New York Knicks' guard Jeremy Lin (17) and Los Angeles Lakers' guard Kobe Bryant (24) pause as a foul is shot in the third quarter of their NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden in New York February 10, 2012.
Jeremy Lin will be teaming up with Kobe Bryant in the upcoming 2014/15 NBA Season REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine

The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to bounce back from one of their worst finishes in the upcoming 2014/15 NBA campaign, as they were able to only rack up 27 wins, while conceding 55 games last season.

They were left demoralized and virtually helpless after the 36-year-old superstar went down with a fractured knee following his recovery from an achilles tendon surgery, which saw him grace the hardwood only six times.

Roster

Key Loss/es: The purple-and-gold lost key big man Pau Gasol to free agency, with the latter opting to head to Chicago and pair up with a recovering Derrick Rose.

With the impending return of Bryant and a likely limited role awaiting him, Jodie Meeks, who averaged 15.7 points, refused to extend his stint at LaLa land and instead signed a three-year $19million deal with the Detroit Pistons.

Other notable losses are veteran center Chris Kaman and reserve guard Jordan Farmar.

Key Addition/s: With the ageing legs of Steve Nash, Jeremy Lin, who was acquired via a trade, is expected to handle substantial quarterbacking duties.

The Harvard graduate failed to live up to expectations in Houston and was eventually demoted to playing the back-up role, but the upcoming 2014/15 term could be his awaited breakout campaign with the landscape very much in his favor.

With Gasol joining the Bulls, the Lakers were somehow fortunate enough to have won a blind bid involving waived player Carlos Boozer.

The former Duke Blue Devil, while coming off an all-time low in field goal percentage (45.6%), still has much to contribute at 32, and is an established veteran and two-time all-star.

Projected Starters: Jeremy Lin (PG); Kobe Bryant (SG), Xavier Henry (SF), Carlos Boozer (PF), Jordan Hill (C)

Season Outlook

Best Case Scenario: Should they be able to keep their core and key personnel healthy, the Lakers might be able to snatch as high as sixth place in the powerful western conference.

However, they will find it hard to get past the first round as they will be confronted with some of the deeper and more compact teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunders, and the LA Clippers.

Worst Case Scenario: They will suffer another injury-ridden year, miss the playoffs, and break their worst win-loss record of 19-53.