Preseason Lakers’ Graphic Goes Viral Amid Team’s Recent Struggles

Before the start of the 2021–22 season, expectations were high for the Lakers. Many expected the team, led by LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the newly acquired Russell Westbrook, to return to championship form after a first-round playoff exit last year.

Fast forward to the end of the February and Los Angeles is well off the pace of the league’s top teams and narrowly holding onto a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament.

Following the Lakers fifth loss in their last six games to the Pelicans on Sunday night, an ESPN graphic from August regarding the 2020 NBA champions started to make the rounds on social media once again. The graphic, posted shortly after a busy free agency period in Los Angeles, lauded the team’s depth after trading for Westbrook and signing numerous veterans such as Carmelo Anthony, Wayne Ellington, Dwight Howard and more.

The Lakers’ depth is wild 👀

And that’s not even their whole roster 😳 pic.twitter.com/s9zxciwlaw

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) August 30, 2021

Unfortunately, the “depth” that the Lakers amassed in the offseason hasn’t been on display for most of the year.

While James has continued to set the pace at 37, his two co-stars haven’t been able to match his level of output. Westbrook has struggled to acclimate to his fourth team in four years and is averaging some of the worst numbers of his career (18.2 points, 7.3 assists, 43.5% FG, 29.2% 3-PT FG). Davis didn’t look like his usual self to start the year and then suffered a mid-foot sprain just before the All-Star break that will sideline him for at least a month.

Two other notable veterans from the preseason Lakers graphic, Marc Gasol and Rajon Rondo, are no longer on the team. Los Angeles traded away both and landed little from Memphis and Cleveland in return.