‘Only one team can stop the Lakers next season’: Stephen A Smith on who can beat LeBron James and co.

In the latest episode of First Take, Stephen A. Smith talks about how the Warriors are the biggest threat to the Lakers

With the NBA and NBPA deciding a December 22 start to the season, the topic of conversation has shifted to whether the Lakers can hold on to their crown or not.

The champions have King James and Anthony Davis, which makes them very tough to beat. They, however, have a lot of ‘ifs’ on their roster, with a lot of players hitting free agency.

In the latest episode of First Take, Stephen A. Smith gives his two cents on who poses the biggest threat to the Lakers.

“The Golden State Warriors have a legitimate shot to make it to the NBA Finals”: Stephen A. Smith

Stephen A. Smith is putting his money on the Warriors to make the Western Conference finals next season. Even before the Warriors solidify their roster, Smith is confident about this fact.

The main reason for his belief is the excellent shooting back-court duo of Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry. Smith calls them the greatest backcourt duo in the history of the NBA and there is not much that can be said to counter it.

.@stephenasmith is putting the NBA on notice!

“[The Golden State Warriors] will be in the Conference Finals. They will have a legitimate shot to get to the NBA Finals.” pic.twitter.com/KXwQXwtyzk

— First Take (@FirstTake) November 6, 2020

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Stephen A. Smith says the best defenders on the Lakers – LeBron and Anthony Davis – are going to have a tough time when the Splash Brothers get going. Both the two guards are really active off-ball and always keep repositioning themselves, making it tough for any defense to scheme for them.

He also mentioned later in the episode the only thing stopping the Warriors from doing so would be injuries. The Warriors led an injury-riddled 2019-20 season, with Klay sitting out the whole year due to his ACL injury and Curry breaking his wrist 5 games into the season.

Hopefully, the coming season brings better luck injury-wise and the Warriors, who are now well-rested, can go out and bring their former glory.