Despite the Lakers being the favorites coming into the 2022 NBA season, they went 33-49, leaving them unable to participate in the playoffs. Two seasons prior to this let down, the Lakers were announced as NBA champions, but have recently gone off course with productivity on the court. They dealt for former League MVP, Russell Westbrook, and signed future Hall of Famers, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard– as well as possible Hall of Famer, Rajon Rondo. Along with these recent trades the Lakers obtained hall of Famers Lebron James and Anthony Davis.
You don’t need to know the NBA rosters to know who was on the Lakers. They are the embodiment of All-NBA and All-Star teams from the league’s last decade.
Injuries may be the case for this horrible season due to the Lakers–Anthony Davis and Lebron James were sidelined for more than 21 games. The lack of chemistry between the players on the court has also been brought to light, this being surprising considering that most players are friends with each other.
Money handed over to the SuperBook wagering on the Lakers to win the title accounted for 22% of every dollar bet on 2022 title futures. From the moment the Lakers built this team until they were eliminated from postseason contention, no team had more money riding on them.
The season after 2020, they looked like favorites again until injuries amongst the team sidelined their hopes. In an aggressive response, the Lakers cashed in the few remaining assets they had in the offseason.
