The Los Angeles Lakers have had an uneven start to the season, and an NBA analyst recently gave their season a disappointing grade.
ESPN's Kevin Pelton handed out midseason grades to every NBA team Monday. Pelton wasn't kind to the Lakers, giving them a C-minus.
"The Lakers' projection is right in line with what was expected coming into the season," Pelton said. "That qualifies as troubling news because it required the Lakers to win their first 13 clutch games."
Pelton projects the Lakers to win 44.7 games this season, a 1.8-game decrease from their preseason projection (46.5). He questioned the sustainability of the Lakers' early-season success.
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"The Lakers' minus-0.8 point differential ranks eighth in the West, and closer to 11th (Portland) than seventh (Golden State)," Pelton said.
The Lakers have had a nice season offensively, ranking ninth in the NBA in offensive rating (116.7). But they've struggled on the defensive end, giving up 116.7 points per game. Their 117.4 defensive rating is 26th in the league.
"Led by a resurgent season from Luka Doncic, the Lakers are near the NBA's top 10 in offensive rating despite rarely having both LeBron James and Austin Reaves healthy to support him," he said. "But the Lakers' 26th-ranked defense looks more like a rebuilding team than a contender."
LA (25-16) is sixth in the Western Conference, 9.5 games behind the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. The Lakers have lost five of their past seven games, including three straight losses earlier this month. They return to the court Tuesday night against the Denver Nuggets.
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