Five Bold Predictions for Los Angeles Lakers in 2024-25 Season
By James Jefferson,
1 days ago
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The NBA season is a week away. The Los Angeles Lakers begin their season with a home opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 22. Led by new head coach JJ Redick, Los Angeles looks to rebound after a disappointing first-round exit against the Denver Nuggets. As we get ramped up for the opening tip, it’s time to make five bold predictions for the Lakers this season.
D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves make All-Star team
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The Lakers’ backcourt of D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves had their moments last year. Russell set the franchise record for most three-pointers made in a season and averaged 18 points a game. Reaves averaged 16 points a game while shooting 49% from the field.
This season, under new leadership, our bold prediction is that Russell and Reaves will take a step forward and become an All-Star backcourt.
Los Angeles Lakers finish in top-five in three-point percentage
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Los Angeles finished eighth in the league with a three-point percentage of 37.8%, thanks to a hot second-half stretch. This year, they will take another step forward and finish in the top five in the NBA in three-point percentage.
They added another weapon to their arsenal: sharpshooter Dalton Knecht with the 17th overall pick. Knecht was widely regarded as the best long-range shooter and it was stunning to see him fall right into the Lakers’ lap. How often he will play remains to be seen but he will more than likely get a chance to showcase his skills.
The Lakers won 47 regular season games in each of the last two years. In reality, they should have won 50 or more, but making several little mistakes late in games cost them. But JJ Redick is all about the attention to detail.
If the team buys in, they will reach 50 wins at the very least. Where it gets them in the standings remains to be seen, but this team is good enough to reach that mark.
Anthony Davis is one of the best defensive players in the NBA. We believe this year, he is going to win Defensive Player of the Year. He finished fourth in blocks per game averaging 2.3 per game. Most importantly, he masked a lot of the Lakers’ defensive holes.
With Davis on the floor during the regular season, their defensive rating was 115.4. With him off the floor, it tumbled to 126, an 11-point differential. It is worth noting that despite playing 76 out of 82 games and seeing his impact, he was not named a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year. That changes this season.
The Lakers finished fifth in the league in assists per game, averaging 28.5. Although the ball movement seemed very stagnant at times, they had positive results when they did get other guys involved and did not run isolation.
Coach Redick has a system that is seemingly predicated on ball movement and spreading the defense out. Let’s see how it looks on opening night next week. But our early thoughts are that as a team, the Lakers can lead the NBA in assists.
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