James and the Lakers to be the West’s playoff surprise?

In the West, the competition is tight: 13 of the 15 teams have a chance to qualify for the playoffs. Only the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets are out of contention.

1- Of those occupying the top six spots in the West (Nuggets, Grizzlies, Kings, Clippers, Suns and Mavs), which team could be left out?
I believe that due to the schedule of the fourth through sixth seeded teams in the West; i.e. the LA Clippers, Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks, the Angelenos are the most at risk of being left out of the Playoffs outright and will likely get there via Play-in.

Although coach Ty Lue’s team is currently in fourth place with a 33-28 (.541) record, their schedule is the toughest of the aforementioned franchises. Among their rivals are Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors (x2), Sacramento Kings (x2), Memphis Grizzlies (x3), Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns, all but the yellow and purple above .500.

On the other hand, the regular season is still long and while the arrival of Russell Westbrook should boost the team, we can’t (and won’t) rule out a possible injury absence of its key pillars, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, both of whom are injury prone.

2- Of those in play-in and lottery position, which one will we see in the playoffs?
Here goes: the Lakers. Like a movie script, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and this new version of the Lakers will secure a playoff spot. Will it be enough to advance to other rounds? Possibly not.

But certainly D’Angelo Russell is a better fit than Russell Westbrook. I doubt Portland, with the injury to Anfernee Simons and the trade of Josh Hart to NY, will punch a ticket to the playoffs. The Thunder, also, will have to decide at some point if it’s better to think about securing a better pick for the 2023 sweepstakes, than to keep winning and stay out of the play-in.

Same for the Jazz, so I see Lakers, Warriors, Pelicans and Minnesota fighting for those last two playoff spots. And a healthy Lakers, watch out.

3- Which will be the surprise team of the final part of the season?
The Los Angeles Lakers, who were able to strengthen their roster at the trade deadline, could undoubtedly become the surprise of the rest of the season.

Since the debut of their new acquisitions, they have a 2-1 record despite the fact that LeBron James only played one of the three games. They have also proven to be a longer and deeper roster, with a rotation of 10 or 11 players, which allows them to maintain intensity in all 48 minutes of play, especially on the defensive end.

This season, they have not been able to string together more than 5 consecutive wins, but to be an upset, they will have to win at least 80% of the remaining 23 games.