Going into the 2021-22 season, the Los Angeles Lakers were among the championship favorites after completing a blockbuster trade for Russell Westbrook to form a Big 3 with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Along with the Brooklyn Nets, the Lakers’ odds were significantly higher than the other 28 teams.
Now that the season is a quarter of the way through though, the Lakers have greatly fallen short of expectations as they have started off 10-11 despite having one of the more favorable schedules in the league. Not only have the Lakers lost to some subpar teams, but some have come in embarrassing fashion with them getting blown out or blowing big leads of their own.
While there is still plenty of time left for the Lakers to turn things around, it would be hard to find someone who still has them as the favorites to win it all, especially with how well the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns are playing in the Western Conference alone.
One person who has not jumped off the bandwagon though is former Laker great Metta World Peace, who is sticking with his preseason pick that L.A. will win it all:
I got @Lakers winning it this year.
— Metta World Peace (@MettaWorld37) November 28, 2021
World Peace has always been optimistic and bleeds Purple and Gold, so it is not surprising to see him sticking with his squad.
If the Lakers want to get back into championship contention though, a lot of improvements will need to be made on both sides of the ball. The Lakers currently has a net rating of -3.2, good for 24th in the league while their offensive rating (105.6) ranks 22nd and their defensive rating (108.8) ranks 18th.
While injuries have greatly affected L.A. early in the season, that is nowhere near championship production regardless of who has been out on the floor.
James-led teams always have to be considered threats to win it all though, so hopefully he and Davis can remain healthy and the Lakers can get back on track with plenty of season still to go.
World Peace compares Lakers to Lauryn Hill album
Before the Lakers’ season started, World Peace compared the roster to a Lauryn Hill album because of their star power and uniqueness, which was an interesting comparison to say the least.
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