NBA Power Rankings: Battle for seeding priority of OKC Thunder and peers
31-39. Previous: 25th. Los Angeles Lakers. 25. team. 20.
At season end the Lakers will review their first year with LeBron and it will be logically be deemed a failed campaign. Aside from adding the league’s best player, there isn’t much else to celebrate. To be fair, can the franchise even claim credit for signing LeBron? After all, he was pretty determined to come to LA, so I’m not sure how much ownership Magic (Johnson) and Rob Pelinka can take.
Nor were they able to pair LeBron with an equal or top level peer whether in the offseason or at the deadline. That might have been fine if the Lakers had utilized LeBron’s first season in LA to develop the youthful talent surrounding him to:
a) ascertain who James developed the best chemistry with or
b) get the youngsters ample playing time to increase their trade value
Instead, the Lakers succumbed to trying to land Anthony Davis, blew up their locker room via leaking messages and the roster now seems as far apart as they ever have since the King’s arrival.
Moving forward, the events of this past season and decisions may have far-reaching effects because Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball’s injuries will undoubtedly lessen their trade value. More importantly, there is an equal chance this summer doesn’t’ net a top tier free agent.
Schedule particulars:
Tankathon rank for schedule strength of remaining games: 11th
Games Remaining: 12 | Home: 7 Road: 5
- Versus top 10 offenses: four
- Versus top 10 defenses: four
- Games facing teams over .500: eight
- Last 10 games: 2-8
- Back to back sets: two
Key Stats:
Offensive Rating: 22nd (107.5)
Defensive Rating: 15th (109.3)
Net Differential: 22nd (-1.8)
Record: 11th in WC
Home: 18-16 | Road: 13-23 | Back to back sets: 11
Versus the West: 21-23 | Versus the East: 10-16
Week 22, 1-3: Won vs. @Bulls, Lost vs. @Raptors, @Pistons, @Knicks
On tap for week 23: vs.@Bucks, Nets, Kings