The Los Angeles Lakers will undoubtedly be one of the most interesting teams to follow coming out of NBA All-Star Weekend. While the Lakers are definitely in better shape than most teams, there are plenty of questions that will need to be answered as the second half of the season marches on.
Los Angeles was making a strong case for themselves as a fringe contender with the duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Then, the NBA world stood still when Shams Charania broke the news of Luka Doncic being traded to the Lakers.
JJ Redick and his players will now be forced to figure out how this new-look version of the team functions on the fly. One would imagine the Lakers head coach took advantage of the break, drawing up some new sets, and figuring out how the pieces will fit moving forward.
Western Conference standings
The Lakers went into the break with a record of 32-20. That gives them 30 games remaining to maximize their positioning in the 2024-25 NBA season.
With the Western Conference as competitive as always, teams in the standings are not separated by too many games. The good news from that would be the fact that the Lakers are only three games out of second in the conference. The glass half-empty mentality would say that Los Angeles is only four games up on the eighth seed.
A sustained winning or losing streak could go a long way to determining where the Lakers finish by the end of 2024-25.
Strength of schedule
Unfortunately for the purple and gold, the Lakers have one of the strongest strength of schdules remaining, according to Tankathon. Los Angeles is tied for 5th on the list, with their remaining opponents possessing a cumulative winning percentage of .532.
The Lakers are due to battle the Denver Nuggets three times, the Oklahoma City Thunder twice, the Houston Rockets twice, the New York Knicks once, and the Boston Celtics once. The three games against the Nuggets, in particular, will make most Lakers fans uneasy.
At the very least, the Lakers will be fortunate to also play teams like the New Orleans Pelicans, Portland Trail Blazers, and Chicago Bulls twice each.
Injuries
A massive storyline of the second half will be getting Doncic back up to full speed. The Slovenian superstar missed significant time this season due to a calf strain. Redick and the coaching staff have been careful to keep Doncic on a minutes restriction since his return.
Luka is not the only Lakers superstar dealing with injury concerns at the moment. LeBron sat out the NBA All-Star Game with ankle soreness. It will be worth monitoring if this was a precautionary move, or something a little more serious.
Jaxson Hayes will be another player worth following. The Lakers starting center left the last game before the All-Star break with a facial contusion. If Hayes is forced to miss an extended period of time, an already thin frontcourt will be on life support.
Second-half outlook
There should be little doubt that the Lakers will be a playoff team this season. They should be able to reaffirm that in the second half. The question is whether they can fully establish themselves as title contender for the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
Having Doncic and James leading the team provides the Lakers with arguably the best duo in basketball. However, whether the Lakers will be able to cover up for some of the glaring issues with this roster is the most important storyline to follow in the remaining 30 games.
Los Angeles have been fringe contenders so far in the 2024-25 NBA season. Their goal for the second half will be proving they belong in conversations with teams like the Thunder, Celtics, and Cleveland Cavaliers.