How good are the Los Angeles Lakers?

The Los Angeles Lakers are off to a great start to the season. With a record of 7-2 and ranking 6th in net rating to start the season, the Lakers look like a team we have to take seriously in what is now a much more open Western Conference.

This starts with the masterful start to the season Luka Doncic has produced. So far this season Doncic is averaging 38.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game in his first Lakers season without LeBron James. Doncic has played in 8 games this season, in 5 of those he has scored 40 or more points and in his last 6 games, Doncic has scored 37 or more points. He is shooting lights out from all over the court, 58% from two and 43% from three have Luka’s field goal percentage at a dazzling 49.5%. His defense has been better than it has in other years as well. He is averaging 1.8 steals and 0.8 blocks per game and Los Angeles’ defense has been 7.3 points better per 100 possessions with Doncic on the floor rather than when he is off of it. Over his first season and a half after the trade that landed Luka on the Lakers, Los Angeles’ defense was even with and without Doncic on the court. The eye test says that he is holding up defensively as well. Doncic has been staying in front of guys better this season, his effort has been great on the defensive end. Doncic is the MVP front runner right now and I still cannot believe he is a Laker.

Another reason for Los Angeles’ early season success has been Walker Kessler. Kessler was brought over in an offseason sign and trade with the Utah Jazz that saw the Lakers give up a lot of assets and a lot of money to get him. However, early in the season, Kessler has made it worth it. Kessler has played in all 9 Laker games so far this year and has made a big impact with 14.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game. His impact has been felt on both ends for Los Angeles to open up the season. There are 2 reasons why they traded for Kessler, one his pick and roll game with Doncic and Austin Reaves and the other his rim protection. The Lakers are scoring 1.21 points per possession while using Kessler as the roll man so far this season. That is a good number but not a great one and I think that could improve as time goes on. Meanwhile, the Lakers defense is 4.4 points per 100 possessions better when Kessler is on the court versus when he is on the bench. Los Angeles has been 9.8 points better with Kessler on the floor than off of it when counting both sides of the floor. The Lakers are 7-2 while the Jazz are 1-7, one team having Walker Kessler and the other not has likely played a big part as to why those two teams are where they are in the standings.

The Lakers were going to be built around their offense this year and that has proven to be the case. Los Angeles currently ranks 2nd in the NBA in offensive rating, scoring 121.9 points per 100 possessions (offensive rating is just the points you score per 100 possessions). A dominant offensive backcourt, of which the Lakers have in Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, is a huge part of it. According to databallr, in the 206 minutes that the two have shared the court, the Lakers are scoring 138.4 points per 100 possessions and Los Angeles is shooting 45% from three. The three point percentage will dip a bit but the wide open looks that having Luka and Reaves creates are hugely important to this team. The Lakers can create so many advantages when teams trap Luka in the pick and roll and they get the ball to Reaves. Their defense has also been as expected, which is pretty average. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Lakers rank 16th in defensive rating, at 112.6. That lands them with the 6th best net rating in the league at +9.3 but you’d like to see more defensively from Los Angeles. It is unclear, however, how much more Los Angeles can be on that end of the floor because while Luka and Reaves are awesome on offense they are bad on defense, even if Luka is off to a great start on that end.

I still don’t think the Lakers are a real threat to win the championship. One reason is I don’t think their defense will hold up in the biggest moments and another is the Spurs, Rockets, Timberwolves and Thunder (health dependent on that last one) are just too good. There are historical reasons as to why Los Angeles isn’t a threat to win the championship as well. In the history of the NBA, Luka Doncic’s usage rate is on pace to be the 3rd highest of all time according to Basketball Reference. His 39.98% is only behind Russell Westbrook in 2016-17 and James Harden in 2018-19. Among the highest usage rates of all-time, none of them have won the championship. The highest ranking to win the championship is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in 2024-25 at 50th. SGA’s usage rate that year was 34.81%, which is 5.17% lower than Doncic’s this year. History tells us with a usage rate that high, Luka Doncic and the Lakers cannot win the championship.

The Lakers are really good, their 7-2 record and 6th best net rating tells us that. When you open the hood you still see a very good team. Yes, they have flaws but doesn’t everyone? With that said, history tells us that with the way Los Angeles plays, they aren’t a championship contender. In a stacked Western Conference, I think they’re the 5th best team and could win a round in the playoffs but not multiple.