Tracy McGrady, now an analyst, questions the Los Angeles Lakers' ability to compete for a Western Conference crown, citing concerns about their roster depth compared to top teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets, despite the Lakers' promising start to the 2025-26 season.
At 13-4, the Luka Doncic/Austin Reaves/LeBron James Los Angeles Lakers are off to a robust start on the young 2025-26 NBA season. LA has won its last five straight games and currently occupies the No. 2 seed in the competitive Western Conference .
The mighty Oklahoma City Thunder have won lost just one game this season, and at 18-1 are the top seed in the West so far — without their second-best player, All-NBA small forward Jalen Williams, available for a second of game time yet. The Denver Nuggets, the conference's third seed, also sport a 13-4 record. The 12-4 Houston Rockets and the 12-5 San Antonio Spurs round out the West's top five.Former seven-time All-NBA small forward Tracy McGrady, for one, is skeptical that the current Lakers roster can compete for the West crown in the playoffs. Now an analyst for NBC/Peacock along with his fellow Hall of Famer and step second cousin once removed Vince Carter, McGrady projected the Lakers' playoff ceiling and called them out for their biggest roster issue after the club's 135-118 defeat of the LA Clippers."If you look at this roster constructed, what did you see on this bench that can give you consistency in a 7 game series against OKC or Denver?"McGrady seemed pessimistic about the ability of the Lakers' roster depth to help the club successfully battle the Oklahoma City Thunder or Denver Nuggets, the two other top teams in the Western Conference by record."I don't think this team presently constructed can survive OKC or a Denver team that has depth, has size, speed. I don't think they can sustain that," McGrady opined. "If you look at this roster constructed, what did you see on this bench that can give you consistency in a seven-game series against OKC or Denver?" The Lakers' 51 percent field goal rate ranks first in the league, and the Lakers rank seventh in offensive rating . LA is fairly middle-of-the-road in point differential , defensive rating . Surprisingly, despite their offensive efficacy, the Lakers also rank 24th in 3-point percentage and 26th in 3-point attempts .So why has LA been so good at all? Its two-man backcourt tandem of Doncic and Reaves has been absolutely lethal as scorers and distributors. With James back, questions abound about the Lakers' ability to balance the trio's lackluster defense, but it's clear that Los Angeles still packs a punch on the other end. The Lakers have managed to improve their depth by bringing in free agent summer additions Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia.Currently also a scribe for Newsweek, Hoops Rumors, The Sporting News and "Gremlins" director Joe Dante's film site Trailers From Hell, Alex is an alum of Men's Journal, Grizzlies fan site Grizzly Bear Blues, and Bulls fan sites Blog-A-Bull and Pippen Ain't Easy, among others.NBA Scouts Call Out Lakers' Key Weakness This Year
NBA Lakers Tracy Mcgrady Playoffs Western Conference Oklahoma City Thunder Denver Nuggets
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