So far this season, the Lakers have not performed well enough, and even in the final stages of the season today, this Lakers cannot be guaranteed to participate in the playoffs.
However, for Lakers star center Shaquille O'Neal, the Lakers are still a team worth looking forward to. On one show, O'Neal said that if the Lakers can break into the playoffs after the playoffs, they will complete the "Black Eight" in the first round of the series against the Suns:
Considering the Lakers' form so far this season, it's hard to imagine them beating the Suns in the playoff series who have maintained a good enough record throughout the season, not to mention that this topic has been mentioned last season, and the Lakers were eventually easily defeated by the Suns. Of course, for the current Lakers, it is more important to consider retaining the playoff seat and winning the opportunity to participate in the playoffs through the playoffs.
In fact, whether the Lakers can break out of the playoffs has been questioned. According to the US media Jay Williams, even if Zion Williamson continues to be absent, the Pelicans will have the ability to beat the Lakers in the playoffs:
"I still think the Pelicans can beat the Lakers without Zion, and we're still expecting the Lakers to suddenly open up in the playoffs? I know LeBron James can be in good enough form, but I don't know if other players can do that and beat the Pelicans. ”
As Jay Williams talked about, LeBron James has indeed performed very well so far this season, but it is still a question of whether the other players in the Lakers' team can stay healthy and perform well enough.
Finally, according to the US media JB Baruelo, the Lakers can promote a "multi-team deal" involving Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard with the Blazers in this offseason:
JB Baruelo said the Lakers need to send chips including Russell Westbrook and the 2027 and 2029 first-round picks in the deal. After this deal, the Lakers will also be able to build a big three lineup of James, Lillard and Davis and impact the championship trophy.
It's no secret that the Lakers are interested in Lillard, but the problem is that it will be very difficult for the Lakers to push such a deal, and of course we can expect the Lakers to move in this offseason.