5.) The Lakers finish Top-5 in the Western Conference
This isn’t exactly a bold prediction, but given how ridiculously loaded the Western Conference is going to be, finishing anywhere in the Top-5 is going to be a massive undertaking, with teams like the Rockets, Nuggets, Jazz, Clippers, and Trail Blazers all being fully capable of nabbing one of those five spots.
But simply put, this Lakers team is too talented to be among those list of teams. To make a long story short, we’re looking at a team with a one-two punch of Anthony Davis and LeBron James, surrounded by versatile defenders and capable shooters to spread the floor for these two.
The bigger question is how many wins is it going to take to secure a top-5 spot in the Western Conference? I have a feeling all of the top-teams are going to cannibalize each other which will lead to a situation like last season where no team was able to secure above 58 wins, and the 1-6 slots were all decided by a couple of wins.
Despite this razor-thin margin, the Lakers should find no trouble securing one of the Top-5, or even Top-4 if things break perfectly, spots in the conference. The talent, coaching, and depth is all there, the team just needs some time to gel to put it all together.