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5 former Lakers that LA might have to face in the playoffs

By Jason Reed

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 18: Malik Monk #0 of the Sacramento Kings handles the ball against Delon Wright #55 of the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on March 18, 2023 in Washington, DC. 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 G Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 18: Malik Monk #0 of the Sacramento Kings handles the ball against Delon Wright #55 of the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on March 18, 2023 in Washington, DC. 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 G Fiume/Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Lakers are fighting for a place in the NBA Playoffs in a crowded Western Conference. If the team does ultimately make it to the playoffs then there is a good chance that they will have to face a player who formerly donned the purple and gold.

For the sake of this article, we are including the NBA Play-In Tournament as there are a lot of variables in the standings and several of these players might be play-in opponents.

Here are 5 former Lakers that could face their old team in the NBA Playoffs: 

1. Malik Monk, Sacramento Kings

Malik Monk was the breakout signing for the Lakers during the 2021 offseason and he turned that into a nice deal with the Sacramento Kings. The Kings have been the breakout team of the 2022 season, producing the best season for the franchise over the last two decades.

The allure of Monk being a former Laker has worn off a tad but it still is a bummer to see him jacking up threes and playing a big role for the Kings when he did that very same thing for LA a year ago.

How the Lakers can face the Kings in the NBA Playoffs: 

Sacramento is pretty locked into the third seed in the West, creating a pretty easy path for Los Angeles to reignite the old rivalry. The easiest way for the Lakers to play the Kings would be to climb to the sixth seed for a first-round matchup.

If LA cannot do that then the team would have to finish as the seventh seed and beat the second-seeded Grizzlies to potentially play the Kings in round two. If the Lakers are an eighth seed then they would only be able to see Sacramento in the Conference Finals.

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