The Los Angeles Lakers’ incredible run in their last few games sees them put their hat in the ring as potential title contenders. Their “Big 3” of LeBron James, Luka Dončić, and Austin Reaves have been instrumental in leading the side to major wins in March.
The role players have played their part to perfection so far, executing head coach JJ Redick’s plans to sit third in a stacked Western Conference. This saw former Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas share his thoughts on the Lakers’ performance and their playoff chances.
Why Gilbert Arenas Believes the Lakers Have a Higher-than-Predicted Ceiling
Speaking on his “Gil’s Arena” podcast, the former NBA star spoke of how the Lakers were perennial spotlight-holders.
“They have shown consistency. We’ve been doing it all season. You know what’s weird when everyone hits the panic button? Right? Hit the panic button when they’re tied for third place all season,” Arenas said.
“Because it says six, but it’s still tied with third, and we’re hitting panic buttons? You know, it’s like we lost a game. This is a Chicken Little world, the roof is falling off, Jeanie Buss is talking sh*t about LeBron. We don’t know who’s playing defense, you know, people getting called out. Luka smacking a coach’s hand, like everybody else doesn’t smack a coach’s hand.”
“But we’ve been in third, but because it’s the Lakers, and everything seems to get blown out of proportion. But it seems like this team was built more for the playoffs,” he added.
His strong comments come on the back of former players and analysts predicting the Lakers’ ceiling this season. While some believed the Lakers were a second-round side at best, their recent form, barring the loss to the Pistons, sees them as legitimate title contenders.
Redick spoke about the side being a solid team despite the outcome.
Per The Athletic, “We’re a good basketball team,” he said. “I believe that we’re a good basketball team. I thought we could be a good basketball team the entire season. We saw flashes of it. We saw short stretches of it, but we’re a good basketball team, and I think we have to continue to play together and all that stuff.”
The Lakers have been one of the hottest teams in the league over the last few weeks. What was expected to be a challenging 10 games has seen them win nine of the contests.
Their current pace sees them most likely to hit the 50-win mark, much like the previous season. Their 46-26 record also suggests a third-seed finish if they can notch up a few more wins.
Up next, the Lakers end their five-game road trip with a skirmish against the Indiana Pacers. They later head home for a three-game run.
