As the countdown for the NBA season approaches, the predictions and projections will start to follow. And ESPN started things off with a bang.

They kicked off their week-long preview of the season with their prediction of each team’s record. In what should hardly be a shock, not only did they predict the Lakers to drop in the standings, but they also predicted a pretty significant drop in wins as well.

Here’s their projected standings for the West this season.

For those keeping track at home, that’s an eight-win drop. There’s a scenario where this would be understandable given the roster turnover. But the same logic doesn’t seem to have been…

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