Los Angeles Lakers have been struggling throughout the current season with consistency. Not being able to get a winning streak going has hurt the team. Hence the team is lingering at the bottom half of the table of the Western Conference. It is looking really tough for the Lakers to qualify for the playoffs. Anthony Davis, Lakers star, mentioned a few times before that they need a streak to bounce back. That is true, but it has not been easy to find any though. Not even 25 games are left to complete the regular season, but the Lakers are not seeing any way to climb up from the 13th seed.
General Manager Rob Pelinka has tried to shuffle the roster to bring some balance to the group. The Lakers have finally traded Russell Westbrook to Utah Jazz and were able to acquire some talented youngsters who can be there for a long time with the franchise. Anthony Davis wants to thank the GM and the front office for making these changes. As he feels this change was necessary to provide LeBron James and himself with support.
Good Deal For LA & Rob Pelinka Before The Trade Deadline
The franchise would be planning to build the rosters for future seasons centring around these players. A few players like D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, and Malik Besley are all quality prospects for the front office of the Lakers. Looking at the current season, albeit things are not going in favor of the team, there is hope. Before the start of the season, there were doubts in the minds of the fans and media experts about whether the team has got enough depth.
The doubts seemed to be valid when the team was underperforming. However, with the new recruits, the team looks solid, and there is depth now. Analyst Stephen A. Smith feels that after the shuffling, the Lakers look like a worthy title contender. The group has balance and a good mix that can help them find the rhythm they were looking for.
Chances Of Lakers Making It To The Playoffs
There are still more than twenty games to go. And if the Lakers can find the streak, they will start to climb up. However, if they don’t get direct qualification for the playoffs, they might make it to the play-in round. With the new recruits, they have played a couple of games. They lost against the Trailblazers, but they won against the Pelicans. If the Lakers can continue the winning momentum against the Warriors on February 24, 2023, the team will get much-needed confidence.
There is also the possibility of Steph Curry making a comeback in that game. After, he was ruled out for a few games due to an injury. The Golden State Warriors would also be looking to climb up the ladder as they are not having a great season either. Being the defending champions, the Warriors would only look to win from here on. Hence, the match between the Lakers and the Warriors, LeBron James and Steph Curry, will be an exciting worth-watching encounter.
