That's not the case for the Lakers because they cannot win without one of their star players.
Lebron or Davis' injury will drastically affect their chance of winning, just like the Clippers when Leonard and Paul George was injured, although they were still competitive but they are not the same without their star players.
It's true. But Paul George did something great when Kawhi was out.
About the Lakers, it's not like its a one man team now or two man team which only rely on Lebron and AD.
They have PatBev and Westbrook which I think will be a big impact for the team if their coach would let it.
Ham is different than Vogel. It's not like he have focus for defense only. I have seen Westbrook play this preseason and there is a difference than what he was last year. We cannot tell it just yet.
Just like what you've said, we cannot tell it just yet and that same goes for Pat Bev and Westbrook because this is their first time playing side by side while Westbrook should bounce back from his performance last season, he may have good stats but that is not the Westbrook we know. So that all goes back for AD and Lebron because I don't really think they go far this season if both named superstars are injured.