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With the NBA Cup schedule released, the LA Lakers were in the spotlight as the defending champions. The inaugural edition saw the Purple and Gold win the silverware, and LeBron James was crowned MVP. But after a quiet free agency, franchise fans have not been overly optimistic about their team's chances as far as the overall season and the title aspirations go.
Many fans were seemingly unconvinced despite a new potential-laden coach in JJ Redick and LA's star duo of James and Anthony Davis. In a latest engagement fan post, the Lakers' numbers of wins next season were discussed and the numbers ranged from a modest 40-45 in an 82-game regular season.
@DrPacoHinton kept it real:
"45. JJ not who y’all think he is."
@benfannatic didn't even believe a 40-win season was due:
"25? Maybe?"
@urlylyles kept it even lower:
"I think, he can only get 20 wins I guess"
@lkers81kb24 tweeted:
"35-40 MAX 'if' healthy."
@Michaelx21 believed the team would have the same 47-35 record as last season:
"same amount last season."
@highlyartistic thought it would be another play-in scenario:
"Barely make the play in....again."
The Lakers had a few winnable games that would have seen them finish at a better count than 47 wins last season. They ended as the seventh seed and faced the No. 2 Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs which they subsequently lost 4-1.
LA Lakers host Minnesota Timberwolves on opening night
According to Shams Charania, LA will host the Minnesota Timberwolves on opening night slated for Oct. 22. Other marquee matchups on the day include the Boston Celtics versus New York Knicks.
The Wolves led by Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Rudy Gobert made the Western Conference Finals to take on the Dallas Mavericks. They were sent packing 4-1 with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving putting on a show. Ahead of the new season, Minnesota is one of the teams pegged to make the playoffs alongside the OKC Thunder and the Denver Nuggets.
The Lakers find themselves as midfield contenders at this stage alongside the LA Clippers, Golden State Warriors, and the Phoenix Suns. With no trades so far, LA will bank heavily on James, Davis, and their young core of D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura.
It will be interesting to see if they will swing for a trade just before the season or ahead of the trade deadline.
