Kyle Kuzma Says Lakers Would've Repeated as NBA Champs in 2021 If Not for Injuries

The Los Angeles Lakers won the 2020 NBA Finals in six games over the Miami Heat, but they were eliminated in the first round of the 2021.

If it wasn't for injuries, the Lakers would have defended their NBA title, according to Kyle Kuzma.

kuz @kylekuzma

We would of repeat if we were healthy

The Lakers won their first championship in seven years in 2020 and will never be forgotten. It was the first time in four years that the purple and gold made the playoffs.

Anthony Davis and the Lakers were able to return to prominence thanks to the additions of both James and Davis.

The team's supporting cast, which included players like Alex Caruso and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, played important roles in the playoffs.

The Lakers brought back most of the same roster for the 2020-21 campaign, but injuries to James and Davis were a factor in the team finishing seventh in the Western Conference with a 42-30 record.

When he was on the court, he averaged 21.8 points, 7.9 rebound, 3.1 assists, 1.3 steals and a career-low 1.6 blocks, but when he wasn't on the court, he looked far from being the player who earned an All-Star selection the season before.

James played just 45 games due to injuries. He had 25.0 points, 7.7 Rebound, 7.8 Assists and 1.1Steals.

L.A.'s supporting cast wasn't able to hold up without its two leaders, and the Lakers broke up most of their roster at the end of the season, making a trade for Russell Westbrook and relying on lower-end talent to fill out the rest of their roster in

The purple and gold are currently 13th in the Western Conference with a 7-11 record. It is hard to imagine the current team making a run to the NBA finals.