NBA Power Rankings: New York Knicks the favorites after bold trade deadline moves?

17. Los Angeles Lakers

After somewhat surprisingly electing not to make a move at the NBA Trade Deadline, which is an entirely different conversation in its own right, the Los Angeles Lakers will have plenty to prove down the stretch. This is a core that has a lot playing for heading into the push toward the playoffs and a front office that will have to likely sell LeBron James on the possibilities of the offseason after abstaining from making a trade deadline move.

In a vacuum, it's hard to see how the Lakers are close to competing in the West. However, this team seems to believe that they'll be able to figure it out enough (that they'll at least be competitive) down the stretch. Whether or not the front office will prove to be right remains to be seen, but I suppose you have to give them the benefit of the doubt.

If the Lakers have another gear to shift into, now is the time for them to make it happen. With the clock running down on the regular season, it's time for LeBron and Anthony Davis to put this team on their backs. The question is, can they still do that at this point in their respective careers?