Trying to break through in the Western Conference means having to knock off the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. To even give yourself a chance at that, you have to get past the second tier of teams in the West. That is where the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves.
The Lakers join the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, and Minnesota Timberwolves in making up that group. From there, it is not hard to find reason to talk yourself into Los Angeles holding a competitive edge over their closest peers.
For starters, the Lakers have the depth advantage over each of them. Beyond that, Los Angeles has also played those teams well in recent years — to varying degrees. Since the franchise is firmly in the Luka Doncic era, it is worth looking at the track record during that time.
Lakers have handled the Nuggets just fine since Luka Doncic arrived
There was a time when seeing the Nuggets on the schedule would strike fear into the hearts of the Lakers. That concerning stretch in franchise history has quietly passed.
The Lakers went 2-0 against the Nuggets in 2024-25 with Doncic in the lineup. Los Angeles followed that up by going 2-1 against Denver in 2025-26, winning the regular season series. That old boogeyman has not been all too scary of late.
Losing Peyton Watson and failing to significantly revamp the roster since has left the Nuggets even less intimidating. With Aaron Gordon's health a significant question mark, too, Denver looks quite beatable on any given night for the Lakers.
Rockets should not worry the Lakers at all
The Lakers beat the Rockets in a first-round series while missing their best player, Doncic, for the entire head-to-head. They did not even have Austin Reaves available until Game 5 of that matchup either. Does more really need to be said?
Perhaps it does. The Lakers did lose the core of players that led to that series win. However, Los Angeles handled Houston in the 2025-26 regular season as well, apart from the Christmas Day matchup that went in the Rockets' favor.
Even with Fred VanVleet returning from his ACL injury, and Marcus Smart switching sides over to the Rockets, there is really no real reason to think Houston has suddenly gained the edge here. JJ Redick has proven capable of game-planning to beat that team. With a well-equipped roster for 2026-27, the Lakers coach has more than enough to keep that going.
Timberwolves are the most concerning (but still manageable) challenge for the Lakers
This one comes down to where someone puts the most stock. The Timberwolves beat the Lakers in the 2025 NBA Playoffs, sending Los Angeles home in five games. However, there is reason to not weigh that with a tremendous amount here.
For one, the Lakers had very clear depth issues, especially at center, following the Doncic trade in 2025. They consistently ran out of gas against the Timberwolves in that series. Add to that Redick's growing pains as a rookie head coach and it invites a look to what happened in 2025-26.
During this past season, the Lakers secured the head-to-head against the Timberwolves. Los Angeles swept Minnesota 3-0. The argument against weighing this more heavily would be that Chris Finch's team does turn things up for the postseason.
To add to their credit, the Timberwolves have made additions that should strengthen them well. Minnesota added LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga this summer. That gives them a formidable starting five, and a strong team at the top of the rotation overall — when everyone is healthy.
Of the three competitors in question, the Timberwolves should pose the largest threat. Even then, the Lakers can hang their hat on holding up well last season, and carrying that confidence into every matchup in 2026-27.
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