The LA Lakers had a disappointing end to their campaign in the NBA 2020-21 season as they were knocked out in the very first round of the playoffs. Anthony Davis and LeBron James struggled with their injuries during the regular season and that hampered the Lakers’ hope of defending their title.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have had a busy off-season as they are trying to add players who can provide support for Anthony Davis and LeBron James. The Lakers have added Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, and triple-double linchpin Russell Westbrook to their squad. Moreover, the Lakers have confirmed signing players like Malik Monk and Kendrick Nunn.
On the other hand, former Nets star Richard Jefferson believes the Lakers will be judged on their performance in the postseason and their show in the regular season doesn’t matter much.
Jefferson said on the Jump on ESPN, “No one cares about the 82 when it comes to the Lakers. Truth be told, no one cares about the 82 when it comes to the Brooklyn Nets.”
“They will be purely judged on their 16. The 16 that it takes to win a championship. If they don’t win, it’s a failure that’s part of Bron’s legacy. If they win, it’ll be okay.”
Meanwhile, the Lakers had finished at the seventh place in the Western Conference standings with a 42-30 record. However, they were defeated 4-2 by Phoenix Suns in the conference first round.
The Lakers could not come up with collective effort and they were always on the backfoot as James and Davis were troubled by their respective injuries during the regular season.
In fact, Davis was also injured during the playoff stage and it was a huge blow for the Lakers. The team will hope that the new signings will provide support to their two talismen players in the next season.
