The Los Angeles Lakers have been a middle-of-the-pack team for most of the season. Despite looking like contenders before the season started, the Lakers sit as the No. 9 seed with a 31-28 record. They’re entering a make-or-break stretch of the season, with the team not favored to win eight of their next 10 games.
The Lakers play their rival Clippers on February 28, with the Clippers favored to win the contest. They’ll follow that up with what should be an easy win against the Washington Wizards (February 29) on Leap Day. What follows is a brutal stretch of fixtures against six playoff-caliber teams.
They face the Denver Nuggets (March 2), Oklahoma City Thunder (March 4), Sacramento Kings (March 6), Milwaukee Bucks (March 8), Minnesota Timberwolves (March 10), and then the Sacramento Kings (March 13) once again. This is a brutal two-week stretch that ends with a matchup against the surging Golden State Warriors, who they’re currently ahead in the standings but have underdog odds for this matchup on March 16.
The final game is against the Atlanta Hawks (March 18) without Trae Young, the only game outside their Leap Day Wizards clash they’re the on-paper favorites for.
This stretch could easily lead to the Lakers sinking below .500 once again, a disastrous outcome for the franchise that chose to stay pat the trade deadline with the hope the roster can make a late-season push like they did last year. They’ve shown the makings of a contending team in high-level matchups earlier this season, so maybe this is what they need to force them to compete at their very best.
This Stretch May Make The Lakers Focus On Next Season
If the Lakers can’t exit this gauntlet of fixtures with at least five wins, it’ll likely spell the end of any competitive future for this team this season. Even 5-5 doesn’t exactly sound competitive, but at least it’ll allow the team to remain above .500. They’ll hope the Warriors have a worse time, but they have among the easiest schedules for the rest of the season this year.
If the Lakers can’t climb up to the eighth seed, it shows that the team is not in the tier of the teams above. There is a war in the West for seeds 5 through 8 with the Suns, Pelicans, Mavericks, and Kings fighting it out. The Warriors and Lakers are on the outside looking in, with this stretch possibly ensuring the Lakers can’t climb any further.
LA may need to look ahead to their future after a clear failure from a coaching, front office, and player’s point of view. They were supposed to build on a Conference Finals appearance, not find their footing as a play-in team in the NBA. LeBron James could be a free agent this summer, so LA has big decisions ahead of them. Have they extracted everything possible from the LeBron and Anthony Davis duo, or is there a big summer move to re-establish them as contenders in the works?
The Lakers are expected to swing for a third star like Trae Young in the summer. With LeBron James showing a willingness to negotiate a long-term contract with the Lakers, the franchise could keep its core together for a few more seasons. Looking ahead may be the best option for the Lakers considering how this season has gone, with the obstacles becoming even greater in the next two weeks.
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