Getty LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been a walking disaster this season. They are in ninth place in the Western Conference standings and the Portland Trail Blazers are only 3.0 games back of them.
If the Lakers fall out of the top-10, they won’t even participate in the play-in tournament. The purple and gold had the second-best odds in preseason to win the title this year, but Anthony Davis has only played in 37 games due to injury and Russell Westbrook has been a poor fit next to LeBron James, leading the NBA in turnovers and posting an effective field goal percentage of 46.5.
There are some people around the NBA, including Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue, who believe the Lakers will be a tough out in the play-in tournament. However, according to Dan Woike of the L.A. Times, LAL staff members and players may be ready for the season to end early.
“Multiple conversations with staff members and players have included the some version of the phrase, ‘at least there’s only a month left’ — not exactly the kind of message you hear from a group with realistic visions of playing until early summer,” Woike reported.
The Lakers are coming off a terrible loss to the Houston Rockets, the worst team in the Western Conference. LeBron recorded a triple-double and Westbrook had 30 points, eight rebounds and six assists and the Lakers still lost.
So, it’s not surprising to hear that players and coaches privately don’t believe a turnaround is in the works.
Frank Vogel: I Thought Warriors Win Would Lead to Turnaround
Behind 56 points from LeBron, the Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors on March 5. Frank Vogel thought that clutch win would lead to a winning streak. However, the team lost to the San Antonio Spurs and Rockets.
“It is hard losing,” Vogel said after the Rockets loss, via LakersNation.com. “Pouring everything that you have into trying to get some traction for this group. It’s definitely hard, but we’ve got resolve and we know this is a tough stretch that we got to fight through until we can get healthy. Try to win as many games as we can.
“Obviously, we thought that the Golden State game was going to be one that could swing some momentum for us. We didn’t win the next-man-up game in San Antonio. I thought we could capture it again tonight, but we fell short.”
It looks like the Lakers will be the ninth or 10th seed in the West, which means they’ll have to win two games in the play-in tournament to make the playoffs. While LeBron and a healthy Davis are a deadly duo, one of the best players in NBA history doesn’t see the LakeShow getting out of the play-in tournament.
Reggie Miller: ‘I’m Not Sure the Lakers Even Get out of the Play-in Situation’
Hall of Famer Reggie Miller told Heavy that he doesn’t think the Lakers get out of the play-in tournament. The Indiana Pacers legend has called several Los Angeles games this season for TNT and hasn’t been impressed by what he’s seen.
“God bless LeBron, who is having the best season at age 37, but he has zero help, zero. I’m not sure the Lakers even get out of the play-in situation,” Miller told Heavy. “Right now, they’re currently ninth. Let’s just say everything holds true right now. So seven is Minnesota, eight is the Clippers, nine is the Lakers and 10 is New Orleans. So New Orleans would have to come to the Lakers for that one game. New Orleans just beat them in LA a week ago. They were up by like 35.
“But let’s just say the Lakers do win against New Orleans. Now, they’ve gotta play the loser of Minnesota and the Clippers. They will not beat either team. I’m not sure they get out of the play-in situation.”
The Lakers are expected to make massive changes this summer after a disappointing season. LeBron and Davis will likely be back, but Westbrook and everyone else on the roster could be traded or cut.