3. The Lakers haven’t proven anything yet
I hope that no angry Laker fans read this section.
The Lakers 17-2 start is almost as perfect as you could hope for as they sit alone atop the packed-out Western Conference. Since dropping their first game against the Clippers, the Lakers have won 17 of their past 18 with their only other loss against the Raptors at the Staples Center.
You may think it is slightly mad to be criticizing a 17-2 start and by all means, I admit you could not ask for much more.
All that I am pointing out is that the Lakers have not really been tested yet.
Since playing three opponents with a .500-plus record in their first five games, the Lakers have only faced two more with similar records over their past 14 games and their past 10 games have all been against teams with a losing record at this point of the season.
They have had the 9th easiest schedule of any team in the NBA so far and have only faced one .500-plus record team away from the Staples Center so far (excluding the Clippers ‘away’ game).
Their hardest road stretch so far was a four-game trip that included games against Oklahoma City, Memphis, San Antonio and New Orleans who combine for a season record of 25-50, filling out four of the bottom five spots in the Western Conference.
I am not trying to discredit what the Lakers have done, heck what Lebron James is doing in his 17th NBA season is hard to believe, and he well and truly deserves to be a frontrunner for the MVP at this stage of the season. Bringing Anthony Davis to Los Angeles was the best move the Lakers have made in a while and they look poised to make the playoffs again for the first time in seven years.
But I believe December will be where we all truly get to see how good the Lakers are.
Upcoming games include trips to Denver, Utah, Milwaukee and Indiana whilst also hosting the Dallas Mavericks twice and their rivals from across the locker room, the Clippers.
All-in-all their December schedule includes 10 games against teams with a .500-plus record at this stage of the season. It also includes nine road games out of the 14 they will play across December, most significantly a five-game trip that will see them face Miami, Indiana, and Milwaukee within a week.
So, I think it is fair to say that this next month is a good chance for the Lakers to prove they are the real deal. You would be insane to doubt Lebron but until they start picking up big scalps, the Lakers will remain a team that is hard to gauge just how good they really are.
NBA fans can sit back and watch how these next few weeks unfold for the current NBA leaders; Will they exert their dominance or fold like a cheap suit?