Lakers News: Pundit Dubious LA Can Avoid Play-In Tournament This Year

Entering the 2023-24 NBA season, your Los Angeles Lakers were seen as one of the top teams in the league. But fast forward a couple of months, and while L.A. is good, they haven't come close to their peak yet.

They have been hovering around the .500 mark all season, and it's been the cause of multiple injuries. This has caused them to play inconsistently on a nightly basis and has seen a fall in the standings.

ESPN NBA analyst Tim Bontemps is skeptical that the Lakers will be able to avoid being in the play-in tournament this season.

"The Lakers remaining outside the top six in the West. LeBron James and Anthony Davis have missed a combined five games, and yet Los Angeles sits firmly in the play-in picture. It's likely one or both of those stars miss a significant chunk of time over the final two thirds of the season and the team remains in their current spot rather than making a sprint up the standings."

Per Tim Bontemps of ESPN

While Bontemps is correct in saying that the Lakers have remained outside the top six of the Western Conference, they have also dealt with a ton of injuries this season. There was a point where almost half the roster was injured, but the team has done a good job of staying afloat.

Even if the team does end up in the play-in tournament, they were in it last season and reached the Western Conference Finals. This team has great leadership on it, and they will go after any challenges ahead of them.

Unfortunately, we haven't gotten to see this team fully healthy yet this season, but that is sometimes part of the game. However, the Lakers are nowhere near their final form either.

The team is expected to make some moves at the trade deadline, and that will likely shift things in terms of where they land in the standings. Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka seems to always have a trick up his sleeve, and he knows where they can improve the roster.

The biggest goal for this Lakers squad is to just get into the postseason, and then see what happens from there. If they can clinch a spot, then most fans will have confidence in them taking down the majority of teams this year.