The Los Angeles Lakers are always committed to winning championships, but every team in the NBA goes through their rough patches. When Dwight Howard left L.A. in 2013, the Lakers entered a rebuilding phase with Kobe Bryant rehabbing from a torn Achilles.
After plenty of tough years and multiple lottery picks, the Purple and Gold found the light at the end of the tunnel. LeBron James entered free agency in 2018 and ultimately signed with the Lakers to return the franchise to their winning ways.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka paired Anthony Davis alongside James and won a championship in their first season together in 2020. With constant roster turnaround and a failed Russell Westbrook experiment, L.A. enters the 2023-24 season with renewed hope and championship aspirations.
James is entering his 21st season and a with closing championship window, fans are hoping for at least one more ring out of the James and Davis pairing. Austin Reaves, entering his third season with the team, hopes to be a part of getting the Lakers their 18th championship, via Mirin Fader of The Ringer:
When asked about his third-year goals, Reaves talks about team goals. “Twenty years from now, if I’m lucky enough to have kids, I could be like, I won a championship with LeBron James. … That’s all I really care about right now.”
With first-round picks being a rarity during James’ tenure with the team, Joey and Jesse Buss have had to find some gems in the second-round or undrafted prospects. One of those was Reaves, who originally went undrafted and in a quick two seasons has become an integral part of the Lakers.
This past season, the guard averaged 13 points, 3 rebounds and 3.4 assists on 52.9% from the field and 39.8% from 3. Reaves entered restricted free agency this summer and cashed in on a new four-year, $54 million contract to stay with L.A.
James gave fans and the organization a wake-up call by contemplating retirement after getting eliminated in the Western Conference Finals. It showed that he does not have many seasons left in the league, so Pelinka was active in adding more firepower to the roster. With this new iteration of the Lakers, it seems that this is the most balanced roster James has had and is the mix of winning a championship once again.
James ranked No. 9 in ESPN’s annual NBARank list
Despite being 38-years-old, James clearly is still capable of playing at a high level. ESPN released their latest player rankings and the four-time champion was ranked No.9 going into the 2023-24 season.
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