The Los Angeles Lakers will enter the 2025 NBA playoffs with much more optimism than in their past few trips. Their roster may be flawed, but they still head into the postseason with arguably the best duo in the NBA: LeBron James and Luka Dončić.
However, that doesn’t mean the road ahead will be easy. Their first challenge will be the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves might not be the favorites, but they are battle-tested and aren’t afraid of anyone. To get past them, the Lakers must avoid the following mistakes.
The 3 Mistakes the Lakers Must Avoid to Beat Timberwolves
Letting Minnesota’s Frontcourt Dominate
Minnesota is one of the more interesting matchups for Los Angeles because it has a talented frontcourt featuring Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle and Naz Reid. Compared to the Lakers, whose frontcourt features Jaxson Hayes, Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt, among others, the Timberwolves definitely have the edge.
That said, the Lakers’ defense has been surprisingly strong since trading Anthony Davis. For them to control this series, they have to hold their ground against Minnesota’s trio of big men. That’s easier said than done, but if they can limit that three-headed monster, they should feel good about their chances to win.
If the Timberwolves’ frontcourt walks all over them, it could spell bad news for the purple and gold.
Letting Anthony Edwards Get Comfortable as a Scorer
Edwards is one of the league’s most impressive young stars, but he showed some growing pains during last year’s Western Conference finals. While it wasn’t all on him that Minnesota fell to the Dallas Mavericks, Dallas made a smart move in forcing him to beat them as a playmaker instead of a scorer.
He’s not a bad passer, but the Lakers would be wise to make sure he doesn’t get to his bread and butter — scoring. Minnesota has other scoring options, but Edwards still has something to prove as a distributor. If the Lakers can make him uncomfortable as a decision-maker, that could swing the series.
Not Taking Advantage of Mike Conley
It’s impressive how good Conley still is as he nears 40. But as they say, Father Time is undefeated. While James seems to be the exception, Conley isn’t. He’s still a solid contributor, but age has taken a toll on what he can do defensively.
If James or Dončić are on the court with him, the Lakers have to attack him every time down until Minnesota has no choice but to pull him. Conley’s defensive limitations are a weak link, even though he’s one of the Timberwolves’ best playmakers. Their offense doesn’t move the same without him. Making the Timberwolves choose between offense and defense regarding Conley will give the Lakers a huge advantage.