Lakers have recovered from their bubble title burnout

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Editor’s note: This is the Monday, Oct. 4 edition of the Purple & Bold Lakers newsletter from reporter Kyle Goon. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here.


Nearly a month after a brutal 2020-21 season ended for the Lakers, Anthony Davis had yet to pick up a basketball.

He was injured, coming off a groin strain that he had valiantly attempted to play through but obviously could not in the eventual elimination Game 6 of their first-round playoff series against Phoenix. But furthermore, he told people around him around the end of June, he was simply burnt out. The back-to-back nature of seasons had crushed him, body and spirit, and made it hard to even think about the game for a while after the offseason began.

That was the reality of the 2020-21 season for the Lakers: No sooner had they won the title that they found themselves trying to defend it. While they acknowledged this somewhat at the time, now that the 2021-22 season has begun with a gusto that coaches and players have lauded in the first week of camp, more about that tortured prior campaign is coming to light.

A person close to Davis told Southern California News Group that Davis was among the Lakers who simply needed a break after the title run and the following season that felt more like two years packed into one. Davis was hardly alone: Coach Frank Vogel acknowledged Sunday that last year’s Lakers never quite shook what ailed them which stands out now that they’ve actually had a full offseason to recuperate.

“There isn’t that ‘I can’t believe we’re starting training camp already’ cloud over us (now),” Vogel said. “That was real and it stayed with us throughout the year.”

While Sunday’s preseason game didn’t hold significant basketball meaning, it gave the Lakers a sense of normalcy being restored. Twice as many fans (16,000) were able to pack Staples Center for the preseason tilt as were on hand for Game 6 of the playoffs, and for many of the Lakers, that was the most important thing.

They cheered as Rajon Rondo who last was something of a pariah in March of 2020 before playing a key role on the title team checked in mid-first half. They crowed as Dwight Howard was awarded a free throw that was then taken away from him, exchanged for an ejection. Before the Lakers faded during a stretch carried by G League players, the crowd hooted with the expectation that the game might actually be getting close.

“It was great just to be out there, back here in L.A. and play,” said Howard, who has trumpeted loudly that he expects a parade at the end of the year to make up for the one the Lakers couldn’t have in 2020. “I had so much energy, I think that’s why I fouled out.”

It’s customary for champions to have a year to enjoy their spoils. I’ve written in this space that the Lakers never really got that, and in fact, the toll of that run was compounded by the short turnaround and a season hemmed in by COVID-19 protocols.

Now with a new roster and more energy-providers such as Russell Westbrook, the Lakers have painted just how stark of a difference it has been.

“Any little bit of energy that you had, it was completely gone when we left (the bubble) so you know, to come back into the season with the quick start that we had, kind of the life of the party was a little bit, just like, it was just kinda stale,” LeBron James said last week. “You know, rightfully so. Guys just didn’t have an opportunity to get a mental break. So you know, you could definitely feel the energy shift a lot more in this season the first two practices compared to last.”

Sunday included fans at courtside for the Lakers (the Clippers were eventually able to fit in more fans during their deeper playoff run). There were fan promotions, Laker girls, celebrities milling around. The energy shift in the building was palpable, which could help feed the energy shift the team is experiencing behind closed doors.

The Lakers were just 21-15 at home last season, which was identical to their road record. As other arenas in the league filled up, James was particularly vocal about how much he missed having fans in his own building.

The best sign yet might be the change in Davis: After needing ample space from the game at the end of June, he’s now fired up enough to play in the first preseason game while every other big star sat. That was a matter of his own discretion, Vogel indicated: “The desire to want to be out there is to be commended.”

Davis’ energy level up is a huge positive for the Lakers, who could use that sense of hunger. After last season’s disappointment, they seem ready to dive back in.

— Kyle Goon


Editor’s note: Thanks for reading the Purple & Bold Lakers newsletter from reporter Kyle Goon. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here.


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