After a disappointing 2023-24 season, the Los Angeles Lakers haven’t exactly gotten better this offseason. In fact, one could argue they have actually gotten a little bit worse.
Their only additions, at least so far, have been draft picks Dalton Knecht and Bronny James. While Knecht could be the most NBA-ready player in this year’s draft class, one cannot necessarily expect him to make a major impact right away.
ESPN BET has come out with its over/unders for this coming NBA season, and the Lakers came in at a meager 44.5.
If a reasonable number of things go right for the Lakers, 44.5 seems a bit too low.
They won 47 regular season games this past season, and that was despite the fact that then-head coach Darvin Ham fiddled foolishly with the starting lineup during the first half of the schedule. In addition, the team didn’t bother to play hard on a consistent basis, leading to several losses to inferior opponents.
Starting at midseason, Los Angeles began to figure things out, allowing it to finish the season with 23 wins in its final 33 games. During that stretch, it put up some gaudy offensive numbers, as it ranked fourth in offensive rating, third in scoring average and 3-point accuracy and second in field-goal percentage after the All-Star break.
It looks like the oddsmakers are counting on LeBron James and Anthony Davis to miss a lot of games after they appeared in 71 and 76 contests, respectively, this past season. That’s certainly possible, but it’s also possible both remain healthy once again while also turning in excellent seasons.