Even though the Los Angeles Lakers failed to reach the playoffs in the 2021-22 season, at least one sportsbook isn’t writing them off when it comes to next year’s NBA title.
The favorites to win the 2023 NBA Championship?
(+550, per @BetMGM) pic.twitter.com/UhFFst4s2t
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) June 17, 2022
When the 2021-22 campaign began, the Lakers were seen as strong challengers for the 2022 NBA championship. That was due in part to their offseason acquisition of guard Russell Westbrook.
Instead of great success, the insertion of Westbrook into L.A.’s starting lineup caused chemistry issues. Those problems continued throughout the season.
Another major issue that caused the Lakers to finish with a 33-49 record on the year was the injury-plagued season that Anthony Davis experienced.
The 29-year-old Davis was limited to just 40 games in the 2021-22 season. When he was on the court, he put up the type of all-around numbers the Lakers badly needed.
Davis ended the season with averages of 23.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.2 steals per game.
In addition to Davis being out for roughly half the season, the Lakers were also forced to deal with injuries that limited LeBron James to 56 games.
Despite being in his 19th NBA season, James continued to put up outstanding numbers when he played. He averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks per contest.
In the end, all of those missed games by L.A.’s stars played a role in the struggles that cost former Lakers head coach Frank Vogel his job.
New head coach Darvin Ham is already looking at ways to better use Westbrook. He’s also certainly hoping, like all Lakers fans, that Davis and James are seen more on the court than on the bench.
Having that trio of talented players on the court next season would help the Lakers a lot.
