Opening night is nearly a month away for the Los Angeles Lakers and there seems to be a lot of skepticism surrounding the roster. In recent weeks, both Norman Powell and Michael Porter Jr. have hated on L.A. and the roster Rob Pelinka put together.
Now, Lakers legend Byron Scott has joined in the choir as he isnot quite sold on this new-look roster around Luka Doncic. It is too early to predict whether L.A. will be good or bad, but Scott does not see how they can be a Western Conference elite.
“The Lakers. The team that you said was going to win 58 games. I think they had the most overrated offseason,” Scott said on the Fast Break podcast. “I’m just keeping it real. I’m purple and gold down to the core. But, I mean, everybody was talking about all these great (additions) — no, I just don’t see it yet.”
Scott’s co-host’s prediction of 58 wins definitely seems to be on the optimistic side, but there definitely is an expectations for L.A. to be a playoff team and compete for a championships in the new future.
In order to do that, the Lakers will need to stay healthy and gel as a group. Last year, the team did not reach its peak until March and then again injuries derailed that positive momentum heading into the postseason.
For how much roster turnaround there was this summer, Los Angeles will need time to iron out roles with Doncic and Austin Reaves leading the way. Reaves will need to prove that he is capable of being a No. 2 option on a team trying to win a championship, and the rest of the roster will need to fall into place after that.
Scott provided reasonable pushback, but as many fans would agree, he needs to see what they look like on a basketball court before truly judging this team. Opinions continue to vary in terms of how good the Lakers will be this season, so time will tell and hopefully, they can surprise people.
Byron Scott concerned about Lakers’ defense going into 2026-27 season
Another talking point surround the Lakers is the lack of defensive personnel on the roster as they seem to lack perimeter defenders. While Walker Kessler possesses elite rim protection, L.A. needs to figure out a scheme when it comes to containing the perimeter.
That is part of Scott’s think as he recently expressed his concern about the Lakers’ defense as NBA champions typically rank in the top 10 in both offense and defense, which will be a challenge for the purple and gold.
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