The 2019-20 Los Angeles Lakers squad was one of the closest teams ever when it comes to chemistry, and the result was them winning the 2020 NBA Championship inside the Orlando bubble.
The chemistry of that team both on and off the floor was apparent from the very beginning as they maintained the No. 1 seed in the West all year, overcoming adversities such as a preseason incident in China, the death of Kobe Bryant and the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Unfortunately though, that team didn’t get the chance to defend its title. With there being such a short offseason due to the pandemic, general manager Rob Pelinka felt it was necessary to bring in some fresh legs. So guys like Danny Green, Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard, JaVale McGee and others were swapped out for Dennis Schroder, Montrezl Harrell, Marc Gasol and Wesley Matthews.
Then a year later, the Lakers got rid of more members of the 2020 team like Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso to bring in Russell Westbrook.
Since then, the Lakers have been unable to recapture the magic of the 2019-20 season. They returned to the Western Conference Finals in 2023 but came up short due to the lack of help around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
In a recent episode of Above The Rim with DH 12, members of the 2020 championship team Howard, DeMarcus Cousins and Quinn Cook discussed how great that team’s chemistry was and their disappointment that they couldn’t stay together to give it another run:
Howard put the blame squarely on Pelinka for the Lakers making so many changes:
“I’m going to tell you who it was,” Howard said. “Rob Pelinka, man! God, Rob. Why did you do that to us? Rob, come on. I still love you, Rob. We still had the squad and we could have run it back.”
Howard feels that the Lakers could have been even better and healthier if they stayed together. While that is possible, Pelinka’s thought process of wanting to bring in fresh legs due to the short offseason was also logical.
And truth be told, the Lakers would have had a great shot at repeating in 2021 regardless. That team started out 21-6 and again was looking like one of the best teams in the league.
Unfortunately, both James and Davis got injured and the team wasn’t able to recover in time to make a deep postseason run. The Westbrook trade then set the organization back even further, and the Lakers are still trying to recover to this day.
Jeanie Buss comments on Lakers’ lack of activity
This offseason, the Lakers have not made any roster moves to improve their championships odds. When asked about that, owner Jeanie Buss decided to focus on the changes they did make.
“I’m excited about our new coach, JJ Redick. And I can sit here and tell you how great it’s gonna be basketball-wise, but I really want the opportunity just for the team to play basketball and that will tell the story. But we’re excited about our draft picks, Dalton Knecht, who we didn’t think would be available at the 17th pick, and of course Bronny James, who played at USC. So we’re excited about our young guys.”
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