It’s no question that the Lakers made a big gamble this summer.
Gone is not just LeBron James, but the entire starting five for most of the team’s series against the Rockets, which they won in six games. In are not just a lot of fresh faces, but a lot of unexpected names.
The Lakers identified players who can fit around Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves and within head coach JJ Redick’s system. The Lakers have a high floor because of their superstar, but it’s still a risky proposition.
But so risky that they’re set up to be the most disappointing team in the league?
That’s where ESPN has them in their preseason predictions. As part of their preseason predictions, ESPN’s NBA reporters voted on various superlatives, including one titled “Disappointing teams: Which team will take a tumble this season?” The Lakers topped those standings.
Los Angeles Lakers: 32 points
Detroit Pistons: 27 points
Golden State Warriors: 26 points
Boston Celtics: 17 points
This really just feels like a clickbait category, and I guess they got their clicks here. But the question is what are we really ranking here? Because if it’s simply who is going to take a tumble, not mentioning either the Hornets or Clippers, two teams who traded away their superstars after being in the play-in last year, is crazy work.
Given the teams listed, though, it feels more like a vote on who will be disappointing, which feels both silly and apropo with ESPN’s other predictions this summer, too. Earlier in the week, they projected the Lakers to finish with a 45-37 record this year, an eight-win drop from last season. Perhaps they’re just doubling down on their prediction.
You can point all around at who else should be considered a team to take a tumble, but really, the Lakers are the team everyone loves to predict to be worse than they will be, particularly in the last few years. Summers have been full of hearing how they won’t even be the best team in LA only for everyone to begrudgingly acknowledge that the Lakers are good but not that good.
The only difference this year is no one is pretending the Clippers will be good. Outside of that, we’ll see the same pattern and can revisit this in February or March to point and laugh.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRudeor on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
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