NBA Power Rankings: Can Lakers, Nets flip the switch for the stretch run?

In this week’s installment of our NBA Power Rankings, we explore whether the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets can flip the switch for the stretch run.

Up until now, it’s hard to look at both the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets and automatically assume that either team is going to have a big impact in the playoffs. The Lakers haven’t looked any type of competent on the scale of contender status and the Nets are rarely healthy and just shipped away James Harden.

However, there’s still time for that to change for both the Lakers and Nets. There are roughly 20 games remaining in the regular season and it would take a colossal collapse for both teams to miss the playoffs.

And with the amount of talent that both teams have on their roster, as long as they get an invite to the dance, there’s always a chance they can put together a magical playoff run. The big question is, however, is whether or not either of these teams will be able to build enough momentum over the final few weeks of the regular season to catapult them toward a deep playoff run.

We explore that and more in this week’s NBA Power Rankings.