The Los Angeles Lakers have been highlighted as the team most likely to experience a setback in the 2024-25 season, according to a poll conducted by ESPN. The panel of experts gave the Lakers 43% of the first-place votes, signaling concerns about their performance in the upcoming season.
ESPN’s analysts point to several factors contributing to this pessimistic outlook. With first-time head coach JJ Redick at the helm, the Lakers face uncertainty on multiple fronts. The team is also led by LeBron James, who turns 40 this season, raising questions about how much longer he can continue to perform at an elite level. Additionally, after a disappointing first-round playoff exit last season, there are doubts about whether the current roster can bounce back.
The Lakers accumulated 53 points in the poll, surpassing other teams like the Los Angeles Clippers, who garnered 25 points, and the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls, each with 19 points. It’s somewhat surprising to see the Lakers ranked higher than the Clippers, especially since the Clippers lost Paul George to the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency, leaving them with a thinner roster.
After reaching the Western Conference Finals in the 2022-23 season, the Lakers regressed in the 2023-24 season, finishing as the seventh seed and exiting the playoffs in the first round against the Denver Nuggets. Despite this, the Lakers are bringing back a largely similar roster, with hopes that players like Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt will be healthier and more effective this season. The team is also counting on first-round draft pick Dalton Knecht to provide much-needed floor spacing.
While these preseason predictions don’t guarantee that the Lakers will struggle, they do highlight the skepticism surrounding the team. As the 2024-25 season approaches, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the rest of the Lakers will be eager to prove the doubters wrong.
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