Lakers: Avery Bradley being out will hurt title chances

With the news that Avery Bradley won’t be playing with the Los Angeles Lakers for the rest of the season, the team will certainly miss what he brought to the table.

As the NBA gets ready to head to Florida to resume the season, the Los Angeles Lakers will be without one of their key players.

Avery Bradley recently decided to opt-out of going to Florida with the rest of his team to be with his family. Bradley has a young son with a history of respiratory issues, which puts him at-risk with the coronavirus.

For the Lakers, this is a huge blow. Bradley has been a starter for them most of the season and has also had some big performances. This season, Bradley is averaging just under 25 minutes a game, as he is one of the more important players for the Lakers at the guard position.

The Lakers brought in Bradley this offseason because of his ability to guard some of the best point guards in the league. Bradley never shies away from a challenge, and he will certainly be missed on the defensive end of the court.

In addition to his ability to be a great defender, Bradley was also a contributor on the offensive end of the floor. This season, Bradley was averaging 8.6 points per game and was shooting it at an impressive 36.4 percent clip from three-point range.

Without Bradley, winning a championship just became a lot harder for the Lakers. While they might bring in a player like J.R. Smith as a healthy body to replace him, the Lakers aren’t going to be able to get a defender to replace him at this stage.

The Lakers have proved to be one of the best defensive teams in the league this season, and they will need players to step up on that end of the court to replace what Bradley brought to the table. With a good chunk of minutes now available, it will be interesting to see if the Lakers give more minutes to a guy like Alex Caruso.

Caruso has been good when he is on the court for Los Angeles this season and is certainly a good defender. With no Bradley, it might be Caruso as the guy that has to step up in his absence for the Lakers.