Los Angeles Lakers: 3 big questions going into the 2020-21 NBA season
The Los Angeles Lakers have a title to defend. What 3 big questions are looming over the defending champions for the 2020-21 NBA season?
The Los Angeles Lakers reached the mountaintop last season. In a year weighed down by the death of Kobe Bryant, a global pandemic and repeated reminders of racial injustice, the Lakers’ organization broke through and won the title. Now their attention turns to a 2020-21 season that cannot turn into a victory lap.
In some sense, it’s reasonable for this team to want to rest on its laurels. The Lakers missed the postseason for six straight seasons until going all-the-way in 2019-20. While long-term fans have a literal mountain of championship trophies to remember, six years in the wilderness was tough for a proud franchise to stomach.
While there may be a few exceptions, Lakers fans have reason to expect this team to be pushing hard for a repeat title. The primary reason is LeBron James, who is always focused on championships and has his eyes fixed on Michael Jordan’s six rings. This team also turned over some of its roster to cycle in title-hungry players.
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Will defending their championship be an easy task? No title ever is, but this one will be extra difficult. Many other the league’s other contenders got better, from the Milwaukee Bucks adding Jrue Holiday to the LA Clippers signing Serge Ibaka. The middle of the Western Conference improved as well, with teams such as Portland, Golden State and Phoenix all likely better than last season.
What big questions loom over this season as the start to the season draws near? While there are many, here are three key ones that fans will be asking. They start with the aforementioned LeBron James and how much fans will get to see him at all.