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Derailed?!?

Have injuries derailed the Lakers 2017/18 campaign??

Nikola Vucevic expects to return on February 22^nd!

This small sentence is music to the ears of Lakers gm greenmig.  After starting the season with a bang Vucevic had the Lakers sitting nicely in 6^th position out West about 4 games above 0.500.  That was about 6 weeks ago though.  And since that time things have been ugly, real ugly.  Vucevic’s hand injury was followed by the news that Brogdon had injured his quadricep.  Without Vucevic and then Brogdon the Lakers have gone 5-15!  They  now sit 2 games out of the playoffs in 10^th position.  Further injuries to newly acquired Marcus Morris and long time stalwart Marvin Williams haven’t helped either.

The season seems close to lost but with Vucevic’s imminent return on the horizon their may still be some light at the end of the tunnel.  There are still 7 weeks left – 28 games of the scheduled 82.  That’s about one third of the season left.  So what will it take to make the playoffs?

Lets take a look at history.  Last year 8^th position out West was 38 wins.  In 2016 it took 45 wins.  2015 took 39 wins to make 8^th.  Considering relative conference strengths etc it seems this year will likely be around 38-40 wins to achieve 8^th.  So lets assume 40 will get it done!  Right now the Lakers have 23.  Not great.  So we need another 17 wins in 28 games from here on out.  This would be a 0.60 win rate.  Right now there are only two teams out West with a +0.600 record, OKC and San Antonio.

In other news the Lakers since we last wrote the Lakers have made two trades.  Key acquisitions being Nicolas Batum and Marcus Morris.  When all players are healthy these guys will slot into a lineup of Brogdon-Batum-Morris-Williams-Vucevic.  The intent being to have lots of versatility with all 5 guys able to shoot the 3 ball as well as play solid individual defense.

So can the Lakers make the playoffs?  Based on the data above – Unlikely!  Vucevic must return and the team must gel immediately.

Considering this, Lakers management are staying active as the trade deadline draws nearer.  With all players on the table all it would take would be a decent offer and anyone could be sent packing.

Stay tuned for more from your Lakers basketball network.