Lakers News: LA Superstar Stunningly Optimistic After Plummeting To West's 11th Seed

We're almost halfway through the 2023-2024 season, Laker fans. And through all the off-season moves, the signs, all that, the Lakers still find themselves in the same position as they were last season through 40 games. The Lakers sit two games below .500 at 19-21, 11th in the Western Conference.

Nothing is going the way we expected it to go for the purple and gold, and outside of a trade or firing, there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. The Lakers look lost as they're on the outside looking in the playoff picture, but those within the team remain optimistic, including their superstar big man Anthony Davis.

Davis spoke with The Los Angeles Times' Broderick Turner, and said there are plenty of games left to turn things around.

“I don’t remember last year at the 40-game mark [when LA had an identical 19-21 record],” Anthony Davis said. “But I think for us right now, we’re not in a bad spot. It could be worse. Just our injuries just piled up over and over. As soon as we think we get a couple guys back, guys go down. So that’s the toughest thing, but we still have enough to win basketball games. Even though [LeBron James] doesn’t play, we have enough to win. But we just got to keep going — 40 games, 42 left. We got to make a push. These next five or six games at home are going to be a big stretch of games for us.”

(per Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times)

Everything Davis is saying is right. As of January 14th, there are 42 games left, and we have all seen the turnaround the Lakers were able to accomplish last season. As long as they are healthy, this team has a shot, but it's clear what they have right now isn't working.

Much of it concerns their personnel and coaching, but LeBron James and Davis should be enough to get things in order. The playoff push starts now. Los Angeles cannot waste any more time before things begin to truly unravel.

Although the Lakers are 11th in the West, they are only one game back from the 10th spot, four games back from the seventh spot, and five games back from the sixth spot. Things will get rapid quickly, so hopefully, LA doesn't get too far back before things get too late.

A healthy AD and James are the key; hopefully, that remains constant.