The Los Angeles Lakers’ journey up the Western Conference standings has been going great. It seemed very unlikely before the deadline that the Lakers would be able to make the playoffs and now it seems more likely that the team could get a dream playoff scenario above the play-in.
At the very least, the Lakers should at least make the NBA Play-In Tournament and should be a seventh or eighth seed, which has a huge advantage over being a ninth or tenth seed. As it stands right now, LA is the seventh seed in the West with the same record as the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Lake Show is only half a game behind both the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers. With the Lakers owning the tiebreaker over the Warriors and having another game against the Clippers, it is possible that the team could climb out of the play-in altogether.
That being said, some serious reinforcement are coming to the Warriors by the way of all-star Andrew Wiggins. After missing 21 games due to a family matter, Wiggins is scheduled to return this week for Golden State.
ESPN Sources: Golden State Warriors All-Star forward Andrew Wiggins is nearing a return to the team and is expected to be back early this week. Wiggins has missed 21 games attending to a family matter. Huge boost for the defending champions and sixth seed in the West. pic.twitter.com/bQAw8ixINI
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 3, 2023
Andrew Wiggins returning to Warriors could keep Lakers in the play-in.
It is great to see Wiggins returning back to the court after spending time away for a personal matter. Hopefully, all is well in Wiggins’ life as he has gotten to a point where he can yet again focus on basketball. While it is absolutely great for the person, it doesn’t change the fact that it hurts the Lakers’ chances.
Wiggins is such an integral part of what makes Golden State successful. He was undoubtedly the second-best player on the team last season during the NBA Finals with his defense being hugely important. Him being back in the fold makes a big difference.
Los Angeles has five more games to play while the Warriors have four. LA plays the Jazz twice, the Clippers and the Phoenix Suns. A 3-1 record in those four would be absolutely exceptional and a 2-1 record from the Warriors would be enough to get LA out of the play-in.
A 2-1 record for Golden State is absolutely in the realm of possibility against the Thunder, Kings and Blazers. However, with Wiggins, there is an increased chance that Golden State wins out and finishes the job to get into the playoffs.
And that is assuming that the Lakers are able to go 3-1 in their last four. If LA goes 2-2 in the last four then it is almost a guarantee that the Warriors will advance as the odds of them going 1-2 in the final three with Wiggins is slim.
Of course, there is also the possibility of the Lakers winning out and usurping the Warriors that way but we would be getting ahead of ourselves. Regardless of how you spin it, the path just got slightly tougher with Wiggins back in the fold.