The Los Angeles Lakers lived up to all expectations this season as they beat the Miami Heat in six games to win their 17th NBA championship in franchise history. The Lakers won game six in dominant fashion, winning by a score of 106-93. LeBron James captured his fourth Finals MVP award.

The Lakers should first prioritize bringing back star forward Anthony Davis, who many thought was deserving to win the Finals MVP award. In the NBA Finals alone, Anthony Davis had 150 points with two 30 plus point games. Davis also had a total of 64 rebounds and 19 assists.  Anthony Davis, who is a power forward but can also play center, is a big man who can also efficiently shoot from the three point range much like Miami Heat’s power forward Jae Crowder. The LeBron James and Anthony Davis duo may be the duo the league has seen since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. 

The Lakers main issue throughout the playoffs was their inconsistency from three point range. This was mainly an issue for Lakers guard Danny Green, who missed multiple wide open threes. Green missed a wide open three in game five with less than ten seconds left that most likely would’ve clinched the game and series. The Lakers should bring back guard Rajon Rondo who had an amazing game six with 19 points and shooting 75% from three point range. If the Lakers want the edge at the shooting/point guard position they should pursue Miami Heat guard Goran Dragić in free agency. The Lakers should only go after Carmelo Anthony if they lose center Dwight Howard in free agency. 

The Lakers can’t forget about the return of the Splash Brothers (Steph Curry and Klay Thompson) . Especially since the Warriors have the 2nd pick in the 2020 NBA draft. Other players on the Warriors like Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins are all going to be a challenge for the defending champions this upcoming season. The Warriors did not travel to Orlando to play in the bubble. A big part of that was due to Steph Curry being sidelined with a hand injury. They need to have an answer to stop the Splash Brothers if they want a chance to repeat as champions. 

Lakers guard Danny Green announced that he wouldn’t be surprised if LeBron James doesn’t show up for the first month of the season. This is because the season is set to start December 22nd which would only give the players two month break. The player would get a five month break if the NBA was on a normal schedule. If this happens this would shake up the entire league. If LeBron doesn’t show up for the first month of the season the Lakers will have a hard time replacing the role that he plays on the team. The Lakers backup small forward is Jared Dudley. Obviously he is not at Lebron James’ level of talent, but he will get the job done until LeBron comes back.