Saturday, April 10, the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets clashed in a potential NBA finals preview. While both teams did not have some of their superstars play, the Lakers went on to beat down the Nets 126-101. While the Nets were without James Harden and had limited minutes with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Lakers still managed to beat the Nets by 25 points without LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Marc Gasol, Kyle Kuzma, and Wesley Matthews. The Lakers proved that they are very capable of winning tough games without the help of James and Davis. While the Lakers currently sit fifth in the Western Conference, there is no team in the NBA that has depth like the Lakers. When the Lakers are fully healthy, they will always be the title favorites and they will be a tough team to beat.

The Lakers have a roster that has tons of championship experience. Despite having a few departures who were a key part of the championship grind last season, their roster was filled with highly talented newcomers. Key additions such as Montrezl Harrell and Dennis Schroeder have impacted the Lakers for the best and have kept the same level of efficiency of last year’s team, if not better. The opponents’ game plan is to stop James and Davis, but the Lakers have the depth to turn to other players on the team, which makes them even scarier. While offense can take you a long way in the NBA, defense is what makes teams make deep playoff runs and the Lakers have elite defense too. The Lakers have one of the best defenses in the league and have players that can generate turnovers and stop what opponents are trying to do.

With one of the most versatile rosters in the NBA, the Lakers have the pieces to repeat as NBA champions. The Lakers have the league’s best offense and defense and a team filled with the playoff experienced players. If the Lakers stay healthy and get their full team back in time for the playoffs, it would be hard to bet against the Lakers to repeat as NBA champions.