It's time to be honest - the Lakers look great and are bonafide contenders

[JellosJigglin]

Stop talking about Lebron, don't even need him. But yeh great win vs Spurs, but the REFS made it hard to watch.

Next team to beat OKC, bring it on Clav!

Let's go Lakers!

Emotions are high

It's always funny when select "Lakers" fans constantly hate and whine about LeBron James because they still can't get over the fact that he so definitively surpassed Kobe over a decade ago. Would rather the team do it without him and suffer than playing better and contending with him in the limeup. True team fandom right there.

impressive how you post so much on realgm with only one hand.

[Maxthirty]

Stop talking about Lebron, don't even need him. But yeh great win vs Spurs, but the REFS made it hard to watch.

Next team to beat OKC, bring it on Clav!

Let's go Lakers!

Emotions are high

It's always funny when select "Lakers" fans constantly hate and whine about LeBron James because they still can't get over the fact that he so definitively surpassed Kobe over a decade ago. Would rather the team do it without him and suffer than playing better and contending with him in the limeup. True team fandom right there.

impressive how you post so much on realgm with only one hand.

I mean, he’s definitely right. There are a lot of insecure Kobe kids that absolutely hate that LeBron brought a championship to LA. It burns them up that LeBron is a much better basketball player than Kobe. And this is evidenced very frequently by posters like slimlady83.

[SlimShady83]

It's always funny when select "Lakers" fans constantly hate and whine about LeBron James because they still can't get over the fact that he so definitively surpassed Kobe over a decade ago. Would rather the team do it without him and suffer than playing better and contending with him in the limeup. True team fandom right there.

impressive how you post so much on realgm with only one hand.

I mean, he’s definitely right. There are a lot of insecure Kobe kids that absolutely hate that LeBron brought a championship to LA. It burns them up that LeBron is a much better basketball player than Kobe. And this is evidenced very frequently by posters like slimlady83.

Me hating Bron, has nothing to do with what's going on here, lmao. Lakers are proving right here, right now we don't need Bron. And me loving Kobe over Bron has nothing to do with anything, yet op mentions Kobe because he knows I'm a Kobe fan and eventually became a Laker fan because of Kobe (back in the day), I'm still a Laker fan even with Bron on the team well b4 he became a Laker and well after he is gone, it's that simple.

[KyRo23]

impressive how you post so much on realgm with only one hand.

I mean, he’s definitely right. There are a lot of insecure Kobe kids that absolutely hate that LeBron brought a championship to LA. It burns them up that LeBron is a much better basketball player than Kobe. And this is evidenced very frequently by posters like slimlady83.

Me hating Bron, has nothing to do with what's going on here, lmao. Lakers are proving right here, right now we don't need Bron. And me loving Kobe over Bron has nothing to do with anything, yet op mentions Kobe because he knows I'm a Kobe fan and eventually became a Laker fan because of Kobe (back in the day), I'm still a Laker fan even with Bron on the team well b4 he became a Laker and well after he is gone, it's that simple.

They are going to need him as well as everybody else. This is not a championship team as is without LeBron and the role players have definitely overachieved so far this season. It doesn't feel sustainable. Gabe is going to have to play great. LeBron is going to have to come back and play great. I think people forget how good LeBron and Luka can look together. I get that you're feeling great about how they are playing right now, but this team is going to need a healthy and great LeBron to make a legit dent this year

[SlimShady83]

They are going to need him as well as everybody else. This is not a championship team as is without LeBron and the role players have definitely overachieved so far this season. It doesn't feel sustainable. Gabe is going to have to play great. LeBron is going to have to come back and play great. I think people forget how good LeBron and Luka can look together. I get that you're feeling great about how they are playing right now, but this team is going to need a healthy and great LeBron to make a legit dent this year

We'll see, come back when it happens see how they go with full team at strength.

[Johnny Firpo]

They just don't have enough two-way players. They are dangerous, but I think they are an Aaron Gordon or Derrick White kind of signing away from truly being able to compete. And with OKC doing what they are doing, they might need two players like that. Can they get those two plays with Reaves, Hachimura and all the picks that they have? That is the question. I'm high on Thiero, I think he could be something in this league, but he hasn't even played yet, so that will obviously take time, if it happens at all.

[SlimShady83]

They just don't have enough two-way players. They are dangerous, but I think they are an Aaron Gordon or Derrick White kind of signing away from truly being able to compete.

YOu mention 2 players that neither team will trade Lakers too LOL

[CodeBreaker]

They need to get DeRozan

[Johnny Firpo]

They just don't have enough two-way players. They are dangerous, but I think they are an Aaron Gordon or Derrick White kind of signing away from truly being able to compete.

YOu mention 2 players that neither team will trade Lakers too LOL

I'm guessing reading comprehension isn't a forte of yours. Read it again, "kind of signing" is pretty clear. Just to make it even more obvious, if you remember, when the Celtics traded for White, or the Nuggets traded for Gordon, they were nowhere near the players they are today. The Lakers need that kind of veteran player, and probably too, already good but not have too expensive market value, and still with potential to go up a level or two.

[SlimShady83]

They just don't have enough two-way players. They are dangerous, but I think they are an Aaron Gordon or Derrick White kind of signing away from truly being able to compete.

YOu mention 2 players that neither team will trade Lakers too LOL

I'm guessing reading comprehension isn't a forte of yours. Read it again, "kind of signing" is pretty clear.

ok cool.

[dballislife]

the lakers will for sure score a lot of points

[Mephariel]

Now imagine if Lebron would've settled for the vet minimum

Imagine if Luka settled for vet minimum. Imagine if Reeves settled for vet minimum. Imagine if Rui settled for vet minimum.

[Madvillainy2004]

Nico Harrison needs to be tried at the Hague for what be did lmao

[Memories]

I don't believe it. They won't make the playoffs, maybe not the play in.

Suns also were 9-1 last season

Sarcasm right?

[Memories]

Now imagine if Lebron would've settled for the vet minimum

He’s gonna have to next season. Lakers aren’t gonna be paying him now that they got Luka, Reaves and some actual role players they will need to pay like Ayton.

And if Lebron whines or complains about it? Good look finding another team (especially a contending one) wanting to spend so much cap space on a 41 year old. Dude for the first time in his NBA life has ZERO leverage over another team since the Lakers don’t need him anymore.

[California Gold]

To me they're pretty similar to last season post Luka trade. They still don't take a ton of 3's which in 2025 seems like not a recipe for success.

They got beat by the Wolves last year in the 1st round because they couldn't defend. I haven't seen anything yet from them that tells me they're much improved in that dept. I'll reassess them after the trade deadline if they make a couple of moves to bring in some 3&D type of talent.

I also think they should move Austin Reaves to the bench to supply offense once Luka and LeBron rest. He can still play when it matters in the 4th but sparking the 2nd unit is something they desperately need. IIRC they have one of the worst benches in the league, having Reaves be the point guard for that 2nd unit would really help keep them in games where they don't play defense well.

[Miami_Lux]

All it takes is one serious injury to Luka and they are cooked. Having said that, they definitely playing way above my pre season expectations so far, JJ is really developing nicely as a young, if somewhat feisty coach.

Ayton seems like to have been a very good signing for them so far.

Curious to see the chemistry of the team once Lebron returns in a week or two.

What a generic statement. This is true for most contenders/superstar-led team. Same could be said about the Nuggets if Jokic were out, the Bucks if Giannis were out, even your Celtics are struggling without Tatum. The only team that probably could survive their superstar injury is OKC as they are just so deep.

[doogie_hauser]

All it takes is one serious injury to Luka and they are cooked. Having said that, they definitely playing way above my pre season expectations so far, JJ is really developing nicely as a young, if somewhat feisty coach.

Ayton seems like to have been a very good signing for them so far.

Curious to see the chemistry of the team once Lebron returns in a week or two.

What a generic statement. This is true for most contenders/superstar-led team. Same could be said about the Nuggets if Jokic were out, the Bucks if Giannis were out, even your Celtics are struggling without Tatum. The only team that probably could survive their superstar injury is OKC as they are just so deep.

That's true but also not trying to be disrespectful to the Lakers, they have won games without Luka this season, and Reaves and several other of their unheardled starters/role players have really being above expectations all season so far.

If the form of those (esp Reaves) and said role players can hold up for the rest of the regular season, the Lakers definitely are contenders.

Its a very long season though. But this team does seem better than the last few years of The Lakers, disappointing Knecht still hasn't found his way yet on this team.

[Edrees]

All it takes is one serious injury to Luka and they are cooked. Having said that, they definitely playing way above my pre season expectations so far, JJ is really developing nicely as a young, if somewhat feisty coach.

Ayton seems like to have been a very good signing for them so far.

Curious to see the chemistry of the team once Lebron returns in a week or two.

What a generic statement. This is true for most contenders/superstar-led team. Same could be said about the Nuggets if Jokic were out, the Bucks if Giannis were out, even your Celtics are struggling without Tatum. The only team that probably could survive their superstar injury is OKC as they are just so deep.

Even OKC would lose in the first round without SGA. Right now they would play the Wolves if they faced in the playoffs. OKC isn't beating Minnesota without SGA.

[JN61]

Add in LeBron and you absolutely crash in terms of team engagement and team play. Your defense will also go abysmal. So unless they trade LeBron. Absolutely not.