Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ loss against the Sacramento Kings, Kendrick Perkins did not hesitate to expose the Lakers’ position in the West. The Lakers hosted the Kings on Wednesday which resulted in a hard-fought game. Though in the end, Sactown got the best of them, taking the game, 130-120. The team was led by LeBron James and Rui Hachimura who combined for 60 points.
Following their Wednesday loss, the Lakers stand 10th in the West with a record of 34-30. At this pace, the Lakers might have to settle for the Play-In spot.
According to Kendrick Perkins, the Lakers don’t seem to be a threat to any team in the West. Perkins said,
No one in the playoff picture or the Play-In tournament is worried about thee Los Angeles Lakers… They’re struggling to find an identity on both sides of the floor consistently.
Perkins is not the first critic to have such an opinion. Charles Barkley recently shared the same opinion on the Lakers as well as the Warriors, stating that either team is not a threat in the Western Conference. While the Warriors are playing decently and have a slightly higher chance of clinching a playoff berth, they might not be able to pull it off considering the other two teams are in the same situation.
Kendrick Perkins picks the Warriors over the Lakers
Looking at the current standings, the Warriors will be facing LA in the Play-In tournament. Stephen Curry, Jonathan Kuminga, and Brandin Podziemski are leading to Dubs, having won seven of their last 11 games. Perkins picked the Dubs to beat the Lakers if they were to meet in the Play-In tournament. For the Los Angeles Lakers, the franchise has been struggling to find success in the postseason.
After a first-round exit in the 2021 playoffs, the Lakers missed the postseason the following year. In 2023, the team finally made it past the second round, though were swept by the Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. This year, they stand in a similar position, hoping to make the postseason. Meanwhile, the competition in the West is much thicker, as the Lakers might not see past the first round if they do manage to enter the postseason.
It will be interesting to see how things go for the Lakers, as their remaining schedule features top teams from each conference. Up next, the Lakers will be hosting the Bucks, who recently fell to the Warriors. The men in purple will look to improve their record as they face Giannis and company.
