Surprising stats prove the surging Lakers are major threats to a Celtics repeat

The surging Los Angeles Lakers are the talk of the NBA, with them looking increasingly formidable. Over their last 20 games, they are 16-4, with some of those games predating their blockbuster midseason trade.

The Lakers improvement has been impressive to say the least, more so considering that it spans before and after Luka Doncic's arrival and includes the time post-trade in which they didn't have Anthony Davis anchoring their defense.

With them playing at a high level on both ends of the floor, it suddenly raises their ceiling and the expectations for this season. Prior to the Doncic trade, most expected them to make the playoffs but be bounced in the first round.

However, now that they are thriving on both floors, they have a strong chance of going to the Western Conference finals this season and have more than enough firepower to challenge the top seed Oklahoma City Thunder in a seven-game series. Moreover, they could even go toe-to-toe with the Boston Celtics if they are firing on all cylinders.

The Lakers in-season turnaround is impressive and may only be a sign of things to come.

The Lakers are still working to integrate Doncic into the rotation, and the more comfortable he becomes, the more dangerous they are. He and LeBron have already developed a potent two-man game that could be a nightmare to stop, especially with LeBron playing far better than he was prior to turning 40.

That is an outlandish feat that bodes well for the Lakers' chances of a deep playoff run with LeBron back to playing at a top-10 level. If Doncic is able to regain his status as a top-three player in the NBA, then they would be even better than they are now.

Through seven games with Los Angeles, he's averaging 21 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 6.4 assists. Those are great numbers, but his scoring and efficiency are down significantly from even his time with the Dallas Mavericks this season. That gives both him and the Lakers another level that they can reach.

However, this roster will need to continue to evolve. They still don't have a legit starting-caliber center, though they have made do with Jaxson Hayes. They are nearly 18 points better per 100 possessions with him on the floor than without him.

That is obviously partly due to him playing the majority of his minutes with LeBron and Doncic, but they are more than just holding their own with him at center. They are first in defensive rating over the last 20 games, largely with him starting. They will still need to upgrade the position in the offseason, but they have fared far better than expected and are, in fact, thriving at the moment.