3 Surprising facts that prove Lakers aren't as far from contending as they seem

If you ask the general sports fan, the Los Angeles Lakers are a far cry from a contender at this stage of the game. It's an understandable stance considering Los Angeles lost 4-1 in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

One of the most intriguing realities in Los Angeles, however, is that the team isn't quite as far from contending as some might assume.

Los Angeles has made questionable decisions during the 2024 offseason, which can't be glossed over as an irrelevant fact. Teams that refuse to adjust their roster typically regress, even if they have made an undeniably influential decision to change head coaches.

The current roster was better than the 47-win 2023-24 season suggested, however, and there are three key reasons to believe that.

3. The Lakers were elite on offense—when they allowed themselves to be

It shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that a team with Anthony Davis and LeBron James scored at virtual will. It's one of the most understated facts in NBA circles, however, that the Lakers were, in fact, an elite offensive team in 2023-24—when they weren't shooting themselves in the foot.

Los Angeles ranked No. 15 in offensive rating overall, but leaving the conversation there would be selling short what they were capable of—and even achieved.

From February 1 to the end of the regular season, for instance, the Lakers produced the third-best offensive rating in the NBA. Los Angeles was also No. 8 in the Association in three-point field goal percentage across the entirety of the 2023-24 regular season.

Unfortunately, Los Angeles was also No. 28 in attempts—a shining example of how many self-inflicted wounds must be taken into account when evaluating the Lakers.

It's even more compelling to consider that the Lakers did this without two of their three best defenders in Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent. Even if Vanderbilt and Vincent, who played a combined 40 games in 2023-24, struggle offensively, they'll create si[eropr balance with their defensive influence.

If the Lakers are the team they proved to be from February 1 on, then they're far closer to contending than they seem—and their success beyond simply scoring the ball proves it.

2. Lakers played like a No. 1 seed after February

Entering February of 2024, the Lakers were the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference. It didn't get much better from there, as there was simply too much ground for the team to make up after starting the season at 24-25.

One of the best-kept secrets among Lakers skeptics, however, is that the Lakers were nothing short of elite from February on, going 23-10 over the final 33 games.

That 23-10 record translates to a win percentage of .697—which equates to a 57-win season under an 82-game format. That would put the Lakers in a tie for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and the results from February onward support the claim that they were playing at that level.

During that timeframe, the Lakers secured victories over the Boston Celtics, LA Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Unfortunately, the inconsistency from earlier in the season reared its head and forced the Lakers to play the one team they just can't beat: The Denver Nuggets. One can't help but wonder just how different the Lakers' 2023-24 campaign would've been perceived had they faced any other team in the playoffs.

There's no possible way to guarantee that the Lakers would've defeated one of the other Western Conference contenders, but they played just as well as them down the stretch—and even fared well against them head-to-head.

1. Lakers have played non-Nuggets contenders well

One of the most compelling facts that benefits the Lakers' title hopes is that the Denver Nuggets are the only contender in the Western Conference that truly has their number. Others have won more than they've lost against the Lakers, but there are an abundance of promising signs on that front.

That all begins with the fact that the Lakers are 7-2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder in their past nine encounters—including three straight wins during the 2023-24 regular season, when OKC secured the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

The No. 3 seed Minnesota Timberwolves went 3-1 against the Lakers in 2023-24, but even that comes with crucial context. All three of the Timberwolves' wins were by 10 points or less, including a 108-106 escape in Minnesota.

Furthermore, Los Angeles defeated Minnesota 120-109 in March, and its April loss was played without LeBron James.

As for the reigning Western Conference Champions, the Dallas Mavericks' last three wins over the Lakers have come by a combined six points. In the most recent outing, Los Angeles won 127-110. The Mavericks have improved since then, but the Lakers have also changed head coaches.

The Nuggets clearly have the Lakers' number, but the head-to-head encounters with the other Western Conference contenders have been far closer than some might presume.

Perhaps the gap is just as thin—an intriguing thought considering the Lakers were hindered by injuries and a head coach whom the players didn't seem to buy into.