NBA Analyst Predicts The Los Angeles Lakers Will Be A Play-In Team Once Again: "Too Many Other Teams In The West Have Made Too Many Moves To Feel Good About The Lakers Reclaiming Their Perch As Contenders."

NBA analyst says the Lakers will be a play-in team this season.

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While the Lakers failed to make any ground-breaking moves this summer, there is a real sense of hope and optimism for the franchise as they enter the 2022-23 campaign. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are healthy, Russell Westbrook is ready to give it another try, and Rob Pelinka replaced much of the team's older veterans with younger and more reliable scorers.

Still, despite the changes that they did make, not everyone Is convinced the Purple and Gold will be much better than they were last year.

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NBA Analyst Predicts Another Disappointing Season For The Lakers

In a recent article, The Athletic's John Hollinger gave his prediction for the Lakeshow this season, shocking fans by writing that they will be destined for another battle at the play-in tournament.

(via The Athletic)

Nonetheless, this season does actually get back in a very large way to James and Davis. Davis looked like an all-timer in the 2020 bubble but has not been that player since; in addition to his propensity for missing games with injuries, he seems to have forgotten how to shoot. If he and James aren’t two of the 15 best players in the league this season, it doesn’t matter what the role players do; the Lakers won’t be anywhere near good enough to justify what they think of themselves.

There’s a new sheriff on the sideline as well after the Lakers opted to fire Frank Vogel because … well, because their cap situation made it hard to do anything else. That said, new hire Darvin Ham was among the league’s most respected assistants and was on virtually everyone’s short list of future head coaches. He immediately inherits a very tricky situation in managing the Westbrook issue, the limited back half of the roster and the sky-high expectations.

Overall, I’m not totally pessimistic. This team carries upside that some others in the middle of the pack lack, but getting there requires hitting on an inside straight: James and Davis stay healthy and play at or near their peaks, the role players show a pulse, and Westbrook either stops lighting things on fire or is traded for better-fitting pieces.

All those things are possible, but too many other teams in the West have made too many moves to feel good about the Lakers reclaiming their perch as contenders. If this team has a postseason run in it, it’s most likely going to start in the Play-In Tournament.

The truth is, outside of maybe six rotation players, the Lakers aren't very stacked with talent. Thomas Bryant is one of their best bigs, and Dennis Schroder is, somehow, L.A.'s best shooting point guard.

But if the squad can come together, and rally around LeBron James, the Lakers will have a chance to shock a lot of people. For now, they will just have to live with experts like Hollinger doubting their capabilities.