LeBron James will go down as one of the best players to ever play in the NBA.
The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the greatest organizations in NBA history.
However, this season has started off differently than both the Lakers and James could have imagined.
Through four games, the Lakers are winless and don’t look like a potential playoff team.
Below, we will discuss whether the Lakers can still make the playoffs or if they are destined for the NBA Lottery.
Will The Lakers Turn Things Around?
Los Angeles is 0-4 on the season.
While an 0-4 start in the NBA does not necessarily mean a team will not make the playoffs, the Lakers have looked awful during that span and the problems are starting to mount.
The talent on the team is lacking severely outside of LeBron James and often injured Anthony Davis.
Speaking of Davis, he already looks banged up after just four games.
Russell Westbrook has continued his less-than-stellar play since joining the Lakers.
The Lakers rank dead last in the league in team 3-point percentage and second last in points per game.
The bench has also been a sore spot for the Lakers. They have scored the second-fewest bench points in the league.
Can The Lakers Make The Playoffs?
The short answer here is not likely.
BetOnline gives the Lakers the second-worst chance to win the Pacific division.
The Suns (+175), Warriors (+185), and Clippers (+190) all own better odds to win the division than the Lakers. Meanwhile, Los Angeles is a distant fourth with a +2500 odds to win the Pacific.
The Lakers have the 15th best chance with +3300 odds to win the NBA Championship.
While it’s never wise to count James out, there are several teams in the Western Conference that have a better chance of making the NBA Playoffs than the Lakers.
In order to make it to the playoffs in the Western Conference, the Lakers will have to finish with a better record than the following teams:
- Golden State Warriors
- Phoenix Suns
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Los Angeles Clippers
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Denver Nuggets
- Dallas Mavericks
There are at least eight teams in the West that the Lakers will struggle to have a better record than at the end of the season.
This leaves the final two spots left open for the Lakers to try and get into the play-in tournament.
Led by Damian Lillard, the Portland Trail Blazers have looked better than expected early on in the season.
With Anthony Davis often injured, LeBron James will have to carry the load for an entire 82-game season in Los Angeles, a tall order for the 37-year-old star.
Unfortunately for Lakers fans, this could be another long season that ultimately ends with the team missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
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