Previewing the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2026-27 Season
The Los Angeles Lakers are a pretty intriguing team entering this season. They’ve had a major roster overhaul, and Rob Pelinka made plenty of moves this offseason for fans to at least be intrigued by the squad entering a new season.
The Lakers wrapped up last season by getting swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round. That led to a rebuild around Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. Losing LeBron James, I think, will hurt them more than they think, as he basically led them past the Rockets in the first round of last season. Adding pieces like Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes, and more really helped them build a new look on this roster, but just how far could that lead them?
The Roster
Point Guards — Luka Dončić, Collin Sexton, Jaden Hardy, Bronny James Jr.
Shooting Guards — Austin Reaves, Quentin Grimes, Cameron Carr, Matisse Thybulle, Chris Mañon (Two-Way Contract)
Small Forwards — Jake LaRavia, Ziaire Williams, Dalton Knecht, Adou Thiero
Power Forwards — Sandro Mamukelashvili, Jarred Vanderbilt, Arthur Kaluma (Two-Way Contract), AK Okereke (Two-Way Contract)
Centers — Walker Kessler, Kevon Looney
Like I stated, the roster has changed a lot from last season. Honestly, I don’t think it is very well constructed. Two major holes are the biggest things that stand out to me.
I think another veteran center would be necessary because let’s say Walker Kessler or Looney gets hurt. They would need to play a lot of small ball if that were to happen. Also, adding another backup pure point guard would be nice. Collin Sexton is more of a shooting guard, and he’s going to need to have a big responsibility playing a little out of position at times, assuming Bronny James doesn’t have a major leap.
Adding Walker Kessler will be huge, and he definitely needs to have a healthy and major season if the Lakers want to be a real threat in the West. I also think the roster is a little too stacked at the wing position. That could end up being a benefit, but it would be nice to have at least one of those spots go toward another pure point guard or center. That can and probably will change throughout the season, and it will be something to monitor.
Biggest Questions
I think the first major question surrounding this team is the defensive identity. With Luka and Austin Reaves not being great defenders, and this team struggling defensively last season, I think so much of it will come down to Walker Kessler. He has the potential for an All-Star-level season if he can stay healthy and play his best. We also know that playing with one of the best playmakers in the league will give him plenty of chances to get high-percentage looks at the rim.
Another major question, like I already stated, is how intact this same roster will stay throughout the season. It is very hard to picture the Lakers not making some minor tweaks to this roster throughout the year, especially with the limited depth currently at the point guard and center positions.
They could make some roster tweaks early in the season or at the trade deadline. Rob Pelinka usually is ready to make moves come deadline time, and he definitely has plenty of movable pieces on this roster.
The last major question surrounding this team is Luka Dončić. This is a team that was constructed around him this offseason, and he desperately wanted an upgrade at center, and that’s what he got.
With Luka, it is always a question of whether he can stay healthy, and with this roster, if Luka has some injuries this year, it is hard to see them winning a lot of games with him off the court. Now, if he can stay healthy, he should definitely be able to have one of the better seasons of his career. If all the pieces around him can come together like the Lakers envision, they really could be a solid team in the West and end up with a top-four seed.
Prediction Markets
Here are some of the future betting lines surrounding the team:
Regular Season Win Total 45.5
To win the NBA Finals: +3500 (12th-best odds)
To win the Western Conference: +1900 (5th-best odds)
To reach the Conference Finals: +750 (6th-best odds)
To reach the Conference Semifinals: +190 (6th-best odds)
To win the division: -120 (best odds)
To miss the playoffs: +310
To participate in the Play-In: +165
To win the NBA Cup: +2800
The betting lines around the Lakers are definitely above average, but also maybe not quite at the top of the pack. These lines predict that the Lakers will finish around the 5-6 seed and make the playoffs, while it is still plus money for them to win a series.
These lines are showing a pretty similar prediction to how the team played last year, but maybe slightly worse.
Final Outlook and Prediction
If Luka can have a healthy year, this team has a pretty high ceiling. This is a team that was designed to be built around Luka, and if the Lakers have a bad year, it would be a bad look on Luka Dončić.
I just cannot trust him to stay 100% healthy throughout the course of the year, and with him not on the court, this really is not that good of a team.
I think the Lakers have a ceiling of the 3 seed and a floor of the 9 or 10 seed. I believe they will finish the season around the 7-8 seed and participate in the Play-In, but they will make the playoffs.
Final Prediction
43-39 — 8 Seed — First-Round Exit
Eli Saari
@ThatManChe On X
@Sidelines_SN On X
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