ESPN Projects 2016-2017 Lakers To Have Fewest Wins In The NBA
Is It Time For Lakers To Part Ways With Mitch Kupchak?
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The 2015-2016 season was a difficult one for Lakers fans, with star guard Kobe Bryant retiring after two decades and the team winning a franchise-low 17 games. However, the offseason brought in a swell of optimism, with Luke Walton replacing embattled Head Coach Byron Scott, and the team landing exciting young prospects Brandon Ingram and Ivica Zubac in the NBA Draft.

No one expects the Lakers to be title contenders next season, but there is a strong sentiment that they will be better than last year’s incarnation, and infinitely more watchable thanks to a more free-flowing offense.

However, the folks at ESPN say not so fast. According to their Real Plus-Minus stat, next year’s Lakers are likely to win the fewest amount of games in the league:

Despite their offseason additions of No. 2 pick Brandon Ingram and veterans Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov, RPM has the Lakers with the league’s fewest projected wins.

This isn’t the first ESPN projection that doesn’t look kindly on the young Lakers, but the team is reportedly using these predictions as motivation. The NBA season can also be notoriously difficult to predict, so this projection doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily time to panic for fans.

That said, the Lakers do have an extremely young roster and they will hit their share of speed bumps as they learn how to play together. As Walton said earlier this summer, this team won’t necessarily be judged on wins and losses, but rather on the way they play together.

Should the Lakers struggle again next season, fans will again have to hold their breath during the draft lottery. Next year’s draft is loaded with talented players, but the Lakers will only keep their pick if it falls in the top three. Even if they have the worst record in the league, the odds of that happening are just 64.3 percent.

Of course, it’s far too early to start worrying about ping pong balls at this point. Walton is correct that wins and losses don’t matter all that much, and for now fans will have to find enjoyment in the rebuilding process by watching the young players progress on their path to NBA success.

You May Also Like

Lakers Injury News: Trevor Ariza To Be Evaluated In 8 Weeks After Undergoing Ankle Surgery

The Los Angeles Lakers announced that forward Trevor Ariza underwent an arthroscopic debridement procedure on his injured right…

Pau Gasol Happy to See Brother Marc Succeed With Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies are facing elimination tonight against the San Antonio Spurs,…

LeBron James Passes Kobe Bryant On NBA’s All-Time Postseason Scoring List

After 20 seasons in the NBA, Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant called it a career a year ago leaving behind an incredible legacy as one of the greatest players to have ever played the game of basketball…

Lakers Injury News: Lonzo Ball Won’t Play In Scrimmages When Training Camp Opens, Team Not Rushing Return

After battling knee trouble throughout his rookie season, Lonzo Ball underwent arthroscopic surgery during the offseason…