One of the biggest questions heading into the 2021-22 NBA season is how the Los Angeles Lakers will ultimately fare.
The Lakers underwent a major talent overhaul over the past few months, and the jury is still out on how it will affect them in terms of wins and losses.
A few weeks ago Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum called out a bit of free-agency manipulation that involved L.A., which led to a lot of mixed reactions.
This week, he came back to offer more commentary on the Lakers’ offseason. During a recent appearance on "Jalen & Jacoby" (h/t Matt Peralta of Lakers Nation), McCollum took a deep dive into Los Angeles’ recent roster moves:
“They reloaded. They reloaded, they brought in a lot of veterans, they brought in my guy Melo. I think they’ll be a solid team, obviously good starters, good backups, they have the depth that will allow Bron and AD and Russ and some of those guys to rest some games throughout the season which is probably ideal.
“But it’s gonna be competitive. I got nothing but respect for the rest of the league, especially the Lakers. It’s gonna be competitive and I’m looking forward to seeing how everyone has improved this upcoming season.”
Certain players in recent weeks have come out and spoken very dismissively of the Lakers. Kevin Durant is probably the best example, but his teammate Blake Griffin did something similar. Clearly McCollum doesn’t subscribe that same way of thinking, though.
One way or another, next season is going to be an interesting one. Either L.A. will shock a lot of people and prove many a haters wrong, or the team will disintegrate under the weight of its age and big personalities and turn into one of the more disappointing “superteams” of the modern era.
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