Despite having LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook, not many people around the NBA thought of the Los Angeles Lakers as legit title contenders.
But their new-look roster, with all the depth and weapons they’ve added, has been quite impressive early on, going 4-1 since the Westbrook trade.
Darvin Ham’s team seems to be peaking at the right time, as became evident with a 27-point comeback over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
That’s why ESPN’s Mike Greenberg believes this team could make some noise out of the Western Conference, as they’re starting to get hot when it matters the most:
“I think the Lakers, at the right time of the year, are getting hot and I think they’re going to be dangerous down this stretch,” Greenberg said.
"I think the Lakers, at the right time of the year, are getting hot and I think they're going to be dangerous down this stretch."
👀 @Espngreeny pic.twitter.com/C6fJ7btKct
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) February 27, 2023
The Lakers had just over 20 games left in the regular season after the All-Star break, with LeBron James calling them the most important regular-season games of his career.
They have officially entered playoff mode at least one month earlier than the rest of the league, and while that could take a big toll on them physically, it could also make them a legit dark horse out of the West.
Of course, we don’t need to get ahead of ourselves right now, and they still need to make it to the Play-in tournament at least before even thinking of coming out of the Western Conference Finals, but they have the combination of depth and stars to pull it off.
LeBron and the Lakers are on a mission.
They don’t want to miss the playoffs for the second straight year.
But don’t be shocked if they go way beyond just punching their playoff ticket.
NEXT: Stephen A. Smith Has A Strong Opinion About Lakers
