2016-2017 NBA Previews – Lakers Odds
Looking for 2016 Los Angeles Lakers Predictions? We’ve got your back. The Los Angeles Lakers finished the 2015-16 season with the NBA’s second-worst record, finishing ahead of only the lowly Philadelphia 76ers.
Los Angeles Lakers Season Preview
Head Coach: Luke Walton
2015-16 Record: 17-65
Lakers Odds to NBA Title: +20000
Lakers Odds to Win Conference: +15000
Updated Sportsbook Bonuses For Today
Click here for ALL of our 2016 Team By Team NBA Season Previews
With a new head coach on board and an old Mamba out the door, a new era has officially begun for the Lakers. The question is: How long will it take to escape the basement of the league, and can this team be respectable sooner rather than later?
Los Angeles Lakers Strengths:
A youth movement has officially taken over the Lakers. Not only has this team added the No. 2 pick from the 2016 draft, Brandon Ingram, but players such as Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell have this team set for the future as long as they can play efficient, cohesive basketball.
Although the future isn’t here yet in terms of reaching this team’s potential, 2016-17 has the chance to see at least one of these guys truly break out onto the scene.
Clarkson can play well on or off the ball. Russell has shown he has a clutch gene. Randle averaged a double-double last season after his botched rookie campaign ended in Game 1 of the year due to injury.
And if Ingram can live up to even half of the Kevin Durant comparisons he’s received since his time at Duke, he’ll be a stud right out of the gate.
Above all else, this team now has new-school, NBA champion (player and assistant coach) Luke Walton running the show.
His time with the Golden State Warriors likely taught him a thing or two about modern-day offenses, which will fit this young core’s makeup far more than Byron Scott’s “give Kobe Bryant the ball” mentality.
Scott was also known for his benching of youngsters during the fourth quarter, which while fine if your team is in contention and you have the pieces to make up the difference, does this particular group no good and won’t be the strategy any longer under Walton.
Check out the free sports picks from Cappers Picks experts today!
In terms of veteran leadership, this franchise brought in both Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov this summer.
The Mozgov signing was met with much critique because of the dollar amount for which he signed, but the truth is that a veteran big man who has a championship ring and can defend the rim should prove invaluable to a young roster.
Deng, while certainly past his prime, will allow Ingram to come along as slowly as needed and should help this team stay focused in the locker room without the intimidation tactics Bryant used throughout his career.
Los Angeles Lakers Weaknesses:
As great as it is for a franchise to have a youth movement in place, inexperience also plays a role in how a season ultimately plays out.
Simply put: This team is going to be one of the most exciting groups to watch this season, but it’s also going to be one of the most frustrating as we see the growing pains take place.
[dfads params=’groups=226&limit=1&return_javascript=1′]
Mistakes will be made throughout the year and throughout individual games. Walton will use this year to develop the young talent, but he’ll also use it as a time to experiment which rotations work the best.
This team also lacks one thing that every franchise needs to truly contend: an established star.
There’s potential for guys like Randle, Russell and Ingram to become that in the future, but not having a star in place makes it virtually impossible to make significant noise across the Association.
Los Angeles Lakers Betting Prediction: 26-56
Vegas has set the over/under for this team at 24.5. We’re picking the over here, but not by much.
The truth is that there’s enough talent on this roster to assume we’ll see one positive stretch at some point during the year. This group will start to click, and one good month really is all it takes to get above 24.5 wins.
The catch, of course, is that we won’t likely see a stretch like that last too long before the inexperience starts to kick back in.
Check out the free NBA basketball picks from Cappers Picks experts today!
Last year we saw the Portland Trail Blazers obliterate expectations out West, and while Lakers fans would like to see the same thing happen for them, they don’t have that established star (Damian Lillard) or team chemistry yet that will instantly propel them to the next level.
2016 NBA Gambling
What do you think about our 2016 Los Angeles Lakers predictions? Please leave us a comment below telling us how you think they’ll do in the 2016-2017 NBA Season!
The 2016 NBA futures betting season is here in full force! If you like to bet on NBA hoops, you are in the best possible place for online betting. CappersPicks.com has NBA odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find weekly NBA basketball lines up for early games as well.
Check out our Updated NBA Betting Odds today! Click to view more 2016/17 NBA Predictions.