The Los Angeles Lakers are the reigning champions, having already proven to the league that this core is capable of the feat. They not only entered the season as the title favorites but in most places they still are the favorites, despite having slid down the standings in recent weeks to sit at fifth in the Western Conference.
That slide has largely coincided with injuries to Anthony Davis and LeBron James. While those players are expected back, the level of uncertainty regarding their injuries is just one of a number of potential issues for this Lakers’ squad. While this roster is absolutely capable of winning the title, considering them to be the favorites ignores a number of real issues this team has to deal with.
3 reasons the Los Angeles Lakers will not win the title and repeat as NBA champions
LeBron James is a top-2 player all-time, and may still be the league’s best player even at 36. Even so, history has shown us you cannot will a flawed roster to the title even if you have the league’s best player: LeBron James is 4-6 in his ten NBA Finals appearances after all. Carrying a team to the Finals isn’t even a given in the Western Conference, where elite players and stacked rosters abound.
The Lakers are a team of role players surrounding two stars. With those two stars out, the Lakers have needed incredible amounts of luck (opponents missing their good players, for example) just to hang on at 6-8 over their last 14 games. What are the glaring flaws with their title hopes this season, and why will they ultimately result in another team hoisting the trophy at the season’s end?