5. Los Angeles Lakers
Entering Saturday night’s action, the Los Angeles Lakers the NBA’s worst offensive rating in the bubble. Their elite defense is really the only thing that is keeping them from being an utter failure through the first few games in the restart. With that said, there are concerns. LeBron James still doesn’t look like LeBron James and you have to wonder if that will change in time.
If that doesn’t change when the playoffs start, could that open the possibility for an upset in the first round of the playoffs against potentially the red-hot Portland Trail Blazers? Maybe that’s a bit of an overreaction, but more than ever this year’s playoffs are all about matchups and how the team is playing.
Simply put, the Blazers’ dynamic offensive backcourt isn’t the greatest of matchups for the Lakers. But even beyond that, if the Lakers are going to make a deep run in the postseason, they’re going to need a healthy LeBron James.
The Lakers are fine for now, but something clearly isn’t right in Los Angeles. They need to get it together quickly.