Christian Wood thinks the Los Angeles Lakers can avoid this season’s play-in tournament.
The Lakers are in ninth place in the Western Conference standings, but Wood believes the team can be a top-six seed.
The top six seeds in the conference automatically qualify for the playoffs, while seeds 7-10 play in the play-in tournament to determine who the seventh and eighth seeds are.
The LakeShow are 28-26. They are 13th in the NBA in points per game (116.5) and 18th in points per game allowed (117.1). Wood and Co. are 19th in the league in net rating (-0.7).
In his first season with the Lakers, Wood is averaging 7.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists while shooting 46.8% from the field, 31.5% from beyond the arc and 69.6% from the free-throw line. He has a plus-minus of +2.
The Lakers face the Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz before the All-Star break. The Pistons have the worst record in the NBA, so the Lakers should beat them. The Jazz game will be tough, though, since Utah is 17-8 at home.
The Lakers were a play-in team last season. They beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 7-8 play-in game at home. LAL reached the 2023 Western Conference Finals after defeating the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round in six games and the Golden State Warriors in the second round in six games.
However, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets swept LeBron James and the purple and gold in the conference finals en route to winning the 2023 championship.
LeBron, 39, can become an unrestricted free agent this summer if he declines his 2024-25 player option. If LAL doesn’t make the playoffs, LeBron could leave the franchise in the offseason.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer, LeBron wants to play with his son, Bronny, in the NBA.
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