Cover Photo: Harry How/Getty Images


The Los Angeles Lakers were in rebuild mode following the retirement of Kobe Bryant. After a tough couple of seasons, some guy named LeBron James signed as a free agent. As you could imagine, they quickly went from a likely lottery team to a no-brainer playoff contender, thanks to his arrival in La La Land.


James not only brings a huge change to the culture of the Lakers, but more importantly, the team's ability to win. The only question is, how much of a difference is he going to make?


According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Over/Under on wins for the Lakers is 48.5. 

While it's hard to win in the Western Conference, it's equally hard to stop King James. LeBron has a tough road ahead of him in this loaded conference, but let's not pretend like he isn't capable of making a huge dent in the current landscape.
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​James hasn't played for a team with less than 50 wins since the 2007-08 season in Cleveland (excluding the 2011-12 season where only 66 games were played). He doesn't have another superstar playing along side him in LA, but there's no reason to act like there's no talent on this team.
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​Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Kyle Kuzma have all shown they have what it takes to be the Robin to LeBron's Batman. If anything, they'll play even better with a player like James taking the pressure off of them. This young core won 35 games last year, so the question remains, do you think James is a worth a 14-win difference?

A 50-win season would've earned the Lakers the three seed in the West last season, which isn't far fetched for any team led by LeBron. 

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