The 2019-20 NBA season is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in a very long time as after all of the offseason moves, there are a number of teams who believe they have a chance at winning the 2020 NBA Finals and the Los Angeles Lakers believe they’re at the forefront.
With the offseason acquisition of Anthony Davis to pair with LeBron James, the Lakers finally have their second All-Star player.
Adding in veterans such as Danny Green and DeMarcus Cousins gives the Lakers some championship experience and Kyle Kuzma is a huge threat to breakout in his third season as well. The Lakers have very high hopes, but those around the league aren’t ready to hop on just yet.
ESPN recently released an offseason survey and those around the league named voted for six different teams to win the NBA championship and none of them picked the Lakers, according to Tim Bontemps:
East: Milwaukee Bucks 12, Philadelphia 76ers 8
West: LA Clippers 16, Denver Nuggets 2, Utah Jazz 1, Houston Rockets 1
NBA title: LA Clippers 13, Milwaukee Bucks 2, Philadelphia 76ers 2, Utah Jazz 1, Denver Nuggets 1, Houston Rockets 1
The fact that there were six teams named goes to show the parity within the league. The Los Angeles Clippers, Utah Jazz, Philadelphia 76ers, and Houston Rockets all made big additions while the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets had two of the four best records last season and made minor moves that could help them get over the hump.
The Lakers would seem to be among those teams as potential championship favorites and even though they weren’t named, one Eastern Conference scout believes they could win it all but he just doesn’t trust the team:
“I’m going to say the Clippers right now,” an Eastern Conference scout said. “Certainly I’d understand why someone would say the Lakers, but I don’t trust the Lakers to get anything right.”
There is no belief in the Lakers organization anymore thanks to all of the issues the team has had over the last few seasons. They are in their worst stretch ever, but they are making moves towards getting back to respectability, especially on the basketball court.
Regardless of the predictions, the Lakers will be a team to watch this season. The Western Conference will be extremely tough and of all the teams predicted to win, neither of the Western Conference Finals participants — the Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers — were named.
The Lakers are still being doubted by some, but they will have the chance to prove a lot of people wrong.