How Much of a Threat do the Lakers Actually Pose to the Thunder?

Any team that has both LeBron James and Luka Doncic as its two cornerstones automatically presents quite the challenge. Doncic is the younger talent who is involved in the conversation as a top-five player in the NBA, while James is exiting his prime and approaching a retirement from basketball.

Still, James ranks among the best. The Los Angeles Lakers are a surefire playoff team with him and Doncic in command, but the possibility of it being a true contender in the Western Conference is entirely dependent on the rest of the roster. That is where the question marks lie.

If you're the Oklahoma City Thunder, are the Lakers a worry at all in the playoffs? It is coming off its first-ever NBA Finals win and seems poised to make a push at repeating once again. The roster is largely the same as it was last season — aside from a couple of new additions — and the young core should only continue to improve as they age.

That's all to say: it is going to take a lot for a team in the West to stop Oklahoma City. Los Angeles was defeated 4-1 by the Denver Nuggets in the first round of last season's playoffs, ending its potential in a screeching halt. While it isn't running back entirely the same team, nothing that drastic has been changed in an offseason's time.

DeAndre Ayton was the Lakers' big free agent signing this time around, but whether he lives up to that is unclear. The center has endured an up-and-down career with the Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers, and has mainly struggled with defense. Against bigs like Jokic, he could be taken advantage of on the perimeter and inside the paint.

The likes of Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt are all solid supporting pieces around Doncic and James, but Los Angeles' depth pales in comparison to that of the Thunder. At every single position, Oklahoma City can throw out a number of players to eye different matchups or lineups. Few teams have that luxury.

The Lakers will be fortunate in having Doncic and James for a full season together, which should help build their chemistry and continuity from last year. This might help them be better situated to compete against the Thunder in a potential playoff series once the time comes.

Los Angeles probably isn't on the level of a Denver or Houston Rockets, but it can't be taken lightly this year. However, it certainly shouldn't be the top team on Oklahoma City's radar.