Coming into this year's NBA season, it's clear that the Los Angeles Lakers are the favorites. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are returning and they will have a plethora of new teammates in Marc Gason, Dennis Schroder, and even Montrezl Harrell. With these additions, the Lakers are even better than they were last season, and there is no reason to believe they won't be able to win a championship.
Stephen A. Smith seems to agree with this hypothesis as he went on First Take today with a prediction for the NBA season. As he explained in the clip below, the Lakers are the likeliest option to win the title although the Nets are the only viable option to beat them. This, of course, is only if the Nets can pull off a trade for James Harden.
"I think James Harden, with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, is the only possibility to dethrone the Los Angeles Lakers," Smith said. As it stands, Harden is looking to get traded to the Nets and a reunion with KD would certainly be a fruitful partnership. While it might seem unlikely, Nets fans are still holding out hope on this one.
With the season starting in just a couple of weeks from now, fans will have a much clearer picture of how many of these teams will ultimately perform. However, with a shortened season, we could certainly be in for some surprises.
