3 Advantages to Los Angeles Lakers finishing as Play-In Tournament team

Exploring three advantages to the Los Angeles Lakers finishing as a Play-In Tournament team in the Western Conference.

With the push toward the postseason officially here, with most NBA teams having 25 regular season games or less before the end of the regular season, it's only a matter of time before realistic projections for the playoffs begin. For many teams, it's about finishing as the highest potential seed in an attempt to put themselves in the best position to make a deep run in the postseason.

For others, it's about simply making the playoffs. For the Los Angeles Lakers, who admittedly have been one of the more underwhelming teams this season in the Western Conference this year, it may be in their best interest to head into the playoffs as one of the bottom two seeds in the bracket. Before you freak out, this is an article where we'll explain why. But, first, how far could the Lakers seemingly rise in the West?

How far can the Los Angeles Lakers realistically rise in the West standings?

Right now, the Lakers are 9th in the Western Conference standings and three games back of the 7th seed. With less than 25 games remaining in the regular season, the Lakers could probably make up three games between now and the end of the season if they get hot, but it's hard to envision them making much more ground than that. Especially considering this team has been haunted by inconsistency this year.

But even as the Lakers appear to be destined for a Play-In Tournament spot, we explore three reasons why it may work to their advantage heading into the playoffs.