I don't know about the rest of you, but to me, this NBA regular season has felt like three full seasons rolled into one. Maybe it's just because I focus on the Los Angeles Lakers, because dating back to the end of last season, the purple and gold have really put us through the ringer.
The firing of Darvin Ham and subsequent head coaching search that went from two-time defending national champion UConn coach Danny Hurley to former 3-point marksmen and then-podcast host JJ Redick got the ball rolling, and the momentum hasn't slowed all season long.
The Lakers got off to a hot start behind some early MVP-like play from Anthony Davis that felt like a bit of a mirage due to their negative point differential, but they found a new gear after trading for Dorian Finney-Smith in late December. The defense really came alive after DFS arrived and Jarred Vanderbilt made his season debut in January, and all the while LeBron and Austin Reaves were playing at an All-Star level.
Then came the trade. Yes, THAT one. Anthony Davis and Max Christie were shipped out to Dallas for Luka Dončić in the most shocking trade of all-time. Luka's arrival pushed the Lakers to another tier, raising their ceiling not only this year but in years to come.
It hasn't all been smooth sailing since Luka joined forces with LeBron. The team has been wracked by injuries, so although the Lakers put together an eight-game winning streak that went into early March, they followed that up by losing seven of 10.
All of this is a long-winded way to say that it's been a roller coaster of a season. At the end of the day though, the Lakers are just a half-game behind the Nuggets for third in the West with seven games to go, and they're in much better health than they were a couple of weeks ago.
Today we're looking at where JJ Redick's team ranks among the experts in our latest power rankings round-up. Without further ado, let's get into it.
ESPN: No. 7
The Lakers ranked seventh in ESPN's latest power rankings, but it's important to note that this was before they won three of four, so they'd probably be even higher if the rankings came out today. ESPN insider Dave McMenamin noted that the Lakers' last seven losses had come by an average of 15.7 points, and they hadn't yet gotten a boost from LeBron and Rui Hachimura's return from injury.
Both players are still trying to find their form. LeBron has averaged under 18 points in the four games since these power rankings came out, though he did make up for a subpar performance against the Pacers by winnng the game with a buzzer-beating tip-in. Rui didn't play in last week's loss to the Bulls, but in the other three games he averaged just over 11 points, albeit it on over 50 percent shooting.
NBA.com: No. 7
NBA.com's John Schuhmann had the Lakers at number seven after their shootout win over the Grizzlies on Saturday, and might have them even higher if he'd seen them beat the Rockets on Monday.
Despite the lofty ranking, Schuhmann gave Lakers fans some cause for concern. He mentioned that although the team had the best defense in the league for two months, they fell off a cliff in their last five games for their worst defensive stretch pf the year. Hopefully their showing against the Rockets on Monday, in which they held Houston to under 100 points, is a sign that their defensive difficulties are behind them.
Schuhmann also offered a surprising stat that the Lakers have a negative point differential when their three best players, Luka, LeBron and Reaves, are on the floor together, but he pointed out that this wasn't the case against Memphis.
The Athletic: No. 4
The Athletic's Law Murray had the Lakers fourth in his rankings ($), and one of five teams that were in his "Top Contenders" tier, alongside the Thunder, Cavs, Celtics and Rockets. Murray did make sure to say that the the top three teams are a cut above the rest, but that he viewed the Lakers as having the highest ceiling of the rest of the bunch.
Murray was already looking ahead to Thursday's marquee game against the Warriors as an opportunity for the Lakers to get a statement win, as they'll have three days' rest compared to two for Golden State.
CBS Sports: No. 8
Colin Ward-Henninger of CBS Sports last put out his power rankings on the morning of the Lakers' unbelievable buzzer-beater loss to Josh Giddey and the Bulls, and he had them eighth. He had the Grizzlies and Knicks ahead of L.A., but that would almost certainly be somewhat different now, as Memphis shockingly fired head coach Taylor Jenkins and has now lost seven of eight. The Knicks have won five of six, but it feels like people are taking the Lakers more seriously as a title contender.
Ward-Henninger brought a stat that was similar to the one proffered by NBA.com's John Schuhmann, but he left Austin Reaves out of it. He mentioned that lineups that include LeBron and Luka together have a negative rating, which is honestly shocking given how good each guy is and how much of a sample size together they've been able to accrue.
The Lakers could really use a strong finish, not only to solidify homecourt advantage in the first round, but to show their fellow playoff teams that they mean business. The Warriors come to town on Thursday, then after another home game against the Pelicans the next night, two road games in three days against the Thunder will be the last real chance to make a statement.