3 Reasons to believe in the Los Angeles Lakers as dark horse NBA title contenders

The Los Angeles Lakers have a championship-level defense

As we noted, since the NBA Trade Deadline (in which they added Malik Beasley, D’Angelo Russell, and Jarred Vanderbilt), the Lakers have been a much different team. And the biggest evidence of that is on the defensive end of the floor. Even though the Lakers have improved on the offensive end since the deadline moves, it’s their defense that has garnered the most headlines.

Since the trade deadline, the Lakers have had the best defensive rating in the league. It’s part of the reason why the Lakers have changed the narrative on their season and a big part of why many are clamoring that they will have a decent chance to make some noise in the postseason.

And now that LeBron is back, this is a team that will only be more dangerous once the playoffs arrive. To win a championship in the NBA, you almost always have to have a top-10-ranked defense. The Lakers have had that since they’ve essentially flipped the switch on their season.

Of the top 4 seeds in the West, the only team that has a top-10 defense since the trade deadline is the Memphis Grizzlies (ranked 9th). Just something to keep in mind.

An elite defensive is not the only thing that matters but it’s quite an important factor for a team that is looking to make a deep run in the postseason.