The Los Angeles Lakers are heading into next season with one of the most talented duos in the NBA in LeBron James and Anthony Davis, as well as a sound supporting cast around them, but the way the league sees it, they don’t stack up against the best teams in the Western Conference.
The Lakers ranked in the bottom four in the NBA’s Western Conference Power Rankings
The Lakers were ranked No. 12 overall by NBA.com’s John Schuhmann in his Offseason Power Rankings. He cited Los Angeles’ additions of Dalton Knect in the 2024 NBA Draft as their marquee acquisition of the summer, yet saw little reason elsewhere to give them a higher spot, saying this in part:
“Knecht was a fifth-year senior and is two years older than third-year guard Max Christie, so he could certainly be ready to contribute right away. But it’s hard to see how the Lakers are better than they were last season, when James (71) and Davis (76) each played more than 70 games,” Schuhmann wrote.
“We’ll see how Redick changes things up. Improving on that shooting-opportunity discrepancy by putting more emphasis on offensive rebounding (the Lakers ranked 29th in offensive rebounding percentage last season) could make a difference, and a healthier Jarred Vanderbilt (just 29 games played last season) would certainly help in that regard.”
Teams that did and did not warrant a higher placement than the Lakers
The Western Conference is loaded, as it has been for the last decade and counting. Nevertheless, the Lakers have the manpower to compete with most teams and be a dark horse candidate to win the conference in next year’s playoffs. Understandably, teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 1), and Sacramento Kings (No. 8) following their addition of former All-Star DeMar DeRozan came in ahead of the Lake Show. However, there are a handful of teams that could be debated.
The Golden State Warriors (No. 7) no longer have Klay Thompson. Draymond Green, 34, is a year older, and their incumbent No. 2 option Andrew Wiggins had as quiet of a season as any All-Star caliber player had in 2023-24 with his alarming 13.2 points per game in 27 minutes of nightly action. Stephen Curry may not have enough around him to contend for a playoff spot.
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Other teams with real championship aspirations like the Phoenix Suns (No. 5) and New Orleans Pelicans (No. 6) have the talent to contend with the Lakers without question, but have injury-prone superstars that could jeopardize their seasons at the drop of a dime if the injury bug decides to visit them. Not to mention the Clippers (No. 9) just lost Paul George to the Philadelphia 76ers and have no bonafide No. 2 option outside of James Harden next to Kawhi Leonard.
What the Lakers can use to fuel them to 50 wins in 2024-25
That being said, the Lakers’ No. 4 pace (101.4), as Schuhmann pointed out, was an encouraging sign from a team that had not played as fast as their potential showed in previous years, and figures to carry over into next season, even with D’Angelo Russell running their show at floor general. Christian Wood has the chops to contend for Sixth Man of the Year if given ample court time, and the underrated Gave Vincent further fortifies their second unit.
Should Davis stay healthy and James not show signs of slowing down, L.A. could be in line for an improved season in 2024-25. After all, they finished three games shy of a 50-win season, which is nothing to scoff at. They have the size, defensive capabilities, and star power at every level to achieve that marker next time out.
