Lakers Postseason Run Could End Early for Simple Reason

With the advent of five-time All-NBA superstar, 3-and-D forward Dorian Finney-Smith, and first-year head coach JJ Redick, the 2024-25 Los Angeles Lakers finished their regular season with their second-best record of the LeBron James era, 50-32.

Los Angeles enters the Western Conference playoffs as the No. 3 seed and will host the No. 6-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday for the start of their first-round playoff matchup. This marks the first time James and Timberwolves All-Star shooting guard Anthony Edwards, teammates on the gold medal-winning 2024 U.S. men's Olympic squad, will face off against each other in the postseason.

Saturday. 5:30 PM. 🍿 pic.twitter.com/fJ1qeR94qK
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 14, 2025

The action tips off at 5:30 p.m. PT in Crypto.com Arena.

More Los Angeles Lakers: Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards Reacts to Playoff Series vs Lakers' LeBron James

40-year-old James is the league's oldest active player for the second consecutive season, and he's shown few signs of slowing down. But, with a record-breaking 23rd season in his sights for 2025-26, it's unclear how much longer the four-time league MVP will want to keep going.

After all, James is so old that he's teammates with his 20-year-old son, rookie guard Bronny James.

Could James win a fifth NBA championship this year, now that he's playing second fiddle on offense (to Doncic) for the first time in his career?

More Los Angeles Lakers: Lakers' JJ Redick Awards Bronny James Shocking Grade for Rookie Season

Lorenzo Reyes and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today note that the Lakers improved from a middling 20-17 record in mid-January, prior to their acquisition of Doncic, to finish out the season 30-15. Per that USA Today duo, L.A.'s big issue could come back to bite it during these playoffs.

"The Lakers have flaws with limited versatility," Reyes and Zillgitt write. "Still, it’s LeBron James and Doncic and a solid supporting cast. The Lakers improved defensively, and Doncic provides an offensive dimension that few players possess. How many more deep playoff runs does the 40-year-old James have? And is Doncic just the player to help him get there?"

Los Angeles' biggest issues are the defense of starters James, Doncic, and Austin Reaves (who are so valuable on the other end that they need to play extended minutes with each other) and their center rotation.

Jaxson Hayes has been the team's starter at center by default, thanks to the team's trade of 10-time All-Star big man Anthony Davis for Doncic and the health issues of Maxi Kleber. Hayes has proven to be a solid, springy post presence, although his offensive game is quite limited and he's merely a good, not great, rim protector. 6-foot-8 starting small forward Rui Hachimura has supplanted Alex Len as Redick's preferred backup.

Rui Hachimura | Last 5 Games:

19.6 ppg | 5.2 rpg | 2.8 3PM

60% fgs | 52% 3fgs | 85.7% fts

(For Good Measure- Nikola Vucevic in that same timespan: 14.6 ppg)

Itadakimas, Rui-san 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/UQQeNN5zYZ
— Lakers Legacy (@LakersLegacyPod) February 9, 2025

Hachimura is a solid small ball option, but the one-two punch of Hayes and Hachimura could struggle against standout Timberwolves centers Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid.

This limited versatility at center, especially against Minnesota, could prove fatal for L.A.

More Los Angeles Lakers:

Lakers' JJ Redick Plans to Utilize Special Luka Doncic Insight Against Timberwolves

Western Conference Executive Compares Lakers' Austin Reaves to Undrafted Hall of Famer

Los Angeles Insider Walks Back Criticism of Bronny James with Honest Admission

Lakers Linked to $100 Million Blazers Star as Summer Trade Target

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