The Los Angeles Lakers may have improved their roster this summer, but it’s still going to be a tough road through the Western Conference during the 2025-26 season.
The Lakers were able to address a couple of needs in free agency when they signed Deandre Ayton and Jake LaRavia, though the team is reportedly still looking to address its point of attack defense. There are several players left in free agency that could help, though Los Angeles might seem content with what they currently have.
The Western Conference looks like a murderer’s row of teams on paper as squads like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets project to lead the pack. From there, though, teams like the Lakers should be in the mix for the fourth seed and home court advantage in the playoffs.
Shaquille O’Neal discussed the state of the Western Conference and still expects Los Angeles to be hosting the first round of the postseason, via D.J. Siddiqi of CasinoBeats:
When mentioned how stacked the Western Conference is with the T-Wolves, defending champs Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets, O’Neal says he still believes the Lakers will finish with a top-four seed and homecourt advantage in the playoffs next season.
“That’s only because of age,” says O’Neal. “The Thunder are coming off the championship. They’re going to be high, they know what it takes to win the championship. Denver, they’re going to be making some noise. It’s about you get eight spots to make the playoffs, they’re going to have to be between one through eight. I expect them to have some type of home court advantage.”
O’Neal explained his belief stems from the Lakers having LeBron James and Luka Doncic as well as a legitimate center in Ayton:
“You got two premier players,” says O’Neal. “You got a big guy that can do certain things. Those three players should be able to get you to one through four. If they don’t have home court advantage, I’ll be very disappointed.”
A top-four finish is certainly in the cards for L.A. considering their star power and improved depth, but the rest of the conference improved as well. The Lakers can hang with anyone, though winning four rounds in the playoffs will be an enormous task.
While a lot of the national media seems to b=have low expectations for the Lakers this season though, it’s nice to see Shaq still see the upside.
Deandre Ayton hopes to grow as rim protector with Lakers
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