How the Lakers Stack up With No. 1 OKC Thunder After Recent Trade

It wasn't the most shocking move of all time, especially compared to another recent move by the Los Angeles Lakers. However, the alert late on the night of Feb. 5 announcing Charlotte center Mark Williams was headed to Los Angeles was certainly a surprise.

It was common knowledge that the Lakers were actively pursuing an athletic big man after losing Anthony Davis but it seemed like the market for that position was minimal. Now, the Lakers have one of the best young big men in the NBA. After adding him and a new superstar in former Maverick Luka Doncic, it appears that Los Angeles's title hopes have significantly increased.

Atop the Western Conference for most of the regular season to date has been the Oklahoma City Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is in the midst of another MVP-caliber season and OKC plays some of the best defense in the NBA.

As of now, the Thunder still hold onto the one seed in the conference and are set up nicely to ride that seed to the playoffs. The Lakers are currently the five seed in the West, an area that's cluttered with solid teams.

It's safe to say that with its recent additions, the Lakers have a chance to shoot up those standings. Williams and Doncic are two players who will help Los Angeles right away for a variety of reasons.

Doncic is, without a doubt, one of the best players in the NBA actively. His ability to score at all levels and act as a facilitator is what gives him that crown. The move was shocking, but pairing him with Lebron James creates a trio, alongside Austin Reaves, that presents as an offensive force.

Williams is an ideal center for those three scorers. He's a great screener and rebounder while also being solid in the pick-and-roll. Those three love to operate in those screen-and-go situations, making Williams an even better fit.

All this means for the OKC Thunder is more trouble and more competition. This new-look Lakers squad hasn't played a game together yet, so the chemistry of the new additions still needs to click. On paper, it looks like they should be a great team. They still have to play that way.

Its new moves also make the matchups between the two squads more enticing. Doncic and Gilgeous-Alexander should square off at the point guard spot, as should James and Jalen Williams for the Thunder. Williams and either Chet Holmgren or Isaiah Hartenstein also present an intriguing one-on-one battle.

A combination of the rest of the depth pieces for both squads also should be fairly even. Giving one team the nod over the other also seems unfair, given the new-look Lakers haven't played a game with each other. Regardless, it looks like OKC has another team to worry about in the Western Conference.

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