There’s plenty of reason to be excited about the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2017-18 campaign, but we must also temper expectations and be realistic with the regular season set to tip off on Tuesday.
In less than a week, the Los Angeles Lakers officially get their 2017-18 season under way. There’s a lot of buzz around this team right now, but some folks’ judgments seem to have been clouded by all of the Lonzo Ball and Magic Johnson talk.
It’s time to we took a step back and looked at this from a more logical standpoint. By that, I mean we need to take a more realistic view of what to expect from the Lakers this upcoming season.
Are they legitimate contenders? Not a chance. Are they even a playoff team? It’s up for debate. Is the Lakers’ lauded incoming rookie class going to light the NBA on fire like it has during Summer League and the preseason? I have no idea, but it really could go either way.
Instead of giving you these vague answers, though, I want to provide you with some realistic predictions for the Lakers’ 2017-18 campaign. There’s no bias here, nor are any attempts being made to gussy things up. This is my opinion about what’s really going to go down on the Lake Show this season.
So here they are — five realistic predictions for the Lakers’ upcoming season. They might not be what fans of the purple and gold want to hear, but I believe these will help ease the pain when things don’t go as well as some would like in 2017-18.
3. Lakers fail to trade away Luol Deng before deadline
We all know that one of Magic’s main goals this season is finding a taker for Luol Deng and his albatross of a contract. However, finding someone willing to absorb the remaining three years and $54 million is going to be a very tall task.
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In fact, it’ll be so difficult that Johnson simply won’t succeed. Between now and the Feb. 8 trade deadline, the Lakers will not be able to convince another team to acquire Deng. It’s a disappointing development for the team’s plans for the 2018 offseason, but that doesn’t mean something can’t be done later.
Los Angeles pulled off a miracle this past offseason when they tricked the Brooklyn Nets into taking on Timofey Mozgov‘s similarly ugly contract. It cost them D’Angelo Russell to do so, but it also yielded them an extra first round pick and a quality veteran center in Brook Lopez.
Are the Lakers going to get that lucky a second time around? Probably not. More than likely, it’ll cost them more and they’ll get less in return. Deng doesn’t offer much in terms of talent or dependability, and his contract can be crippling depending on the team. Still, I’m sure Johnson can figure it out — he’s got a knack for making magic happen.
Until next offseason, though, it appears we’ll have to watch Deng taking the court in purple and gold. The Lakers will just be hoping they don’t have to give up too much to unload him.
2. Lonzo Ball is runner-up for Rookie of the Year
It’s disappointing — I know. All of the hype surrounding Lonzo Ball right now also makes it unfathomable that he could fail to win the Rookie of the Year award. And yet, that’s exactly what I’m predicting he’ll do.
Realistically, this is a fairly loaded rookie class. Based on what we know right now, you could make a legitimate case for at least 10 players. That’s not taking into consideration that, once injuries start to pile up, other players could steal the spotlight. I mean, just look at last year — no one expected Malcolm Brogdon, a second round pick, to win the award.
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While I’m predicting he won’t win it, he will come very close.
Ball will be given every opportunity to be the star of the show for the Lakers in 2017-18. He was the starting point guard the second he was drafted, and will play plenty of minutes on a nightly basis. The offense will run through him, and he’ll make his fair share of big defensive plays as well.
Unfortunately, when it all comes down to it, it’s going to be someone else who walks away with the hardware. The early favorite actually appears to be Dennis Smith Jr., the Dallas Mavericks’ new starting point guard. He’s a bigger offensive threat than Ball, and has the insane highlight-reel athleticism to win over voters.
I could also see Ben Simmons making a run, but Joel Embiid and Markelle Fultz will pull too much of the attention away from him. Voters could also lean towards John Collins, who figures to play a huge role for a rebuilding Atlanta Hawks team.
Either way, Ball won’t have his named etched on the next iteration of the Rookie of the Year award. He will receive plenty of votes, though.
Lakers finish as No. 11 seed in West
While most Los Angeles fans have lofty expectations for the Lakers in 2017-18, the general consensus is they’re headed for another underwhelming season. Just ask ESPN, which predicted that they’d finish 13th in the Western Conference with a 33-49 record.
That would be an improvement on last year’s 26-56 finish, but it’s only a small step forward. It seems like selling the Lakers short, especially with the upgrades they’ve made over the last few months.
Let’s just remember: they’ve added Ball, Lopez, Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. I would also put money on Josh Hart contributing noteworthy minutes at some point this season.
How can bringing that much extra talent to the table not warrant a larger bump in wins? I’m sure you could make a case that their competition also made significant upgrades. The influx of talent in the West won’t do them any favors, but you could absolutely make a case for them being better than at least four other teams.
In this case, I’m talking about the Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings.
Next: 2017-18 Week 1 NBA Power Rankings
It’s not going to be easy — in fact, it’s going to take everything they have and then some. The Lakers are a young, potential-laden team with the talent to be competitive in 2017-18. I wouldn’t go as far as saying they’re going to make the playoffs, but they’re going to win more games and finish higher in the standings than most assume.