Most people don’t consider the Los Angeles Lakers to be NBA title favorites, but one former Lakers player believes that to be the case. Michael Cooper, regarded as one of the greatest Lakers of all time, was a key reason Los Angeles won five NBA championships in the 80s.
The lanky 6-foot-7 forward was the Lakers’ best one-on-one defender and was arguably the best perimeter defender at the time, winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award (1987) while also notching eight All-Defensive Team selections.
Fast forward to today, and Cooper believes the San Antonio Spurs are the title favorites entering next season — with the Lakers right behind.
“I think San Antonio is the favorite to win it next year,” said Cooper, who is now a head coach in the BIG3 with the Miami 305, in a one-on-one interview with ClutchPoints. “I think they learned a lot from the times that they had those big leads and lost. So watch how they’re going to be able to make the adjustment going into the season. So for me right now, if I have to pick a favorite — and again I’m a Los Angeles Lakers fan — I think San Antonio is the favorite with the Lakers coming in second.”
Cooper makes sure to mention that he’s a Lakers fan, which means there may be some bias behind that assessment of Los Angeles being the second-best team in the NBA. What will be working in the Lakers’ favor is that they just re-signed their second-leading scorer, Austin Reaves, to a four-year, $185 million contract extension.
Furthermore, the Lakers are a legit playoff team. They were in the second round this past season after notching the Western Conference’s fourth-best record with a 53-29 record. However, they were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder with their star and the NBA’s leading scorer, Luka Doncic, sidelined for the entirety of the playoffs.
It’s clear that the Lakers have a big three — assuming LeBron James returns — that can match up with any star trio in the league. The problem is, they’re lacking when it comes to depth and in the rotation. That is something that Cooper points out is key if the Lakers are to take that next step into the elite tier with the likes of the Spurs and the Thunder.
“We have LeBron, Luka, and Reaves,” Cooper said. “We got three players, and on any given night, two of those three can get you 30 to 35 [points]. That’s a lot of points. That’s what I’m saying. The other role players who start to come in have to fill in the gaps a little bit, as far as some defensive intensity, being able to guard SGA [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander], being able to guard [Stephon] Castle or [Devin] Vassell, some of those players like that. [Victor] Wembanyama presents his own problem, not just to the Lakers but to every team. But we’ll make that adjustment with him. We’re not far from it.”
Outside of James, the Lakers have key free agents in Rui Hachimura, Luke Kennard, and Jaxson Hayes. Getting the proper role players that can match up with the Thunder and Spurs’ stacked cores will go a long way towards whether or not the Lakers are able to make a deep postseason run.
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