With LeBron James entering his 21st season in the NBA, he only has his eyes on winning his fifth championship and, for the Lakers, their 18th title.
The Lakers brought in some additional firepower over the offseason to give James and star big man Anthony Davis the supporting cast they need for their first championship since 2020. Offseason signings of veteran forwards Taurean Prince, Christian Wood and guard Gabe Vincent should only make the team stronger, especially as the Lakers were also able to re-sign two of their top performers from last season, guards Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell. The Lakers fended off several suitors for Reaves’ services, after the 2nd-year guard averaged 13 points per game.
Now that James has been given all the tools he could ask for, now it is up to him and his team with what they will produce.
“This is the first time since the 2020 run that we’re returning the team,” James told reporters in October. “Besides that run, we’ve all been dealing with a lot of turnover. I’m excited about us returning our core and then bringing in a lot of very, very, very good players that can help us continue to do what we’re able to do.”
The team is going to be relying on James and Davis to stay healthy, as the 2022-23 season was Davis’ first season with 50-plus games played since his first season with the Lakers in 2019-20.
If the league’s top dynamic duo can stay intact, there is not much that can stop the improved Lakers, as they have upgraded at every position since the start of last season. This past post-season, Davis performed like the Defensive Player of the Year, which once again proved how elite he can be if he can stay healthy. As for James, age appears to be getting to him as he missed part of his 20th season with a foot injury.
However, James had a critical offseason that let the NBA know he is ready to go and ready to beat any team that stops by Los Angeles.
“Now that we have, top to bottom, what we feel like is a highly balanced, skilled, younger team of guys who’ve logged a ton of NBA minutes, we can surround both James and AD with players that are eager to contribute and impact winning,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham told reporters.
Here’s a look back on the Lakers’ 2022-23 season and how they stack up for 2023-24…
2022-23 Rewind
The Lakers finished the 2022-23 regular season 43-39 and earned a trip to the play-in tournament, where they were able to turn that invite into a trip to the Western Conference Finals.
After beating the Minnesota Timberwolves in the play-in game, then disposing of the 2nd-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in six games, the Lakers defeated the reigning champion Golden State Warriors in six games before being swept by the eventual champion Denver Nuggets in the WCF.
Top Players
Forward LeBron James
Experience: 21st year
2022-23 Stats: 28.9 points per game, 6.8 assists per game, 8.3 rebounds per game
One Big Number: James has averaged more than 25 points per game for 19 consecutive seasons.
Center Anthony Davis
Experience: 12th year
2022-23 Stats: 25.9 points per game, 12.5 rebounds per game, 2.0 blocks per game
One Big Number: Davis averaged 3.1 blocks per game in the 2023 playoffs.
Guard D’Angelo Russell
Experience: 9th year
2022-23 Stats: 17.4 points per game, 6.1 assists per game
One Big Number: Russell has averaged at least 17 points per game in five straight years.
Guard Austin Reaves
Experience: 3rd year
2022-23 Stats: 13.0 points per game, 3.4 assists per game
One Big Number: Reaves started all 16 playoff games this past season, while averaging 17 points per game.
Forward Jarred Vanderbilt
Experience: 6th year
2022-23 Stats: 7.9 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game
One Big Number: Vanderbilt started 13 of the 15 playoff games he played in last season.
Forward Rui Hachimura
Experience: 5th year
2022-23 Stats: 11.3 points per game, 4.3 rebounds per game
One Big Number: Hachimura averaged 12.2 points per game in the playoffs while only starting one of the 16 games.
