It has been another tough NBA regular season for the Los Angeles Lakers after what was a brilliant run to the Western Conference Finals in the NBA playoffs last year.
Even though the Lakers were dubbed one of the deepest teams in the league, and both LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been able to stay healthy for the majority of the season, the team has barely been able to stay above .500 while trying to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Despite the team’s struggles, the Lakers, as usual, still make headlines on a daily basis, with James doing some amazing things on the floor but not really seeing the results in the standings.
ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins argues that despite winning two straight games and seven of their last 10, the team should feel deflated because they can’t seem to move up the standings in the West, via NBA on ESPN.
“The Lakers should feel deflated right now,” Perkins said. “And here’s why I say that, before they beat the [Los Angeles] Clippers before LeBron [James] went on his masterpiece in the fourth quarter, they were in the ninth spot. Last night, LeBron played in the back-to-back. Thirty-nine minutes. Big game from him. They get a win. Guess what? They’re still in the ninth spot. They still have to cover ground.”
"The Lakers should feel deflated right now."@kendrickperkins on the Lakers still being in ninth in the West. pic.twitter.com/iUMs8ggBB8
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 1, 2024
If things continue on this path, the Lakers will need to go through the Play-In Tournament once again in order to make the postseason, which could be more difficult this time around with so much talent in the conference this season.
Only time will tell where this team lands in the standings and whether James and company have a legitimate chance of competing in the West.
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