The Los Angeles Lakers won another championship in 2020 against the Miami Heat. However, in 2021, the Lakers regressed, getting eliminated from the playoffs by a stellar Phoenix Suns team led by Chris Paul and Devin Booker. This year could be different as the Los Angeles Lakers look to be a superteam.

Besides Lebron James and Anthony Davis, who were already on the championship team, the Lakers brought in several more veterans and future Hall of Famers. Six big-shot players make up the main roster: Lebron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, and Rajon Rondo. Although it would be great to see all of them playing in the same game simultaneously, that is unlikely. The most likely roster for the Lakers would be the following: Russell Westbrook at point guard, Wayne Ellington at shooting guard, Trevor Ariza at small forward, Lebron James at power forward, and Anthony Davis at center. Although Carmelo Anthony could play small forward and Rajon Rondo could play shooting guard, the reality of the situation is that they are not the players they once were. These players have years of experience and are bound to enter the Hall of Fame after they retire. However, this group of talented players is not the youngest. The average age of this group is 33, which shows all of them are well past their prime. 

Nonetheless, these recent signings have many Lakers fans excited for the upcoming season. There is no doubt that these players will impact the game, but will they make it to another championship? In a league stacked with young talents such as Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokumopo, Zion Williamson, and Lamelo Ball, to name a few, will the old-school generation be able to keep up? If the Lakers roster were in their prime and completely healthy, there is no doubt they would make another championship run. However, with age comes more severe injuries and the stamina of the players. 

As players get older, especially NBA players, they are more careful with their playstyle. One good example of this is Vince Carter. Vince Carter played in the NBA for 22 seasons​​, the only player in NBA history. If you look at Carter’s highlights as a rookie compared to his final seasons, you see a drastic change in gameplay. In his rookie seasons, Carter had a very flashy game style, making fancy plays, dunking on players, and dribbling with incredible speed and skill. Nearing his final season, Carter began dunking less and prioritized scoring no matter what. Instead of taking the opportunity to dunk a basketball, Carter made alley-oops. Instead of taking it to score solo, Carter began giving his teammates the ball more often, not because Vince Carter wasn’t talented enough, but because he felt the wear and tear basketball had on his body. In conclusion, fingers crossed for the Los Angeles Lakers; however, the question of how healthy they will be remains to undetermined.