3. The Los Angeles Lakers are falling behind their peers
Even if the Los Angeles Lakers were struggling, there was this notion before the season began that they would still be fine as they would still be the most talented team in the Western Conference.
With Kyrie Irving not playing for the Brooklyn Nets, it was easy to talk ourselves into the Lakers being the true title-favorites regardless of their regular-season record. Because at the end of the day, they still have LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
You cannot do that anymore as other teams have emerged as legitimate title-contenders, and quite frankly, should be considered favorites over the Lakers at this point in time. The Lakers have not shown any reason to be considered the favorites in the West.
The one team that really stands out is the Golden State Warriors, who have been playing tremendous basketball and have an 11-2 record. Stephen Curry should be the MVP favorite at this point in the year and the Warriors are only going to get better when Klay Thompson comes back.
The Phoenix Suns are showing that last season’s playoffs were more than a flash in the pan and have started this season out great as well. The Denver Nuggets are playing well without Jamal Murray, the Dallas Mavericks are playing well and even the Clippers are playing well without Kawhi Leonard.
When it boils down to it, the Lakers should still be favored over the likes of the Nuggets, Mavericks and Clippers. However, with how LA has looked, I would argue that both Golden State and Phoenix are more likely to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals.
The Lakers are now punching up, and that is a problem. Unless something seriously changes, we cannot bank on the “well, they still have LeBron” mindset.