Going into their game against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Lakers had won eight of their previous 11 games. But according to ESPN analytics, they had only an 11% chance of making the playoffs and a 31% chance of reaching the play-in tournament.
The team has looked a lot better since it started 2-10, not to mention a lot more stable. Last season, when the Lakers missed the play-in tournament, no one knew what to expect from them game to game or even quarter to quarter.
Pundits seem split on whether their recent spurt is a sign they’re figuring out how to be a winning team or simply fool’s good.
ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith seems to think they have potential, but he’s wary of their staying power.
“So they won eight of their last 10 games prior to last night, and once again, we raved about them,” Smith said. “We come on the air and raved about them. We raved about them yesterday and what happens? Anthony Davis out with the flu and Lonnie Walker, averaging 16 (points) a game, shooting 39 percent from 3-point range, balling — we raved about him, and then he go last night and shoot 3-of-10 from the field and score seven points.
“See, this is this problem. This is the kind of stuff that gets to me. … The second you give them love, stuff like this happens. See, this is the problem that people concern themselves with with the Lakers.”
Health has been a concern for the Lakers for quite some time now, especially since Davis is injury-prone and LeBron James is nearing his 38th birthday.
So far this season, Davis’ health and availability have held up nicely, but James has already missed seven of 24 games, including Wednesday’s game with left ankle soreness.
If the Lakers stay relatively healthy, they can certainly make the playoffs this season. However, they are a couple of role or complementary players short of being a true contender.
