Despite the optimism surrounding the Lakers under new head coach JJ Redick, ESPN does not believe next season will be any different for them. In their latest power rankings ahead of the new season, ESPN ranked the Lakers at 13th out of 16 NBA teams that can realistically compete for a championship, giving them just a 1.5% chance to win the NBA championship, and a 4.0% chance to make the NBA Finals.
Several questionable teams are ranked ahead of the Lakers, such as the Sacramento Kings at 12th with a 1.6% chance to win, the Memphis Grizzlies at 10th with a 2.6% chance, and the Miami Heat at 9th with a 3.8% chance to win the NBA championship next season.
Clearly, ESPN does not think that the Lakers have drastically improved with the addition of JJ Redick as the new head coach. And while the Lakers played really well against the Suns with their ideal starting lineup showing signs of promise in the few minutes that they played together.
The Lakers are yet to register a win in their preseason games, losing against the Timberwolves and the Suns. But so far, they have been playing well, at least when their starters and key rotation pieces take the court. So the biggest problem for the Lakers so far is their depth.
Head coach JJ Redick will have to figure out how he will manage this perceived lack of depth, whether that be getting the best out of some of his other bench options, or communicating with the front office to try and pull off some deals that can help improve the team.
Can The Lakers Defy The Odds?
The Lakers are not expected to compete for the NBA championship by most analysts. While not everyone is as low on the Lakers as ESPN, the consensus is that their team is just not strong enough to compete with some of the big hitters in the NBA like the Celtics, Knicks, 76ers, Mavericks, Nuggets, and Thunder.
Of course, any team that has LeBron James and Anthony Davis should have a chance to win an NBA championship. But the rest of their players are not quite at the level needed from role players to win an NBA championship or even compete with the rest of the favorites in the NBA.
Their star duo is perhaps the best in the league, but that will not be enough for them to win the title. Either, the Lakers’ role players will have to improve significantly in their performances and consistency, or, there will need to be some big changes made to the roster before the trade deadline passes.
It will take a gargantuan effort from LeBron James and Anthony Davis to lead the Lakers to a championship next season. And given their performances from the last few years, they may not have enough to carry the Lakers, as presently constructed and performing, to an NBA championship next season.
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