How Good Are The Lakers Really?, Opportunity To Move Up, Jarred Vanderbilt, Playoff Rotation 

Gotta admit this play in thing is genius it makes this whole thing so much more exciting

Rui is rebounding. If it becomes part of his game, he will be a special player.

I agree with letting Rui continue to start. The continuity has already been established with that lineup. If Vando comes back, he can come off the bench and bring 15-20 minutes of pure energy and hustle. Yes, the bench will struggle to score, but their job should be to just play hard and hopefully maintain a lead with their defence. And its not like Gabe and Spencer aren't capable of scoring sometimes.

With Vando coming back and Gabe getting more acclimated I love our chances against absolutely anybody, yes even the Nuggets. Healthy Lebron & AD paired with this depth can win a championship. This team is peaking at the right time…

Last year we couldn't get passed Denver. We needed a legit big man. We still do. Rob never got us one. I think this year, if we make it, will be a repeat against Denver. Maybe Rob will learn. By the way, I'd be happy to eat my words and see the Lakers go all the way.

We need that 7/8 spot at minimum. Super tall hill to climb from 9/10

Thanks for giving Rui some props it was a long time coming. Using him correctly is the key

Rui constantly proving Hams an idiot.

Great show Trev! Very informative.

Seems like Lakers are rounding that corner as they should, post-Allstar break. I recall last season we had that top 3 defense and a vastly improved 3p% after the trade deadline. Quite excited for the remaining games on the schedule.

I dont wanna hear nothing about no playoffs until after we get this whole play in thing figured out. Warriors are rolling right now😮😮😮and the Kings have our number

the issue with the bench with AD on the floor is that most of them do not seem to know how to make a simple entry pass to AD down low

Lakers Nation we still need a big Man if we think of making a impact in the play-in as well as the playoffs 💜💛💜💛💯

it's a shame Rui wasn't a starter all season. he had the 3 chunks of missed games earlier this season but had he been a starter and this current lineup had a head start on the offensive ability and chemistry we see now, I think this team isn't lower than the 5 see right now.

There isn't really anything surprising about Rui's shooting if you've been paying attention to him for longer than he's been in LA. Heck, he shot 48% from 3 in the playoffs last year and something like 44% in the entire 2022 season. Sure, he was off last season as a whole, but this is his game.

I have this strange feeling that Lakers is going to shock everybody. This team is scary.

This is going to be a very interesting play in and playoffs in the West.

Coming to LA from NZ for first ever Lakers live game for LA v GS. Then going on down to NO for last game of the season. With 8th spot up for grabs just hope that all the stars will be playing.

Massive home stand coming up! See if we are good enough, 6 still in play and the 7 there for the taking, come on lakers!

Dinwiddie and Prince off the bench need to give us a jolt. I’m sure our starting lineup will show up but we need a little pop off the bench.

Cant talk enough how much we need Vander back, also would have Cam back, just for his 10-12 min DEFENSE work

This was a great show it's cool when u just spit facts n break things down more than answer questions all show

Tbh, I think people are hyping DEN up too much. Every team is good this season. I could see DEN or any team getting upset early. We just need the 7/8 seed at minimum. Hoping one of these teams ahead get extra cold.

Yes, we had the advantage of a light schedule but we also had a tough schedule right before that and you don't get third best record in the league over the last couple months by only beating the bad teams

Rui plays like he practices OFTEN! He Loves and listens to LeBron & it shows !

We literally gotta run the table or 4-1 and I could see a lot of team 6-9 tied at 48-34 we’d still be the damn 9 seed. And that’s on ham running THE NO GAURD LINEUP!! we would won atleast one of those damn games BTW AD is our Defense, he’s our entire Defense. And the reason we take way more fts, we hunt SMART fouls off ball and on ball to get us into the bonus, Boston has the 1 seed they don’t need to play anyone till the playoffs

That last stat (ORebs %) is amazing! And you'll notice I haven't been complaining for the past couple weeks

Rui’s game is unlocked with Lebron and AD on the floor. Would never move him back to 2nd unit. AR makes more sense moving back to bench

Arrrrgh. Like it or not, this teams identity is rooted in offense not defense. I can’t stand people saying defense wins championships. BOTH sides are needed and must compensate for the other’s weaknesses. As a football DC, nothing is worse than clamping the opponent only to have the O put up donuts. That said, the starting should 💯 remain the SAME regardless of whose back. Changing things up when this team has been one of the BEST in the NBA would be idiotic to new levels. And anyone even suggesting a change needs to hangout with Ham. I’m sure talk would get along swell.

Lakers are the hottest team right now

Lakers need to figure out long-term what do they do if Rui is him.

the roster is there. this all comes down to coaching staff. like for much of the season imo. ham come on man

RUI is our Rick Fox!

That's why vando is so key, he solves the perimeter d and the rebounding. He's incredible on the glass especially the offensive

Let’s win out

FINALLY A CHANCE TO MOVE UP!!! The only thing is we have to cheer for the Celtics for help 😒😒😒

*The LAKERS have to TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS ON THEIR SIDE and don't mind about the other teams, it will take care of itself*

That clippers win was tough last night. Because clippers wouldn't have any cushion to try and tank. But chemistry wise and the way they Been playing last 10 games. They really shouldn't be tanking

Austin know to find Rui when we miss 2 or more shots. He is the auto corrector . Rui is a mismatch nearly every time down the court.

I believe Lakers going to be a 7 or 6 seeds

Vando should be an energy guy on defense but not a starter over rui at this point..

Chuck needs to make a public apology to AD.

Hey Trev, did you forget about the 2010 West Conference standings where the 8th seed had 50 wins? Not an outlier season as you say but good to see the competitiveness still strong in the West!

The winner of the in season tournament should be declared the winner of any tie breaker. Full stop. Because it's a real incentive for the tournament and because they will have had to play an extra game and they won an extra game so they are a half game ahead anyway

And yes we need a legit Center !!!!

What a good day for Lakers as Pelican, Kings and Worriors are all lost

I've been saying Rui should stay in the starting lineup. Even when a lot of you guys were talking about no it should be Vando. I even went on to show what the best starting lineup would be vs Denver. And yes it included Rui & excluded Vando. Rui would be basically the cancelling factor for MPJ in overall impact. With Vando we get a boost in defense but a massive dropoff in consistent offense. I don't see the point of Vincent being on the roster anymore though. These 5 + Prince, Hayes, Dinwiddie & Vando if he comes back should be the primary rotation for the rest of the season.

Big time results today!

In my opinion the team to watch are the Pelicans and Kings. Other than them the really important games in my opinion are the next two for the Lakers. It also matters how the Suns do against the Clippers. If they beat the Clippers, you can completely forget about anyone catching them. They will be as far removed form us as the Mavs are right now. If the Lakers are red hot and and beat both the Cavs and Timberwolves, they can match the Suns (if they lose to the Clippers twice, which I think is likely). In that case having the tie-breaker will most likely put them into the 6th spot and directly into the playoffs against whoever is the number 3 seed then. And I think that'll be OKC with Denver being 2nd and the Wolves finishing 1st. It would be the most ideal outcome in my opinion, because it gives us a week to gameplan for a specific opponent that AD is very strong against and that lacks experience and defense themselves. If the Lakers lose both of their next two games against the Cavs and Wolves respectively, they will likely end up tied with the Kings and therefore in the 8th spot, playing the Kings on their home court for their first try to get get into the playoffs. They will still only have to win one out of two games anyway, because the Pelicans without Ingram are in even more trouble than Sacramento without Monk. Here is how I see it all breaking down for the next two games and then for the remaining games from there: Current standings: 5. Mavs 47-30 6. Suns 46-31 7. Pels 45-32 (without Brandon Ingram and sometimes Zion) 8. Kings 44-33 (without Malik Monk) 9. Lakers 44-33 (without Vando but nothing new there) 10. Warriors 42-35 Next two games (most likely outcome): Mavs: Rockets, Hornets (W,W) Suns: Pelicans, Clippers (W,L just a bad matchup and Clippers are as hot as Suns right now) Pels: Suns, Blazers (L,W) Kings: Nets, OKC (W,L) Lakers: Cavs, Timberwolves (W,L) Warriors: Jazz, Lakers (L,L) Most likely final standings if all goes normal and Lakers do beat the Cavs, but lose to the Wolves: 5. Mavs 49-30 6. Suns 47-32 7. Pels 46-33 8. Kings 45-34 9. Lakers 45-34 10. Warriors 42-37 The last 3 games for everyone after that are: Mavs: Heat, Pistons, Thunder (W, W, L) Suns: Clippers, Kings, Wolves (L, W, W) Pels: Kings, Warriors, Lakers (L, L, L) Kings: Pels, Suns, Blazers (W, L, W) Lakers: Warriors, Grizzlies, Pelicans (W,W,W) Warriors: Blazers, Pels, Jazz (W, W, L) Most likely final standings if all goes normal and Lakers do beat the Cavs, but lose to the Wolves: 5. Mavs 51-31 6. Suns 49-33 7. Lakers 48-34 8. Kings 47-35 9. Pels 46-36 10. Warriors 43-36 The long shot is the version where LA goes 5-0 and the Clippers beat the Suns twice, while the Pels and Kings do as bad as can be suspected without Ingram and Monk. That's how LA can statistically still end up in the 6th seed and get any of the top 3, but in my opinion will most likely get OKC. That would be nothing short of a dream. We could get much needed rest for our four mainn guys avoiding the play-in entirely, then get a perfect match-up for us against OKC, avoid Sacramento, then get the Clippers or Suns, whom we have done well against, too and then finally hit Denver with Gabe at 95% in week 6 back ready to make a difference on Murray and Vando could potentially be 90% again giving Porter Jr. a hard time and getting key rebounds and steals. That's the only road I see where we could potentially have LBJ and Davis really fit and not beaten down by Sabonis or the Wolves and also running into Denver early. If that happens even winning it all isn't completely out of the realm of possibility. We match up better with the east in general(minus maybe the full strength 76ers and Knicks). If we get the Celtics in the finals, then both Vincent and Vando will be near 100%. Yeah those are all very long shots, but none of that is completely impossible and only a theoretical chance. It's not like it all depends on the help of many other teams and completely improbable losing streaks for top teams or anything of that sort. In fact it seems just as likely that LA ends up in 6th as it does that they stay in 9th. I'd say 7th or 8th are the most likely outcomes with a slight edge to 7th. And I see that as a guy that said we might be fighting for our lives in the playoffs with this roster, when it was put together, so I'm not a blind fanboy that thought Ham would be way better than Vogel and 4th would be the bottom.

The thing about stats is, sometimes we cherry pick what we want and leave out other parts of the stats. Yes, the Lakers are 2nd with Pts in the Paint. Followed by Wizards, Raptors, and Jazz. So, 2nd in the Paint means squat other than that's a great part of their game. Which is the best kind of basketball. In Pace here are the top 5 teams Wizards, Pacers, Spurs, Hawks, and Lakers. Again, that doesn't mean anything. All that matter is wins and losses. Their losses have them 9th in the West at this moment. I'm not hating I'm just showing the stats. Other than the Offensive rebounds stats, the other stats doesn't really mean anything at this moment because all those stats are just like all the other bottom teams.

Yes! The Celtics just beat the Kings by one point! Thanks, Goons In Green 😎

Trevor, we are the lakers we ain’t ducking no smoke, whether it’s Denver or whoever MAN UP and go win!

I don't like that saturday 12:30pm game. We never do well in those

Play off Gabe is what we need

Every time we get help in the standings we fail to capitalize so I'm not getting excited yet

If the Lakers win out the rest of their games in a dominant fashion, then they are ready as can be to compete for the championship. They do need to find the answer for Jokic in order to advance. Go Lakers!

Our reward for miving up to 7-8 seed. The nuggets!! Wooo!

I'm starting to realize that the thing that determines who wins most regular season games is the team with more urgency. Look at the 5 teams around the play-in, desperately scrambling to avoid being in it. They have all become unbeatable it seems like.

They are really good and ymca team other nights so unpredictable. Chicken nuggets the only team worried about to reach the WCF

Do or die let's go LAkERS I💜💛L.A

What Vando hurt in his foot is literally the part he uses most in regards to his strengths. In fact he hurt it in a play that was a Vando type play

Draft Zack edey baby ❤❤ he’s gonna change this organization

That last stat is LITERALLY the BIGGEST single reason we been winning more. Even more than the improved shooting Been preaching it for 2 years. EVERY single time we have a good stretch that is the most consistent area of improvement in that stretch....but for some reason the part that gets the least coverage. Go back 2 years Take a look at the stats

Sing D Howard asap!

This Sac-Bos game tonight is going to be interesting. Bos has nothing to gain in a win. More shenanigans afoot.

Jaylen brown and Derrick white already declared inactive for tonight’s game against kings..damn you green

They need to win out and get the 8th or 7th seed. They can't just rely on other teams to lose. Sac is one game up on them because they own the tiebreaker. To win a game vs Warriors then potentially Sac Phoenix in 2nd game will be tough.

Honestly worried we will even get past the play-in stage. Warriors are cooking atm with Klay rediscovering form and they have the easier ROS so can easily leapfrog us to get to the 9th or 8th spot.

I think - and I get it if people think it’s crazy - but the sixth spot for the Lakers is not impossible. It’s gonna need a 5 game win streak for these remaining games - but it’s a possibility. Who knows? Go Lakers!

I’m sure Mike D’Antoni would love to coach this current lakers team

3 of the 4 bigs should be in at all times. James AD Rui and Vando swapping in with the other 2 still in. Jackson gets no more than 4 minutes

Well this vlog was great but it didn't age well...Pels lost at home to Spurs, Kings lose to Celts and GSW loses to Mavs.. what's crazy is Mavs & Celts rested Guys!! A win Saturday they have the 8th seed. Now the theory the Clips gonna give away those two Suns game has holes in it..Mavs two games back at the 5 seed they would love to have homecourt. but what's also unique do the Mavs start selling to get that 6th seed allowing the clips & suns to battle it out!

I’ve been saying this Trevor!!! Vanderbilt should’ve never been starting. I was the only one on the soap box but I scold at.

Bron isn’t playing so it doesn’t matter. Here comes Denver in the first round 😢

Well see what dlo does in the playoffs that’s probably my only concern

Our 6th & 7th man highest paid men basically didnt play all season that would account for at least 4-7 more wins for us.

Lakers with a late surge 8-1 which is really good.

Actually I believe Darvin is out there equation is LeBron and add coaching the team Darvin is designed to be a cheerleader now

BEST SCHEDULE NEXT WEEK !!!!! our opponents are battling for positions

Seems like people are forgetting we have to win 2 games against very good teams just to make the playoffs. We shouldn't be talking about the Nuggets

Anybody else think Rui is a budget version of Kawhi

We have a chance to move up but we would need to win out to keep 8th seed and i don't the can realistically can hold that up man.I think we will most likely stay 9th probably still make the playoffs but i honestly don't mind getting 8th seed and facing T wolves will be hard but we have a punchers chance

The Lakers now, has the best starting 5. that can give them the Championship. I hope that the Ham does not do his usual thing and mess with the starters and rotation. They work together very well and will only get better as the play off advances, Please, do not mess with it. If Ham starts his thing, I would fire him.

Lakers need to continue to make adjustments. Dinwiddi sucks and Ham needs to give more of Dinwiddi's minuets to Max. Rui is an assassin in the mid-range game. If Rui takes more mid-range shots or baseline runs and a few less 3's he would be a better asset than D-Lo IMO. IF and it's a big IF, Gabe can at least score a little more he can be an asset. AR needs to stop dribbling so much and make more passes and cuts to the hoop when he doesn't have the ball. AD is doing great, but needs to play less at the 3 point line. LBJ just needs to keep freight training it. If the Lakers can make some small adjustments on offense and get better on defense they could be a forced to be reckoned with.

RUI 9th ,DLo 13th and Lebron 20th in 3 point field goal percentage

If The Lakers had picked up a decent Center, I would have given them a puncher’s chance

I agree with you but DPOY going to Gorbert or Wemby probably Gorbert because of the winning,thanks for giving me ammo to use against the haters on the free throws conspiracy theory

ORebs given up were a problem long before early in this season. They were a problem ALL of last season as well. You'll notice I haven't been complaining about it as much lately. For the first time in 2 years!

WAKE UP GUYS NEW TREVOR LANE DROPPED

OMG! 💯 I find some of Basketball Reference posted videos unwatchable, cause I'm listening to an obvious Warriors super-fan whine about the free-throw disparity for the Lakers and pushing the league rigging games for the Lakers conspiracy and calling LBG a flopper. He's a great analyst for any NBA team not named the Warriors or Lakers, as he over hypes the Warriors and trashes the Lakers hard. This is especially egregious when I'm watching Laker games and find myself screaming at the TV as the refs don't call 3 out of every 4 fouls committed by Laker opponents don't get called and the Lakers get whistled for every ticki-tac foul. I do feel all the noise has, in fact, played into this, and caused the officiating to be a little biased against them. Just saying is all.

How do we feel about Bronny entering the NBA Draft?

Interestingly, it would be much better for the Lakers if they passed the kings for the 8th instead of having the pels fall to the 9th. That's because on one hand, the warriors play the kings single elimination and the lakers can surely handle the pels while not having to deal with either the warriors or kings. On the other hand, the Lakers would have to beat the kings who owned them, and failing that would need to beat the warriors in all likelihood. This scenario is exactly what the Lakers last 2 game losing streak looked like.

Rob needs to seriously consider dumping the Mash Unit of Cam, Wood, Vincent and Vando at the end of the season.

Don’t count out the Spurs beating the Pelicans,Wemby has been playing like a guaranteed future MVP on both sides of the ball and Pop isn’t conceding anything

Now we have to root for Suns over Pelicans next game??? Root for Mavs to stay hot and maybe put pressure on Clips

The Lakers can be really good. However, its all about shooting. If everybody is hitting their open shots, they are good. It's all about hitting open shots and making FREE throws.

I’m ready to smack the warriors on Tuesday. Those previous losses were sooooo bogus lol

Hear me out. Want to unlock the rotation even further? Move Austin to the bench and start Spencer Dinwiddie. Austin thrived off the bench earlier this year.

Rui is an upgrade of gianis

Bronny coming to the Lakers 💜💛