Los Angeles Lakers

A team with Anthony Davis and LeBron James typically wouldn't be considered a dark horse, but that's the position the Los Angeles Lakers effectively find themselves in ahead of the 2022-23 NBA season.

"We're treating this season like we have a chip on our shoulder," Davis said to ESPN's Dave McMenamin on Monday. "We're the underdogs. Obviously, the world is looking to see what we do. But ... they're not talking about us, and that's fine. You know, we'd rather be under the radar."

The Lakers are +2500 at FanDuel to win the 2023 NBA Finals, the 11th-best odds in the field. And even that might be a bit generous and more reflective of the star power on Los Angeles' roster rather than its actual chances of winning a title.

In June, Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey put the Lakers at No. 16 in his power rankings.

L.A. isn't an underdog in the traditional sense because it boasts three players who were named to the NBA's 75th anniversary team. Still, a majority of fans are probably expecting the team to fall short of expectations and perhaps even have another uphill climb just to reach the playoffs.

The once-durable James missed 26 games last year after only making 45 appearances in 2020-21. Davis continues to have injury problems as well, having played 76 games over the past two seasons combined. Russell Westbrook may not even be a starting-caliber point guard anymore.

There isn't much general manager Rob Pelinka can do to improve the roster for the time being, either. The franchise had limited salary cap space in the offseason and little in the way of trade assets beyond its 2027 and 2029 first-round picks.

Some might see Davis' comments as false modesty, but they reflect a wider truth about the Lakers.

The squad shouldn't go into the season with a mindset it can win games on talent and reputation alone. Adopting a siege mentality may be the kind of thing that leads the players to thrive on the court.

Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka confirmed Monday that he is willing to trade multiple draft picks in order to improve the roster around LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Co.

Speaking at media day (h/t Scott Rafferty of Sporting News), Pelinka said the following about his philosophy:

"Let me abundantly clear: We have one of the great players in LeBron James to ever play the game on our team. He committed to us with a long-term contract, a three-year contract. So of course we will do everything we can, picks included, to make deals that give us a chance to help LeBron get to the end. He committed to our organization. That's got to be a bilateral commitment, and it's there."

Pelinka referenced the fact that James signed a two-year extension with the Lakers in August, meaning he is under contract through at least 2024, and potentially through 2025 if he exercises his player option.

Given that James will turn 38 years old in December, Pelinka perhaps has a limited timeline to build another championship-contending team around LeBron.

While the Lakers won a championship in 2020 with James and Davis leading the way, the past two years have been a disappointment.

L.A. made it into the playoffs in 2021 through the Western Conference play-in tournament, but the No. 7 seed was eliminated by the Phoenix Suns in the first round. Last season was even worse, as the Lakers struggled to a 33-49 record and missed the playoffs amid James and Davis both missing significant time because of injuries.

It was clear that the Lakers needed to shake things up during the offseason, but doing so was difficult because of veteran guard Russell Westbrook opting into the final year of his contract and tying up a ton of salary.

The Lakers made a coaching change by firing Frank Vogel and replacing him with Darvin Ham, but most of their roster moves have been focused on role players.

Los Angeles traded Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson to the Utah Jazz for veteran guard Patrick Beverley, plus they signed a host of depth players, including Dennis Schroder, Lonnie Walker IV, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Thomas Bryant, Damian Jones and Troy Brown Jr.

Any team with a healthy James and Davis has a chance to make a deep run, but the current Lakers roster likely isn't any better equipped to cope with one or both of them getting injured than last season's team was.

If the Lakers are going to swing a trade at some point during the season, they'll likely need to get creative with salaries in order to make it work. They'll also have to find a team willing to take draft picks well into the future.

L.A. has its own first-round pick in 2023, although the New Orleans Pelicans could opt to swap picks with them. The Pelicans own the Lakers' 2024 first-round pick unless they decide to defer to 2025.

The next Lakers first-round pick without any conditions isn't until 2026, which is likely why finding a trade fit and partner has been tricky thus far.

Pelinka noted that he only has "one shot to make a trade with multiple picks" and needs to make that count, which may be another reason why he is being selective.

Draft picks are essentially the only currency of value that Pelinka has to bargain with on the trade market, and his comments suggest he is more than willing to part with some if he believes it will get the Lakers closer to championship contention.

The Los Angeles Lakers were prepared to include their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks in a deal for Kyrie Irving or Donovan Mitchell, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

McMenamin added at the 1:15:10 mark on Brian Windhorst's Hoop Collective podcast the Lakers "didn't feel like they could get back a player that's such a difference-maker" in comparison to Irving or Mitchell. As a result, Los Angeles stood pat.

Those two picks are the Lakers' best assets as they continue to assemble a championship-caliber roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. One NBA team executive told Heavy Sports' Sean Deveney they're "the most powerful thing as far as picks go in the league right now" and said that "everybody wants those."

The trouble for general manager Rob Pelinka is that L.A. doesn't have much more to sweeten the pot.

In return for Donovan Mitchell, the Utah Jazz got three unprotected first-rounders, two pick swaps, 2022 first-round pick Ochai Agbaji, Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton. There was no scenario in which Los Angeles could match what the Cleveland Cavaliers put on the table.

In the case of Irving, the Brooklyn Nets may not have wanted to jettison the veteran point guard at almost any price. His departure could've been the final straw that alienated Kevin Durant for good.

Moving forward with the Durant and Irving partnership, even after a drama-filled 2021-22 season, was always Brooklyn's best chance at contending.

Sooner or later, Pelinka will almost certainly turn the 2027 and 2029 picks into more ready-made talent. He effectively said as much at Monday's media day, laying out how the two-year, $97.1 million extension James signed this offseason heightens the need to operate with a short-term view.

Windhorst said in his podcast those comments implied an understanding between James and Pelinka. LeBron re-signed with the belief the front office would trade the picks at an undetermined point down the road.

Holding out for an All-Star-level player makes sense for now because role players alone won't make the Lakers a title contender. But James' patience probably won't last forever.

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said point guard Russell Westbrook has made a renewed commitment to defense ahead of the 2022-23 NBA season.

"The guys that are going to get the minutes are the guys that are going out there to get stops," Ham told reporters Monday. "He's told me personally he's going to commit to that side of the ball."

Westbrook can do two things this season to increase his impact and give himself a chance to play starter-level minutes in a crowded backcourt: improve his defense and stop shooting so many threes.

Although the 33-year-old UCLA product has never been an elite defender, his play at that end has reached new lows over the past two seasons. His cumulative defensive Raptor (minus-4.3) over that span is worse than his previous six years combined, per FiveThirtyEight.

Playing that poorly on defense again would likely offset any type of bounce-back season he can produce offensively.

Meanwhile, why he shoots three-pointers at such a high rate (3.4 per game last season; 3.7 per game for his career) remains a mystery given his lackluster shooting percentage from beyond the arc (29.8 percent last season; 30.5 percent career).

That creates too many empty possessions on a team like the Lakers with so many offensive weapons, led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

So the path to a successful season for Westbrook includes creating his own offense in the paint, distributing when he'd normally be shooting threes and playing with more defensive intensity.

"I don't have that answer right now," he said Monday when asked what his second season in L.A. may look like. "But I know it's about competing. If we compete, the rest of it will take care of itself."

The nine-time All-Star also signaled a willingness to play a smaller role.

"I'll do what's best for the team and do whatever is asked of me," Westbrook said.

The fight for playing time in the backcourt includes Dennis Schröder, Patrick Beverley, Austin Reaves, Kendrick Nunn and Lonnie Walker IV, so the Lakers have no shortage of options if the 2016-17 NBA MVP continues on a downward trajectory.

Yet, there's no doubt a return to top form from Westbrook represents Los Angeles' best shot at a return to championship contention this season.

Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence had a huge game in Monday's win over the New York Giants, and he took a victory lap on social media.

After finishing with six tackles and three sacks, Lawrence took to Twitter to troll Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James for his praise of Giants running back Saquon Barkley:

James expressed his excitement after Barkley broke free for a 36-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, which gave the Giants a 13-6 lead. But the Cowboys quickly erased the deficit and rattled off 17 straight points to put the game away.

Dallas will return to action Sunday with another NFC East matchup, this time against the Washington Commanders.

LeBron James expects Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis to bounce back in a big way in 2022-23.

"My expectations for AD to be AD," James told reporters Monday. "To be the dynamic player he can be... I believe he is going to have a helluva season."

Injuries have limited Davis to only 76 games over the past two seasons combined. He missed 42 games in 2021-22 mostly due to knee and foot injuries, causing him to miss out on an All-Star selection for the first time since his rookie year.

With LeBron also missing significant time because of injuries last season, the Lakers scuffled their way to a 33-49 record and missed the playoffs.

The struggles have led to a lot of criticism from fans, especially directed at Davis.

The star big man said last April that he had "two uncontrollable injuries" that kept him off the court, per Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times.

"These aren't little ticky-tack injuries," he added in response to those who thought he should play.

Davis is now back to full strength heading into 2022-23, and there are clearly high expectations.

Even with his limitations last year, Davis impressed on the court with averages of 23.2 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. The eight-time All-Star is one of the league's best two-way players when healthy, having averaged at least 20 points and two blocks per game in eight of the last nine years.

When the Lakers won the NBA title in 2019-20, Davis tied for third in the league with 11.1 win shares during the regular season, per Basketball Reference.

LeBron seems to believe Davis will return to that level once again this season.

Patrick Beverley and Russell Westbrook have apparently already let bygones be bygones.

At the Los Angeles Lakers' media day Monday, Beverley told ESPN's Dave McMenamin that Westbrook has been his "best friend" following his trade to the team. They've both been arriving early to the gym to work out and build a rapport on the court.

It speaks to the longstanding bad blood between Beverley and Westbrook that the former's arrival in the eyes of some pointed to the latter's possible departure.

The Athletic's Jovan Buha filed this report in August: "Beverley’s arrival makes it more likely that Westbrook will be off the active roster by the start of training camp, either through a trade or the team sending him home a la the Rockets with John Wall last season, according to a source close to the situation."

The 2013 NBA playoffs are the genesis of the rivalry. Beverley attempted to steal the ball from Westbrook as the then-Oklahoma City Thunder star was preparing to call a timeout. Westbrook suffered a torn meniscus that took him out for the remainder of the postseason.

Since then, they've engaged in a cold war that seemingly goes beyond a playful repartee between NBA peers.

As long as they're teammates in Los Angeles, Westbrook and Beverley will have to put their differences aside for the greater good. Still, it remains to be clear whether the truce can hold once the games begin and head coach Darvin Ham has to manage their minutes.

The Lakers signed Dennis Schröder, which left the nature of Westbrook's role in the backcourt even murkier.

Buha and colleague Sam Amick reported for The Athletic on Sept. 16 that "the prospect of Westbrook coming off the bench is being strongly considered."

If Westbrook isn't happy to be coming off the bench with Beverley starting or vice versa, then Ham and general manager Rob Pelinka could be facing a serious dilemma.

Russell Westbrook thinks the obituaries written about his NBA prime are premature.

The Los Angeles Lakers guard told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski he's ready for big things in his second season with his hometown franchise.

"I'm not even close to being done," Westbrook said. "I'm super grateful and blessed to be able to go compete year after year, and that's all I can do is prepare myself, my mind, my body for as long as I play. ...

"I'm going to make mistakes. I'm [occasionally] not going to have good games. There will be times and stretches when I don't play well. I've owned that, and there were times last year that I could've played better, and I own that part of it. Moving into this year, I feel even more prepared than I was in years past. That's what I'm looking forward to the most. That, right there, will get me past any struggles that come my way."

Westbrook was by far the most maligned of the Lakers during a disappointing 2021-22 season, with most objective observers pointing out his questionable fit with LeBron James and fans bemoaning his poor jump shooting and turnovers. The Lakers were outscored by 4.3 points per 100 possessions with Westbrook on the floor versus being outscored by 0.7 points with him on the bench.

The prevailing wisdom was that the Lakers would trade Westbrook this summer. Multiple opportunities presented themselves—most notably with the Indiana Pacers—but the Lakers repeatedly balked at giving up multiple future first-round picks to jettison Westbrook.

Instead, the Lakers seemingly made an all-out public push to show they believe in Westbrook. Governor Jeanie Buss called him the team's "most consistent" player—a surprising heaping of praise given his obvious struggles—while new coach Darvin Ham expressed excitement about coaching the 2017 NBA MVP on multiple occasions.

Still, when asked if he felt wanted by the Lakers, it was pretty clear Westbrook had heard all the rumors.

"I don't need to," Westbrook said. "I need to just do my job. Whether I'm wanted or not doesn't really matter. I think the most important thing is that I show up for work and I do the job like I've always done it: Be professional and go out and play my ass off and compete."

After previously scoffing at the notion of coming off the bench, Westbrook said he's open to anything that helps the Lakers win. There's a very good (read: 100 percent) chance Westbrook feels the best way to win is with him on the floor, but it's at least noteworthy that he's open to a different dynamic this season after developing a reputation as one of the NBA's most headstrong stars.

With a roster that seems, on paper, to better fit around Westbrook, James and Anthony Davis, there's a real possibility for a turnaround. That said, if things get off to a rocky start, all bets are off.

Russell Westbrook is ready to show up for the Los Angeles Lakers, even if they don't necessarily love that he is still on the roster.

"I don't need to," the point guard said when he was asked if he felt wanted by his own team, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. "I need to just do my job. Whether I'm wanted or not doesn't really matter. I think the most important thing is that I show up for work and I do the job like I've always done it: Be professional and go out and play my ass off and compete."

Frankly, it is surprising that Westbrook is still a member of the Lakers.

The experiment of adding him to a core that already featured LeBron James and Anthony Davis was a failure last season. Los Angeles missed the playoffs and play-in tournament entirely with James and Davis dealing with injury concerns and the point guard struggling to find his place on the court.

That he shot an ugly 29.8 percent from deep didn't help, as teams with James handling the ball typically thrive when he is surrounded by outside shooters who can take advantage of the spacing created when opposing defenses collapse on the King.

Westbrook has shot below 30 percent from three-point range in six of the last eight seasons, so it is not realistic to expect his struggles to change in 2022-23.

His performance led to booing from the home crowd and an offseason of trade rumors, but he is still on the roster with the new year approaching.

The biggest change for the Lakers heading into the new season will come on the sidelines, as they fired head coach Frank Vogel and hired Darvin Ham. Ham was publicly supportive of Westbrook this offseason, and his ability—or inability—to help the nine-time All-Star and future Hall of Famer rediscover his old form could determine the Lakers' ceiling.

No team will be under a brighter spotlight across the entire league than Westbrook and the Lakers, but he apparently won't be bothered if some of that spotlight and scrutiny comes from within the organization.

After a disappointing first year with the Los Angeles Lakers, star point guard Russell Westbrook is excited about the team's potential for this upcoming season.

Westbrook recently told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that he has high expectations for how good the combination of him, LeBron James and Anthony Davis can be.

"There's so much optimism on how we can be great, how AD, LeBron, myself—can be unstoppable in my opinion," he said.

The Lakers' star trio failed to live up to expectations in their first year together. James and Davis both were in and out of the lineup as multiple injuries caused both of them to miss significant portions of the season. Los Angeles went 33-49 and failed to make the playoffs.

Westbrook received criticism for seemingly being unwilling to adjust his style of play. He averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists, but he lacked efficiency. Throughout the offseason, there had been some speculation that the Lakers would seek to trade the 33-year-old.

But it looks like the two sides will forge ahead together. First-year head coach Darvin Ham expressed his excitement to have Westbrook on the roster when the team hired him to replace Frank Vogel.

Westbrook also told Wojnarowski he's open to transitioning from a starter to coming off the bench.

"I'm all-in on whatever it takes for this team to win," he said. "I'm prepared for whatever comes my way."

Despite the eventful offseason, it sounds like Westbrook is locked in and ready to prove last year was just an anomally.

"I need to just do my job. Whether I'm wanted or not doesn't really matter," he said. "I think the most important thing is that I show up for work and I do the job like I've always done it: Be professional and go out and play my ass off and compete."

The Lakers open their season on Oct. 18 against the defending-champion Golden State Warriors.