The Los Angeles Lakers are entering the second half of the 2024-25 regular season in an unfamiliar position. Accustomed to catching up to the competition and qualifying for the Play-In Tournament, Los Angeles is now on pace to make the playoffs without any additional hurdles.
At 23-18, the Lakers are in sole possession of the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference and sit just 5.0 games back of the No. 2 seed.
It's been a tremendous debut season from first-year head coach JJ Redick. He has the ball moving more freely and the Lakers winning at a level that's on pace to result in their best finish in the regular season standings since 2019-20.
The question many are asking, however, is how Los Angeles has managed to achieve what it has when the numbers imply they shouldn't be able to.
The Lakers currently have a negative point differential at minus-2.0—the fourth-worst mark in the Western Conference. Los Angeles is also 23rd in the NBA in defensive rating, which would certainly imply that they're destined to be a below-.500 team.
The reason the Lakers have the tools to reach the playoffs in 2025, however, is the simple fact that they beat the teams that they're supposed to.
The Lakers are dominating the teams they're supposed to beat
Thus far in 2024-25, the Lakers are 13-1 against teams that have a below-.500 record. That accounts for 56.5 percent of their wins to date, which could be interpreted as either a positive reflection of their quality or a truth that reveals their pretender status.
The path to being a great team begins with defeating the opponents you're better than, however, and the Lakers deserve credit for doing so.
A 10-17 record against teams that are currently at or above .500 certainly offers cause for concern. Improving upon that mark will be the key to not only solidifying their postseason status, but positioning themselves to make a deep run through the playoffs.
No team becomes a contender overnight, however, and the Lakers have developed positive tendencies in the sense that they're not losing to the opponents they have a talent advantage over.
Considering Redick has only been the head coach of the Lakers for 41 games, that's a success story worth celebrating. To put it simply: He's established his team as superior compared to those who are on the outside looking in of the playoffs.
At the very least, that should open the door for Los Angeles to reach the Play-In Tournament and compete for a postseason appearance.
If the Lakers manage to string together wins against other postseason-caliber teams, the path to home-court advantage would be clear. They're already just 3.0 games back of the No. 4 seed and could climb even further if they resolve their negative tendencies.
Considering only five teams in the Western Conference currently have an even or winning record against teams that are above .500, it's safe to say the Lakers are in a manageable race for a postseason appearance.