NBA: 5 most surprising teams 15 games into the 2022-23 season

4. Los Angeles Lakers (5-10)

Per usual, the Los Angeles Lakers had their annual preseason hype despite making zero attempts to improve their roster. LA is off to a horrid (5-10) start, but it’s not a surprise given their roster makeup. Troy Brown, Lonnie Walker, Austin Reaves, and Patrick Beverly are all averaging 25+ minutes for this team…I’m confused why everyone is so surprised about the lack of success?

With Thomas Bryant injured, Los Angeles quite literally has no one else that can play the five behind Anthony Davis. This roster is currently on life support, and they better make a move fast if they have any interest in making the postseason.

Why it will continue: Yeah, they’ve got LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but what else? Let’s remember how poorly constructed this roster is, and realize that the Lakers probably have the worst three through ten (in terms of best players) in the league after AD and Lebron. You either make a trade soon or else this season will continue to be a dumpster fire. Let’s also consider longevity here. Currently, LeBron and AD are averaging 35 minutes per game. These are two injury-prone players who cannot sustain a regular and postseason with this much usage.

Why they will turn it around: Remember all summer how the Lakers were trying to dump Russell Westbrook’s contract with a few first-round picks? Despite the awful start, I still think LA is in win-now mode with Lebron and AD and will improve their roster if need be. Regardless, LA is in a really tough spot right now. They still don’t have their pick this year so tanking doesn’t help the problem. Let’s not forget as every season goes by Lebron gets older and older.