The Los Angeles Lakers' chances of making the 2024 playoffs look strong right now. They're not a lock to make the postseason and will likely have to make the Play-In Tournament, but they should be OK, even if that's the case.
Throughout his career, LeBron James has given us some of the best NBA postseason performances ever and the best NBA Finals games, and now, fans are wondering if he still has something left in the tank to get the team to the top once again.
While reaching the NBA Finals may seem unlikely as a No. 9 seed, we've seen crazier things happen in the league. With that in mind, we'll evaluate the Lakers' playoff chances in 2024, as well as how far Darvin Ham's team could go.
The playoffs are almost a lock
As of now, the Lakers are unlikely to jump to eighth or seventh, but they are unlikely to drop below 10th either. This means they won't be able to avoid a Play-In Tournament scenario, but that shouldn't be a major concern for them at this point.
LeBron himself admitted that they are not focused on playoff seeding because they are only monitoring what they can control. What they can control is getting to the playoffs by winning Play-In Tournament matchups, just as they did to win the In-Season Tournament.
James and Davis are still superstars
As always happens with superstars, the Lakers will only go as far as their stars can go. This means that LeBron James and Anthony Davis will have to continue to do most of the heavy lifting. Fortunately for them, they show no signs of slowing down so far.
We already know what we're going to get out of LeBron day in and night out. As for Davis, he has silenced the critics by being one of the most dominant rim defenders, rebounders and scorers in the game this season. He was healthy and stable, which was the biggest concern around him.
Training is a concern
However, Darvin Hamm's presence should also be of great concern to fans. He's been exposed and outplayed several times since he took the reins of the team, and hasn't been above .500 more than four games since they hired him.
LeBron James has ignored him several times, given his input on schemes and strategies several times, and it has worked better. So, unless the veteran grabs the clipboard and starts designing plays for this team, their chances of going deep into the playoffs aren't going to be good.
They are not a championship team
As currently constructed, it's hard to think of the Lakers as a championship team. Of course, they should have made the playoffs and should have been seeded higher, which is further evidence of Ham's poor coaching. But even if they are at full strength, they are not as talented as other teams.
Anything can happen in a seven-game series, and the Lakers have the personnel to be an elite defensive team. But again, they don't have enough firepower to get ahead of the likes of the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers, and maybe even the Dallas Mavericks.
All things considered, all signs point to this being another disappointing season for the purple and gold. They'll make the playoffs, that's for sure, and maybe win a series or two. But as far as winning another NBA championship or even making the NBA Finals, that's not going to happen.
The post Predicting the Lakers' chances of making a playoff run appeared first on Franchise Sports.
