Sports Illustrated - 21.10.2019

*NEW ACQUISITION

For LEBRON JAMES and

ANTHONY DAVIS, guys who

are well-established,

they have a lot to

prove. I think they’ll be

formidable quickly....

This will be a really

good fit for AD and

LeBron. AD likes to play

off guys, and now he

gets to play with one of

the best facilitators in

the game. In the two-

man game, in pick-and-

roll or dribble handoff,

they’ll be able to draw

so much attention

that it’ll open the floor

up for other guys....

LeBron is still really

competitive and aware

of his place in history,

and he’ll be focused on

trying to push them to

another championship.

Even though he’s up

there in age, if anyone

can overcome that,

it’s probably him....

They have a really

interesting mix of role

players, guys who have

been legit starters

like AVERY BR ADLE Y, RAJON

RONDO and KENTAVIOUS

CALDWELL-POPE. KYLE

KUZMA is emerging and

can really score. He’s

probably not a perfect

fit with LeBron, but he’s

so talented. If he can

hit the spot-up shots

better, it’ll give him a

chance to have much

better synergy....

DANNY GREEN was a huge

pickup because he’s

so used to playing in

pressure situations.

He should be a great

fit next to LeBron....

Signing DWIGHT HOWARD

was an interesting

gamble. Obviously he

can still be productive

when he plays, and they

seem to have made

it clear that if it’s not

working, they’ll cut

ties quickly, so it’s a

low-risk proposition....

They’ll be in the top

half of the West, but I

can see them winning a

championship or taking

an early playoff exit.

Projected Lineup

Bench

ENEMY LINES

A rival scout weighs in

Through last Christmas the Lakers

had the NBA’s ninth-best record,

LeBron James was meshing well

with his new teammates, and on

Dec. 25, L.A. blew out the defending

champion Warriors. During the game, though,

James injured his groin, causing him to miss the

largest chunk of time of his career and sending the

Lakers into a tailspin.

All in all, JAMES SAT OUT 27 GAMES. After

giving up much of their depth to acquire Anthony

Davis, the Lakers obviously can’t afford many

nicks and bruises this season. A more pressing

concern, however, is the consistent availability of

the 34-year-old James. The mileage on his body

is absurd: Counting the playoffs, he has played

7,760 more minutes than 42-year-old Vince Carter.

Logic would dictate that at some point LeBron

will start to wear down. If that happens soon,

then the pressure shifts to Davis, who never took

New Orleans past the second round. —R.N.

27

TELLING STATISTICS

PG

RAJON

RONDO

9.2 PPG; 8.0 APG;

1.2 SPG; 40.5 FG%

SG

DANNY

GREEN*

10.3 PPG; 4.0 RPG;

46.5 FG%; 45.5 3FG%

SF

LEBRON

JAMES

27.4 PPG; 8.5 RPG;

8.3 APG; 51.0 FG%

ANTHONY

DAVIS*

25.9 PPG; 12.0 RPG;

2.4 BPG; 51.7 FG%

PF

Starters

C

DWIGHT

HOWARD*

12.8 PPG; 9.2 RPG;

0.8 SPG; 62.3 FG%

PF

KYLE

KUZMA

18.7 PPG; 5.5 RPG;

45.6 FG%; 30.3 3FG%

SG

KENTAVIOUS

CALDWELL-POPE

11.4 PPG; 2.9 RPG;

43.0 FG%; 34.7 3FG%

93

JOHN W. MCDONOUGH (DAVIS)

LOS ANGELES

2018 – 19 RECORD 37– 45 4th in Pacific

Lakers COACH FRANK VOGEL 1st season with Lakers

∂51 wins ∂Lose in 1st round ∂AD becomes the first teammate of LeBron’s to finish ahead of him in the MVP vote.

THE

WEST

Crystal Ball: