Los Angeles Lakers: Are they worthy of No. 1 spot in ESPN’s power rankings?

Granted the Los Angeles Lakers could not win their eighth game in a row Sunday night, ESPN has the team at No. 1 in their recent power rankings.

Although the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the defending champion Toronto Raptors on Sunday, the team is sitting pretty as far as power rankings are concerned.

As a matter of fact, ESPN currently has the Lakers at No. 1 in their most recent power rankings. Per the same source, a lot of the reasoning behind their high ranking is because the loss against Toronto was their only one since opening night.

Conversely, NBA.com writer John Schuhmann placed the Lakers at No. 2 in his power rankings. He somewhat echoes what ESPN noted, referencing the fact that the loss to Toronto was their worst defensive showcase since game one.

Needless to say, the Lakers’ defense has otherwise been nothing short of impressive thus far. As of when this was written, the team is the third-best in the league with respect to the points they allow at 100.1 per contest.

A huge piece to the puzzle defensively has been the outstanding play of center Dwight Howard. Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes shed light on Howard in a recent piece he compiled. Ranking the Lakers at No. 1, he alluded to just how “mobile and energetic” the big man has been for Los Angeles.

He has really been a treat to watch. His usage rating is not through the roof, but he has remained extremely productive whenever his name is called upon. Assuming Howard’s minutes are kept where they are, it should allow him to sustain this level of play once the dog days of the season hit.

Howard has not been the only bright spot for the purple and gold in this realm, though. With Anthony Davis looking like a possible DPOY candidate and LeBron James having stronger consistency in this regard, L.A. has been mighty tough to take down.

Avery Bradley has been a pest as well from a defensive standpoint. Bradley has been one of the team’s best (if not the best) perimeter defenders up to this juncture. The instances where he goes into full-court press mode have made the lives of the opposition a real nightmare.

On account of that factor alone, it validates another elite ranking the Lakers currently boast. According to TopBet.eu, the 16-time champions have the second-best odds to win the title at +325. The Clippers are the only team ahead of them, who reside at +300 at the moment.

While the Lakers have been an excellent team defensively, it is worth posing the following. Are the Lakers truly worthy of these high rankings, namely the No. 1 slot ESPN has them at?

To be completely honest, it is a fairly complicated answer. Indeed, the Lakers’ “D” has been sensational. Combined with Davis and Howard, having JaVale McGee down low has given the ball club the equivalent of a three-headed snake.

While the three are never all on the floor simultaneously, having three bona fide bigs has nevertheless made the lives of the opposition miserable. Not a whole lot of teams can boast this luxury, but the Lakers can, which is nice as it harkens back to a more traditional style of basketball.

Thus, when the defense alone is considered, the number one ranking is justifiable. Albeit the transition defense was not great in the Raptors contest (namely late in the fourth stanza), the “D” overall makes a No. 1 ranking understandable.

Moreover, the James-AD pick-and-roll combination has been as advertised. Those two work together well and to think that things could become even better as the season continues is mind-boggling.

However, issues Schuhmann raises are relatively concerning for a team that holds control of robust rankings in general. For example, he reveals that James is averaging 11.0 dimes a game.

Now, don’t get me wrong. 11 assists a night is a strong number. However, when Sunday night is examined, it is a game where it would have been nice to see James try to take over. He instead deferred to others.

An issue all year, too, has been the lack thereof of guys who can distribute the rock. Point guard Rajon Rondo will help out in this realm, but his timetable for a possible return is still confusing. James has carried so much of the load here and that could become a bit more of an issue as time progresses.

The same thing is true when Davis is thought about. He is currently nursing some kind of injury with his shooting shoulder. AD has been outstanding for the Lakers this season, but he has noticeably been uncomfortable at times this season.

The bench scoring continues to be a bit of an issue as well. Granted Kyle Kuzma had his second double-digit scoring game of the year versus Toronto, he has been inconsistent. The word inconsistency rings true when others coming off the pine are considered, including Troy Daniels and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Thankfully, the season is relatively young. The Lakers have not even played a double-digit amount of games. In spite of that, getting more regular contributions off the bench scoring-wise is going to be crucial.

Given the TopBet.eu rankings, bettors can only hope for the same in terms of the Lakers. James and AD are a dynamic pair, no question about it. Despite that, having someone else to rely on offensively would make the team a lot more dangerous than they already are.

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By and large, ESPN’s placement of the Lakers is sensible. What does need to be considered, though, is the fact that L.A. has had a friendlier schedule to start the campaign. James and Davis have done a lot of heavy lifting as well, hence the need to have a third threat.

Howard has probably been the most consistent third “threat,” if his “D” alone is mulled over. His decaying athleticism explains why he is not fed the ball much on the low post anymore, though.

That being said, the area to really pay attention to in the time to come is whether a greater offensive balance can develop. In particular, the perimeter shooting has not been too impressive.

It has been slightly surprising provided who they signed in the offseason. Even though Danny Green has been decent from long range at 40 percent, the Lakers have not had an array of solid outside shooters. That will need to improve, especially in an era where outside shooting is so heavily regarded.

All in all, the Lakers look poised to have a really, really good season. At 7-2, they have put the league on notice and are not clowning around. Their defense is their identity and they have really bought into Frank Vogel’s principles.

However, games like Sunday night prove a potential weakness in the team. It almost seemed like the Lakers took Toronto lightly with the couple injuries they had. Their foe out hustled them and made them look silly in the second half.

If the Lakers really want to be the last team standing in June, they will need to take this last one as a learning experience. The foot always needs to be planted on the gas pedal, not on a periodic basis.

For now, a top ranking for the Lakers is not necessarily inappropriate. Nonetheless, games like Sunday demonstrate that this year will not be easy at every nook and cranny. Teams discern they will need to bring their “A” game against L.A., and the defending champs did just that.