Los Angeles Lakers
Much like the Miami Heat, the Los Angeles Lakers had a relatively quiet offseason after there were these huge expectations placed on the team heading into the summer. But even after not making many moves during the offseason, there is some hope for the team as long as LeBron James and Anthony Davis can remain healthy. There's no question that a fast start to the season will do wonders for the outlook of the team and their confidence. If they can get off to a 14-6 or 12-8 start to the season, it could help them down the stretch - especially considering that, for the past two seasons, they've seemed to get off to slow starts.
Last season, they went 3-5 in their first eight games and during the 2022-23 NBA season, the Lakers were 2-10 after their first 12 games of the season. Those are the types of early-season holes that set the tone for the rest of the year.
If the Lakers can avoid that at the start of this season, it will help put themselves in a position to make some noise in the Western Conference.