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ESPN disrespects Los Angeles Lakers with latest standings prediction

By Jason Reed

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 20: Head coach Frank Vogel of the Los Angeles Lakers talks with Anthony Davis #3 during action against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first half in game two of the first round of the NBA playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 20, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kim Klement-Pool/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 20: Head coach Frank Vogel of the Los Angeles Lakers talks with Anthony Davis #3 during action against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first half in game two of the first round of the NBA playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 20, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kim Klement-Pool/Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Lakers are still less than one calendar year removed from winning the NBA Championship and while there has been a lot of roster turnover, the team is still led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis and is Western Conference favorite to win the title.

The Lakers added a third star in the mix in Russell Westbrook and did a great job of adding pieces around their stars. While many doubted it could be done, as it currently stands, the Lakers roster sits at 13 quality rotation players. There is not a single wasted rotation spot on this team.

While the Lakers are the oldest team in the league, their age should actually benefit them this season. However, NBA pundits and experts are not as bullish on the Lakers, with some not even predicting them to finish first in the Western Conference.

ESPN released its 2021-22 NBA standings predictions articles with one article predicting the Western Conference and one predicting the Eastern Conference (ESPN+ subscription required). Despite the Lakers’ talent and being the betting favorites to win the West, a panel of ESPN experts predicted that the team would finish second in the conference.

In what is definitely a bold take, the Los Angeles Lakers are predicted to have a 53-29 record and finish two games behind the Utah Jazz for first in the Western Conference.

Why the Los Angeles Lakers won’t finish behind the Utah Jazz:

There is only one thing that can stop the Los Angeles Lakers from finishing atop the Western Conference: injuries. If the Lakers stay mostly healthy throughout the season then it is hard-pressed to imagine another team finishing with more wins.

I get that LeBron James is getting up there in age and visually does not care as much about the regular season. However, let’s not pretend like Anthony Davis isn’t one of the 10 best players in the league and still is not even 30.

Westbrook is also going to make the team much better in the regular season as well. While there are some rotation problems that Frank Vogel will have to solve in the playoffs, Westbrook takes stress off of LeBron and will make the Lakers win more games.

Nobody cares about a seemingly meaningless February game in Memphis more than Russell Westbrook. The “let’s take tonight off” losses won’t be as frequent with Westbrook caring so much to win every single game.

This team simply has too much star power and too much depth to only win 53 games. While that is still a lot, it is significantly lower than what we predicted in our game-by-game season predictions.

The Utah Jazz are a very good regular-season basketball team, I will give them that. They will definitely be in first place at some point in the season and will challenge the Lakers for the top spot.

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But at the end of the day, as long as the Lakers’ stars can stay healthy, it is hard to see them winning fewer games than Utah.

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