are 24-7 following their much-anticipated Christmas Day showdown with the LA Clippers, still No. 1 in the Western Conference despite a four-game losing streak and still battling the Milwaukee Bucks for the league’s best record.
Still, there’s always room for improvement.
Three of L.A.’s losses have been to the defending NBA champions (Toronto Raptors), and the team that entered the season favored to win the championship (Clippers, twice). Another loss was to the Bucks. The Lakers also lost to the Denver Nuggets, No. 2 in the West standings, on a night when LeBron James didn’t play.
In other words, the Lakers have looked great, but not always against the greatest competition.
To really maximize their potential and be a dominant team, some of L.A.’s key players should set some realistic goals and work to achieve them after the calendar turns. Others can simply raise their profile individually and make the team that much more buzz-worthy.
Going into 2020, here are some New Year’s resolutions for the Lakers.