NBA Power Rankings for 2025-26 season tip-off: Thunder on top; Hawks are contenders https://t.co/pc8fpWUdRi— LakerTom (@LakerTom) October 26, 2025
NBA Power Rankings for 2025-26 season tip-off
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October 26, 2025 1 Comment
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FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:
8. Los Angeles Lakers
Last ranking: 11th
2024-25 season results: 50-32, third in West, lost West quarterfinals
2026 playoff prediction: Fifth in West, lose West semifinals vs. Thunder
Luka Dončić’s fitness level represents this team’s ceiling. The Lakers will get off to fast starts in games because Dončić dominates first quarters. The key is if Dončić is as good in fourth quarters as well. At least he’ll be more comfortable when the season begins, because he’s ready to go, and LeBron James is not. The Lakers might be fine with letting James take his time, because a defense that features all three of Dončić, Austin Reaves and the 40-year-old version of James has, thus far, shown to be road meat. The Lakers won’t hurt for offense between Dončić and Reaves, and the Lakers have a few more defensive options to test out between an actual center (the enigmatic Deandre Ayton), a former Defensive Player of the Year winner (Marcus Smart), and a healthier point-of-attack defender (Jarred Vanderbilt). Plus, we all know the Lakers are going to shoot a dozen more free throws than their opponents and get a coach fined for talking about it.