Entering the 2026-27 season, the Los Angeles Lakers were considered a middle-tier Western Conference team. While there were some reasons to boldly declare that the Lakers would exceed expectations, the general feeling was that this team of many new characters playing together for the first time would end up as a fifth or sixth seed with something short of 50 regular-season wins. Indeed, sportsbooks set the Lakers' win total over/under in the 45 to 46 range.
That made sense on paper. There were plenty of doubts about how a team built mostly around one player (Luka Doncic) would hold up in a stacked West. Now the question is, how much does LA's hot start (10-2 entering Wednesday) change the calculus of their season projection?
Have the Lakers already changed the outlook of their season?
Entering a road matchup against the lowly Milwaukee Bucks, LA had won six straight games and owned the top record in not only the Western Conference, but the whole NBA. The Lakers were also leading the Association in scoring at 122.1 points per game.
The Lakers betting on Doncic and Austin Reaves as a good enough Big 2 has looked promising in the early going. Doncic is averaging nearly 40 points per game and looks like the way-too-early MVP frontrunner. Reaves has looked like an All-Star or even an All-NBA candidate. Walker Kessler has been as advertised, and newcomer wings Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams have been better than expected.
It hasn't been a completely soft schedule for the Lakers, either. They've already snagged wins over the Warriors, Trail Blazers, Pistons, and Hawks -- all winning teams.
Projections involving the Lakers have adjusted in real time, with many feeling that this is now a 50-plus-win team. It's amazing how much of a difference 12 games can make. It's also important to note that there've been a ton of injuries to non-Lakers teams in the West, most notably with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Lakers have to keep their foot on the gas
The Lakers can't get complacent or assume that they're going to have an easy time getting to the Conference Finals. The San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets are off to strong starts. The Minnesota Timberwolves -- and yes, OKC -- will still be competitive and difficult to beat in a postseason series. And the rest of the regular season is still a 70-game marathon. So much can and will happen.
Even so, the Lakers have made a statement early on that they were underestimated heading into the season, and that has to feel good.
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