Midway by means of their 2024-25 schedule, the Los Angeles Lakers are 23-18 and in fifth place within the Western Convention. Whereas many really feel they’re about the place they need to be, given their strengths and weaknesses, and even doing a little bit higher than they need to, others nonetheless see prospects of enchancment.
The Lakers suffered some inexcusable losses to groups they need to have overwhelmed this season, together with a short-handed Dallas Mavericks crew, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Miami Warmth and maybe the Detroit Pistons. If that they had solely received three of the video games they misplaced, they might at present sit in fourth place.
Robert Horry, a key ahead on the Lakers crew that received three straight NBA championships within the early 2000s and is now a Spectrum SportsNet analyst, believes the crew can do even higher. When requested to grade the crew over the primary half of this season, he gave it a C grade, however stated it might attain second place within the Western Convention.
“I feel in the event that they proceed to play with some consistency, they’ll progress,” Horry stated. “As a result of the West, we all know OKC is operating away, however for those who have a look at everybody else, they’re two or three video games away. If you happen to get a profitable streak, meaning 4 or 5 video games, lose some one, you win 4 or 5 – you are again to the 2 or three spots I will give them a C now, possibly a C-plus, however I like their pattern.
Los Angeles is at present three full video games behind the fourth-place Denver Nuggets, 4.5 video games behind the third-place Memphis Grizzlies, and 5 video games behind the second-place Houston Rockets. Though he has misplaced as soon as in opposition to Denver and Houston, he has two video games remaining in opposition to each groups and he at present leads the Grizzlies two video games to at least one within the season collection with one recreation remaining.
The Purple and Gold will face the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics on Thursday, who’ve been struggling a bit recently. After that, they may start a six-game highway journey that shall be neither very troublesome nor straightforward on Saturday earlier than taking part in 10 of their subsequent 13 video games at dwelling.
The chance remains to be there for the Lakers to climb again up the standings, however it’s dwindling, particularly after they’ve received simply 5 of 9 video games to this point this month regardless of a positive schedule.
This text was initially printed on LeBron Wire: Former Lakers champion explains how excessive the crew can climb within the standings
