The Los Angeles Lakers are currently in freefall and out of the playoff positions as things stand. But they do have a lot of firepower in their ranks.
It’s safe to say the Los Angeles Lakers have had a far from fruitful NBA campaign so far. The Purple and Gold outfit are currently languishing in ninth place on the Western Conference table. As things stand, the Lakers will not be making it to the playoffs.
Frank Vogel’s side have already suffered 34 defeats while racking up a rather unimpressive 27 wins, which have mainly been down to their quality players in their armoury. But with LeBron James‘ nagging knee injury and Anthony Davis sidelined with a foot problem, the Lakers have been in dire straits.
Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony joined the Lakers in the offseason but the duo has struggled to get anywhere close to their prime. Nevertheless, the Lakers organization is still optimistic that a strong run towards the end of the regular season can push them into a position for the playoffs.
Lakers’ plummet in absence of LeBron and AD this year
Without their talisman LeBron James, the Lakers have played 17 games and won only six of them while losing 11. In the 24 games that Anthony Davis hasn’t played this year, the Lakers have won 10 and lost 14.
The Lakers recently suffered defeat against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, which was their third straight defeat. In their last 10 games, the Lakers have won just three games.
Nevertheless, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report believes that if the Lakers manage to get either LeBron or Davis back soon, they could start challenging for a playoff berth. In fact, Ficher highlighted that the Lakers still have hopes of winning the Championship.
In his column, Fischer wrote, “The Lakers still hold championship aspirations this season, Los Angeles personnel maintain that if they can reach the playoffs, the healthy combination of LeBron James and Anthony Davis is still enough to threaten all comers for the Western Conference crown. Some rival teams have echoed that sentiment as well.”
The Lakers will be hoping for LeBron and Davis to get back to full fitness soon to get the team out of the massive hole they are in right now.
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