Throughout NBA history, a team that has always been in this spotlight due to franchise success is the Los Angeles Lakers, and this year is no exception by any means. In an ever-competed Western Conference, the Lakers started their season on the right foot, managing to position themselves in either second or third place in the Western Conference.

However, over the last couple of games, the Lakers have not been on a winning streak. In the last 10 games, they have had a .500 record with five wins and five losses. Overall, this doesn’t sound too bad on paper, but in reality, this is a concerning situation for the organization. The way they’re losing games is worrying at times, which makes us question whether the Lakers can strive for a fruitful playoff run.

Coaching change + performance decrease

The coaching change the Lakers underwent this offseason seemed like a perfect change, with JJ Reddick and the renewed coaching staff really aligning with the team’s essence on paper. However, it seems they are struggling with team chemistry as a whole, and actually redefining their system is being a challenge for them. Especially when it comes to offensive chances, the team has not really found their “process” just yet.

Lakers’ current record: 13-11 (9th Seed in the West)

The positive thing about it is that they actually have the talent and ability to be a top team in the West, so we expect them to recover from this slump pretty soon. Pieces such as LeBron James, DeAngelo Russell, and Austin Reaves have performed well across the board. Speaking of Anthony Davis, he has lacked consistency at times and needs to find his best rhythm if he wants to take the team to greatness and perform as the team’s first option he is supposed to be.

All in all, the Lakers should very well clinch a postseason seed when this season comes to an end. Obviously, they do need to adjust and adapt to this new era and system they’re trying to build. Therefore, at a certain point, it can be completely normal that they lose some games in the process.

The title of “best team in the west” might not be for them to claim this season, but they can definitely perform well in the playoffs and surprise a few teams down the line.

text source: nba.com