LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Los Angeles Lakers are putting together an incredible 2019-20 NBA season.
Through 37 games, the Lakers are already winners of 30 of them, giving them the Western Conference’s best record and the second-best record in the NBA after the Milwaukee Bucks. And even Kobe Bryant has found time to get back to a game after a long hiatus.
This Lakers team is flooded with strengths and it’s apparent every time they take the floor that they are just a really good basketball team. They have their flaws like the need for a backup point guard and another wing defender, but they play great basketball given some of the pieces they have.
Bryant loves many of the things about the Lakers, calling them one of the biggest teams he’s ever seen. However, he has a different concern about the Lakers that he believes needs to be focused on, according to All The Smoke Podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson:
“They are the biggest team I’ve probably ever seen. Their length, it’s old school big. They’re tough and have athleticism so they look fantastic. I think the biggest thing for them and what they really need to invest in is health. Making sure the strength training is where it should be and making sure physically you’re always where you should be. They got Judy [Seto] over there and Judy is amazing… she’s the best. And so I think that’s the biggest thing for them is just health. If they’re healthy, it’s going to be a hell of a freeway series here.”
Bryant is not the first person to bring up health with regard to this Lakers team. LeBron James is 35 years old and Anthony Davis does have an injury history, so bringing up injuries as a part of the process of this team is hardly original.
However, the Lakers have seemingly dealt with it well so far as the two players have only sustained minor issues with neither sitting out more than one game at a time. And while some of their role players have gotten hurt, it seems as though the team has done well with their recovery processes.
Bryant is right in that if the Lakers stay healthy, it’s going to be a fun 2020 NBA playoff run for them. It’s just a matter of making necessary improvements and maintaining that health.