In 1979, when the Los Angeles Lakers selected Earvin “Magic” Johnson with the first overall pick of that year’s draft, little did they know their move would be the beginning of one of the most dominant periods in NBA history. 

Within a couple of decades, the Lakers franchise became one of the most recognisable brands in the world, helped along by a litany of legendary names, and a truckload of titles.

With 16 NBA championships, 31 conference titles and 11 retried numbers, Los Angeles' legacy has been firmly established.

However this past decade was a wasteland for the famous club, qualifying for just three post-seasons, while being consistently mired at the bottom of the Western Conference. 

In recent years, the arrival of both LeBron James and Anthony Davis has helped re-invigorate the franchise, this year re-claiming the #1 seed in the West, and advancing to the conference semi-finals after swatting away the Trailblazers in the first round.

Yet as the post-season heats up, and as the cream rises to the top across the NBA, vulnerabilities become magnified, many of which still linger within this famous franchise.

Let's see why the Laker's path to a record-equalling 17th crown mightn't be as simple as their favouritism suggests. 

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LACKING A 'DEEP BALL' THREAT

The modern NBA game has rapidly evolved in recent seasons, transitioning to a much more perimeter oriented sport, with a pronounced emphasis on quick movement and long-range shooting. 

Indeed, speed and shooting established the Warriors dynasty, the Cleveland Cavaliers wouldn’t have snatched a title without it, while last season, phenomenal shooting propelled the Toronto Raptors to their maiden NBA championship.

The contemporary NBA is fuelled by elite perimeter play, however in this regard, Los Angeles finds themselves out on an island. 

As a franchise, the Lakers ranked 23rd in the regular season for three-point attempts, and 21st for accuracy. 

While they did eventually trounce Portland in the first round of the playoffs, it wasn't off the back of their shooting, hitting the long-ball at just 34.3% during their 5-game series, down slightly from its underwhelming 34.9% regular season mark. 

In his 17th year, super-star LeBron James has taken on more of a play-making role with the Lakers. While he led the league in assists, dishing out 10.2 dimes per game this season, he hit the three at just 34.8%. He did however take a career-high 6.3 attempts per game this season, while against the Blazers he really found his stroke, nailing 46.4% of his threes throughout the first round. 

LeBron with the final three buckets of an 80-point #LakeShow half 😤😤😤

(📺: @SpectrumSN & TNT) pic.twitter.com/6DzlgxeeBh

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 25, 2020

While the remainder of the Lakers squad is talent-laden, few of their players are first and foremost shooters. Even Danny Green, a prize free-agent acquisition and 2-time NBA champ, has struggled as a Laker, hitting the three at just 34.3%, down sharply on his production in San Antonio and Toronto, where last season he was hitting at 45.5% from downtown. 

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STRUGGLING OFFENCE OVERALL

The Lakers proved throughout the regular season just how strong they are, however it was their defence which carried most of the load, with their offence often struggling. They ranked just 11th in the NBA from an offensive standpoint producing 113.4 points per 100 possessions. 

With Anthony Davis anchoring their defence in his first season following his move from New Orleans, the Lakers played at an elite level without the ball, allowing just 107.6 PPG, while leading the entire league with 6.6 blocks per match.

Anthony Davis is already in monster mode 〰💪

(📺: @SpectrumSN & TNT) pic.twitter.com/h9CiCH9QKf

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 25, 2020

Where they thrived on offence, they were often labouring in attack.

While Davis, and other Laker bigs such as JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard were relentless glass cleaners, combining for 13 rebounds per 36 minutes, they don't offer much offensively. In fact, the Lakers struggled to move the ball around with much fluency, turning the ball over 15.1 times per 100 possessions (9th worst in the league).

Much of the Lakers regular season production does come with a small caveat as this squad is the oldest in the league, and might be saving something up their sleeve for the post-season- particularly on offence. While they played at the 11thfastest tempo in the regular season, producing 100.9 possessions per 48 minutes of play, that number jumped slightly against Portland in the first round, rising to 101.1.

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THE 'WILD WEST' 

In theory, the Lakers possess a team and playing style that should give them a brilliant chance throughout the playoffs, however this year's field of contenders is ridiculously strong. 

The West is as loaded as ever, while the East hasn't be this strong in years with the playoffs already proving that Milwaukee will have plenty of competition with the likes of Boston, Miami and Toronto all looking formidable. 

More immediately however, some of the Western Conference giants are starting to show their teeth. The Clippers look strong, as too do Houston, while no-one will feel comfortable pitted against the winner of the Denver-Utah series.

CONCLUSION

There is incredible excitement and hype surrounding the Lakers this season.

The acquisition of Davis and James has certainly brought back a sense of Hollywood to the Lakers, and which has been notably absent for some time. 

Whilst the regular season progressed rather seamlessly for the purple and gold, the playoffs are a different beast entirely. With the money the Lakers invested in James, coupled with the treasure chest of prime assets the Lakers surrendered for Davis, it's possible they mightn't have that many more opportunities to add to their glittering trophy cabinet.

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