Lowe: Rating all 30 NBA teams, from the top tier to the very bottom https://t.co/BjyWBJ9y7w
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) December 22, 2020
Tier of their own: Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers got better, and that was the case before Talen Horton-Tucker destroyed the preseason. He gives the Lakers more perimeter depth around LeBron James and Anthony Davis — ballast for lethal Davis-at-center lineups — than they had in the Florida bubble.
Their bigger lineups will blot out the rim as they did last season, only they now feature a center in Marc Gasol who shoots 3s and remains one of the best big man passers in history. A tall human who lofts entry passes unbothered, flicks lobs, and picks out cutters is an incredible luxury for a team with James and Davis.
Dennis Schroder provides needed perimeter shot creation. Schroder and Montrezl Harrell will wreck opposing bench units, and prop up the offense when Davis and James need breaks during a compressed season. The Lakers won’t be as reliant on Harrell as the Clippers were if they run into a postseason matchup that troubles him.
Given how last season’s alleged co-favorites fell on their faces, no one else deserves membership here. Those teams crumbled under postseason pressure and the strangeness of the bubble. The Lakers rose up. They are undisputed
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