 How far can this Los Angeles Lakers team really go and how great can this big three really be and yeah I said big three, but obviously there's a lot of questions surrounding this big three. Is it really a big three? What do you guys think down below? I personally believe that it could be I do personally believe that to Marcus Cousins has that Chance to return to being a third option He doesn't have to be the star of the team not even the second star in this team Just a third option you got to think about it He was a 16 and 8 guy in a Warriors team with four NBA all-stars as Arguably the fifth or fourth option on that team only playing 25 minutes per game and only playing 30 games and then being Re-injured you don't think he can average four more points and average two more rebounds and be a 20 and 10 guy again as the Third option. I believe that is very possible So how far do I think the Los Angeles Lakers can go and do I think that they are as good as the Los Angeles Clippers? Which means could they possibly be the best team in the Western Conference? Well, let's find out firstly before I get started if you are new around here and you enjoy NBA content Be sure to hit that subscribe button for daily NBA content And if you enjoy these types of videos be sure to smash that like button as it supports the channel And that would be greatly appreciated. It would mean a lot anyway Let's get into it. Even if he isn't the demarker's cousins though He once knew and watched as the greatest big man in the game now Even if he's the third option that is still classified as a big three LeBron James is arguably the greatest player even in today's NBA at 35 years old Anthony Davis if healthy is the best big man in the game especially at the power forward position and then demarker's cousins as that third option along with Kyle Kuzma The Lakers are still in a very very good position and here's why of course They're in the Western Conference, which is the toughest conference and has been for many many years And whilst the Western Conference is obviously Extremely stacked and has improved with teams like the Denver Nuggets most likely improving with Michael Porter Jr. Back and they're obviously just a young team that will most likely improve even more the Utah Jazz They've obviously improved a lot and to me they could be the sleeper in this year's NBA season And obviously the clip has improved a lot by adding Paul George and Kawhi Leonard But when you think about it the Warriors do not have clay Thompson They added DeAngelo Russell, but offensively it's amazing defensively. They obviously will not be as good Which means they probably lose a few more games the trailblazers They got her son white side to replace Nurkic But are they really gonna improve that much the Rockers didn't add anyone Which means they probably decrease considering that other teams will be better and they're only getting older with age And that means normally guys like CP3, PJ Tucker start to decline just a little bit The Thunder obviously losing Paul George and most likely Russell Westbrook will fall out of the playoffs The Spurs didn't really add too many pieces and they don't seem like they're gonna improve that much Like I understand they got Marcus Morris and obviously Damari Carroll But does that really push them as one of the best teams in the West? Probably not and then all the other teams like the Mavericks, Pelicans, Grizzlies, Timbles and Kings Well, they do improve by adding young pieces But yeah, they are just young pieces. Obviously the Pelicans are the wild card here They may just sneak into the playoffs as they still have Drew Holiday, JJ Redick who are guys that can actually lead this team Derek Favis they picked up and obviously we don't know how great Zara Williamson will be Brandon Ingram is there, Lonzo Ball is there Like this is definitely the biggest wild card Which means the Lakers are in that interesting spot where obviously they improve a lot off last season adding Anthony Davis The best big man in the game and the Western Conference is still very wide open Even with the Clippers, the Jazz, the Nuggets being the best teams. I still believe the Lakers definitely match up with them So let's say the Lakers make the playoffs. They just have to make the playoffs That's all they have to do make the playoffs, which most likely they're going to make the playoffs Who's gonna defend Anthony Davis and even just the shell of Demarcus Cousins? The Warriors and their big man situation I mean they still have Dreymont Green and Willie Coley Stein so they can't still defend them But that's gonna be an interesting situation as for everybody else. Well, the Rockets really only have Clint Capella I mean PJ Tucker. He's a good defender, but he's not gonna match up against Anthony Davis The Portland Trailblazers have Zach Collins and Hussar Whiteside as of now and then Nurkic gets back But I don't see Nurkic and Whiteside playing together and Nurkic isn't a great defender The Jazz match up well with Rudy Gobert at the center position But if Anthony Davis is playing at the four then that's gonna be an interesting situation for them Who's gonna match up with Anthony Davis and then you look at the Clippers and yeah, they've got Harold But number one, he's pretty undersized for that center position at six foot eight So if he matches up on Anthony Davis that still leaves Demarcus Cousins as a guy that will destroy Zubac Even though Zubac is decent He's still very young and he probably won't be able to handle boogie cousins It's kind of like the 76er situation in the Eastern Conference Once they make the playoffs no matter what seed they get who was gonna match up against Al Horford Who was actually a power forward that is his true position and Joelle Embiid No one that is the point at the big man position Nobody can match up with the 76ers in the East or with the Lakers in the West in my opinion Yes, there are some teams that have one great big man But then they lack at the other big man The only real team is the Golden State Warriors who have Draymond Green and Willie Coley Stein in my opinion But as a whole we talk about the Clippers being amazing defensively and obviously they are Pat Bev, Kawhi, Paul George, Harold and obviously full credit is there But the Lakers aren't all that bad either If LeBron James actually decides to play defense which in the playoffs He tends to set his defensive game up when it counts That means you have Danny Green which is a very very good defensive shooting guard Rondo while still aging he has shown signs of his defense in the past And yes, he is older and not as great on defense and he's obviously not comparable to Patrick Beverly But he can still be a solo player in the playoffs especially on the defensive end Plus you add Anthony Davis in there which is one of the top defensive big men in the league And we don't really need to discuss their offense We all know they have LeBron, Davis, Kuzma, DeMarcus cousins But it's their bench step that is still going unnoticed Yes, they missed out on some of the other guys in this year's free agency But they have done really well since Danny Green is really good, Quinn Cook is very solid DeMarcus cousins will probably play off the bench and be a scorer And I wouldn't put it past the Lakers to run Kuzma off and on as a six man and as a starter at times Depending on if they rest LeBron or if they rest Davis and what happens there Because sometimes they will need a spark off the bench And they still have the ability to get guys like Andre Gadala, Karl Korva And other pieces to make their bench even better And if they can add Andre Gadala in there That as a bench unit is very solid And to me if they can get Andre Gadala I believe they match what the Clippers have And I understand that because of the hype and because of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George There is a lot of hype at the moment But once the season starts the hype dies down And it really becomes about who can mesh well together and who plays well as a team And I believe that the Clippers have a very very good team Lou Williams, Patrick Beverly, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Harrell And they do have some decent guys off the bench But you can't tell me that the Lakers aren't at that position either LeBron James, Anthony Davis That is arguably as great as Kawhi Leonard and Paul George if not better And then you have that big man piece of DeMarcus Cousins vs Harrell And obviously defensively the Lakers aren't as good But you have that scoring option of the bench in Karl Kuzma vs Lou Williams And then if the Lakers can acquire Andre Gadala That kind of equals out the defense in Patrick Beverly So the Lakers and the Clippers aren't too dissimilar They don't have the same team in terms of positions But what the players do at their positions is different and similar at the same time They have their scorers, their defenders, their star players And all together it's not too dissimilar from each other So if you think that the Clippers going all the way in this year's NBA playoffs I'm just here to say that the Lakers probably won't be that far behind And the Lakers may even be a better team than what the Los Angeles Clippers are right now But even if you don't value DeMarcus Cousins And you don't think he's a great fit on the Lakers Let's talk about Karl Kuzma Karl Kuzma is a guy that is entering his third season in the league 24 years old He averaged almost 19 points last season Five and a half rebounds shooting 70% from the free throw line And 30% from three And obviously he has a lot to improve on Especially with the three point percentage 30% last season was a decrease from his 36% from the year before In his first season as a rookie But you can only imagine that that can increase If he shot 36% in his first ever season I believe that last season he was just getting used to playing with LeBron There's a lot of expectations there But if he can increase that to like his first season at 36% And even if he can average four more points He will be a 23 point scorer as the third option And really only needs to focus on his defense Defensively once again that is the issue in both DeMarcus Cousins and Karl Kuzma But once again with a full off season And a chance to focus primarily on health and defense I don't see why Kuzma and DeMarcus can't come back Even just a tiny bit better of what they were last season Especially on the defensive end Especially Kuzma He has the potential He is still young, athletic, lengthy I believe he has the potential to be a better defender than what he is at the moment When you think about DeMarcus Cousins He had a very rough stint last season Obviously he came off an Achilles injury A guy of his size to come off an Achilles injury Is very hard to come back and play at his former self You obviously need time Look at Gordon Hayward He didn't even come off an Achilles injury But he just needs time Paul George When he came back He obviously just needed time And now just a few seasons later He is an MVP candidate again So I believe personally when a player tears something or has an injury As big as this It's important for them to rest And have a full off season and pre-season to get healthy again Which is exactly what's going to happen with DeMarcus Cousins So DeMarcus Cousins only played 30 regular season games last season And obviously he was very lackluster But to be on a team with Stefan Curry Kevin Durant Clay Thompson Draymond Green For DeMarcus Cousins He wasn't going to have the shots that he had in New Orleans or in Sacramento He wasn't going to be the main guy anyway So you can't expect a lot from DeMarcus Cousins In 30 minutes per game In a completely new and changed system A completely different team DeMarcus Cousins still averaged 16 points As the only shot 12 shots per game Which is the lowest that he's had by a long way In his time in the NBA If you can out the first couple of years in his career He still averaged 8 rebounds Which a guy coming off an Achilles injury Is still very solid Considering they had a defensive system Where Draymond Green was a guy that went for a lot of the rebounds And then a still per game One and a half blocks per game Once again from a guy returning from an Achilles injury In only 25 minutes And then obviously once he returned He then got injured again Which is extremely unlucky And that is probably one of the reasons Why a lot of NBA teams didn't go for him this season Is obviously because of the risk factor With DeMarcus Cousins getting re-injured But for the Lakers You already have Javelin McGee anyway And you may as well have taken that risk And I think it's going to pay off for them A full off season to finally get healthy And show what he can do Eliminate all his past injuries And focus on the future In a team that will probably most likely use him A lot more than in Golden State I feel like they can only benefit DeMarcus Cousins And even if they don't play him 30 minutes per game Even just the 25 minutes per game Because you still have Javelin McGee That will probably do DeMarcus Cousins wonders And he will probably still have the shot attempts That he had in New Orleans or Sacramento Considering that if he does come off the bench Or even if he does start LeBron is a willing passer And will most likely try and feed Anthony Davis And DeMarcus Cousins And that can only be a good thing for DeMarcus And if you have a 20 point scorer As your third option That is still a big three in my opinion This team is still a team That is arguably the greatest team In the Western Conference Besides what everybody is saying about the Clippers The Jazz The Warriors The Rockets The LA Lakers Despite not getting Kawhi Leonard Are still in a great position And can still be the best team in the NBA With that said Let me know what you guys think about the Lakers And what their potential is Do they still have a big three with DeMarcus Cousins? Can he play as the DeMarcus Cousins That we once knew and once watched? If you enjoyed this video Be sure to leave a like Subscribe if you're new Be sure to hit that notification button And follow me on Instagram I am out Peace