After a long and hard-fought season for all NBA teams, it was the Los Angeles Lakers who prevailed as the 2020 NBA Champions. As the NBA season approaches, the question remains, will the Lakers repeat as champions?

Heading into the 2020-21 season, the Lakers look stronger than ever and are even bigger favorites than they were last year.

This is particularly due to the fact that despite being winners, the Lakers have made tremendous moves in the offseason, creating both a younger and stronger core on paper.

With the departure of players Danny Green via trade, as well as Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, and Avery Bradley through free agency, the Lakers were quick to find replacements. The Lakers went on to get Dennis Schroder through that Danny Green trade, additionally signing Wesley Matthews, Montrezl Harrell, and Marc Gasol in free agency.

The Lakers essentially swapped out players for better replacements, and came out on top at the end of things, becoming a deeper and younger roster. With the two superstars in LeBron James and Anthony Davis also signing extensions this offseason, a dynasty is in the works unless somebody can stop them.

Can anyone truly stop them is the real question though? The Houston Rockets are a mess, the Clippers are dealing with their own issues and the Golden State Warriors have to deal with another year of an injured Klay Thompson. This down year for the Western Conference makes it seem as if the Lakers are destined to plow through the competition rather easily.

The only teams on paper early on that may be able to put a stop to LeBron and company will have to come from the Eastern Conference, that of which has only grown more competitive. 

The Brooklyn Nets gain a superstar duo of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving this season, and are a promising team on paper to win the championship. The Milwaukee Bucks are another team that strikes as potential competition to the Lakers franchise, as back-to-back MVP Giannis Antetokoumpo has more help this year that may be able to grant him his first finals appearance.

Injuries are another thing to consider, as big man Davis has been known to be injury prone throughout his entire career. The superstar’s recent extension was for a five year, $190 million deal with his injury history being the main deciding factor in taking the long-term contract.

While Davis did have his healthiest season during his championship run, and seems to be the future of the franchise, only time will tell if injuries come back to bite him and the Lakers this year.

So while the short answer is yes, anything is still possible this season. The Lakers as of right now, however, are the standout team from the rest moving into the 2020-2021 NBA season.