Los Angeles Lakers: Healthy Enough To Make The Playoffs?

Two days into training camp and optimism is at an all-time high for the Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe Bryant is dunking with authority, Steve Nash is pushing the ball with no visible ailments and Swaggy P is… Swaggy. All of the Lakers crew have a focus that’s apparent in body language and the tenacity at which head coach Byron Scott‘s drills are attacked.

Each day has been full-speed for the only Los Angeles team who has been written off and considered to be playing at the bottom of the Western Conference again, despite being the only franchise in L.A. with championships. Rich history aside, the Lakers just weathered their worst season since moving to Los Angeles, finishing 22 games out of the eighth spot in the Western Conference.

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A 5-on-5 scrimmage gave a glimpse into what was could be a successful season, considering the Lakers gel quick and remain healthy. What’s easily visible right now is that every Lakers player entered camp in shape and ready to prove the naysayer’s wrong. Coach Scott hasn’t asked his team to ignore the less-than-underdog prediction bestowed by the majority of NBA hoops scribes, instead the Lakers will embrace their criticisms and projections for a hopeless season.

It’s always a guessing game when attempting to predict a player or teams success. Certain players fall into different systems and thrive, injuries heal and games are elevated, sometimes teams find solidarity in lowest of places. The Lakers have found their identity and solidarity days into training camp, and with healthy veterans that’s very dangerous for the rest of the league.

At the moment the only locks to make it into the western conference playoffs are the Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers and Golden State Warriors. There are three spots that are up for grabs. It will take careful management of the Lakers veterans minutes, an accelerated learning curve towards Scott’s system and schemes, in addition to strict attention to detail and focus from the Lakers players.

That’s not to say they’re championship contenders this year, however it’s important that teams don’t take the Lakers as just another night off this season (if healthy). Their roster was pieced together in complete ambiguity. For anyone making the attempt to see where the dots connected and team chemistry could be derived, for the majority of summer it was near impossible.

Taking a look into the current Lakers roster, there’s a common factor that sweats motivation and has the potential to push players to their max. Almost all of the players on the Lakers roster have been written off at some point recently. The going word on Bryant was that after Achilles surgery and numerous knee treatments he was done.

Steve Nash at his age is incapable of playing the point guard position with younger players. Former lottery pick Wesley Johnson will always wear the label of bust. Carlos Boozer‘s career is over, Julius Randle shouldn’t have been picked higher in the draft, and Jeremy Lin is one of the most expendable stars in the league.

There’s a major chip on the Lakers shoulder; this team specifically. All of their major role players have something to prove, and they’re all in the best position to do just that.

A week away from the preseason it’s probably easier to allow what’s been deemed the inevitable to defeat you. Rather than compete, some players would elect to make their cash on the year and hope to be picked up by a contender next season. There’s no evidence of that mental stench, and for the Lakers, their mediocre season sentence handed down prematurely seems to be what’s motivating them.

The Lakers have just as good of a shot to slide into the post season as the Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks. None of these teams made serious game changing acquisitions. Neither did the Lakers. There’s a variety of factors which determine whether a team is fit to make the post season, and another set of criteria which determines a team’s ability to contend for a championship. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves when talking Lakers, but right now the heart is definitely there, and Byron Scott has been successful in establishing a team identity unusually early.

This Lakers team will run, defend, score and compete with every ounce of talent accessible. Should they stick to the motivators that can have them firing on all cylinders, they’ll find themselves back into the post season, with regained respect.

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