The Lakers and the Nets were heralded as the two big favorites for the title in the offseason, but after several games, both teams appear to be in deep trouble. A large site did not hesitate to draw up a clear conclusion: the two franchises are not in the Top 10 of the league.
After the crazy offseason of the Nets and the Lakers, who have recorded some big signings in the free agent market, all the specialists have come forward by predicting that these two All-Stars teams would compete for the title at the end of the season. It is still very early in the year, but for the moment these predictions seem far from being realized as the favorites are in difficulty.
Indeed, Brooklyn and Los Angeles have a record of 2 wins for 3 losses, and many questions exist in the game of these two franchises. Russell Westbrook will he manage to adapt to the role of # 3? James Harden will he regain his offensive bite? While waiting to find the answer to these questions, the site Bleacher Report was ruthless with Frank Vogel’s and Steve Nash’s men, ranking them 12th and 10th best teams in the league!
Lakers and Nets worry
Los Angeles Lakers – 12: It’s still early in the season, but most of the problems identified with the Lakers were foreshadowed when Russell Westbrook arrived and when the veterans signed. Neither Westbrook, Davis, nor LeBron are triggers, so bringing them together on the pitch is bound to be risky. The Lakers have a differential of -13 over the 61 minutes played by the Big 3.
Brooklyn Nets – 10 : The number of talented players in the workforce of the Nets makes it very difficult to feel concern after the 2 wins and 3 losses at the start of the season. Kevin Durant and James Harden are two of the best strikers in history, and the players around them complement their skills perfectly. The most likely scenario is that this team is still looking for each other at the start of the season.
A more pessimistic view would argue that the new refereeing rules are having a huge effect on James Harden, who is shooting by far his lowest number of free throws per game. And then the age of some players like Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge, Paul Millsap and James Johnson is also worrying. And then there’s the Kyrie Irving situation. But again, everything should quickly be back to normal.
You will understand, Bleacher Report sees the two situations in a very different way. Indeed, the Lakers would currently face deep and announced problems related to squad building and player profiles, when in Brooklyn, it would simply be an ignition delay. Either way, players should quickly move up the slope.
The Nets would only be the 10th best team in the league, the Lakers the 12th, chose that no one would have imagined a few weeks ago. Fortunately, there is time to turn the tide.
