NBA insiders debate LA’s place in the Western hierarchy
It’s been an interesting season in Southern California, like The Lakers are moving up in the Western Conferencedespite some hiccups. This has led some NBA insiders to debate whether they are Western Conference contenders and can compete for the championship, according to Tim Bontemps’ one-month report with 30 teams.
“It’s been a fascinating opening month in LA Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves set gigantic numbers, and LeBron James he basically missed it all,” said one Western Conference insider.
The The Lakers’ defense has improved a bit in certain areas, helping them to an 11-4 record. Notably, some of their best defensive plays included a 119-95 road win over the Milwaukee Bucks. It was the first time all season that they held the team under 100 points. For the most part, they didn’t need the defense to be the best because the offense was elite.
Doncic leads the Lakers with 34.6 points per game, while shooting 47.2 percent from the field. Meanwhile, Reaves is averaging 28.1 points per game. Deandre Ayton was efficient, averaging 16.5 points per game. And recently, LeBron James is back in the lineup and will surely enter the points mix.
Even so, some doubt the Lakers. Last week, the Lakers fell 121-92 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, leaving some NBA insiders to wonder if they’re really that good.
“Opponents are having a field day at the rim, and the Lakers are shooting 69 percent within five feet (fourth-worst in the NBA). Even though they have an 11-4 record, they have average overall efficiency,” noted another Eastern Conference insider.
For context, the Lakers are 11th in offense, 17th in defense and 14th in net rating. The insider stated that as a result, they don’t believe the Lakers can compete with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets or Houston Rockets. Overall, they believe the Lakers lack depth and top talent is what carries them, making them a potentially tough team in the playoffs.
2025-11-21 16:41:00
