NBA scout says Lakers are team ‘I wouldn’t want to see in the playoffs’

Based on how the 2025-26 regular season has panned out for the Los Angeles Lakers thus far, there’s an argument to be made that they’re a top-three team in the Western Conference. Despite the fact that star forward LeBron James was sidelined for their first 14 games of the campaign, the Lakers have an 11-4 record and are knocking on the door of a top-three seed.

Still, a pair of NBA scouts seem to be split on whether the Lakers are actually a top-three team in the conference. One Eastern Conference scout thinks that the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets are all better, at least in part because Los Angeles’ depth isn’t quite good enough.

That scout, however, still wouldn’t want to see L.A. in the playoffs.

“Are they up there with Oklahoma City, Denver and Houston? No,” the East scout said of the Lakers, per ESPN. “But they’re clearly in the top six. Their depth overall isn’t good, but their top-line talent makes them a team I wouldn’t want to see in the playoffs.”

A Western Conference scout spoke about the Purple and Gold through a more optimistic lens. This scout said that the Lakers are “for sure” top three (in the West, presumably) and also claimed that any team that employs star guard Luka Doncic is “always going to be in the mix.”

“They’re top three for sure,” the West scout said, per ESPN. “When you have Luka, you’re always going to be in the mix.”

The Lakers could vault up to the current No. 2 seed in the West if just a little bit goes their way in the coming days. Considering they’re just a half-game back of the spot, losses from both the Rockets and Nuggets in their coming games would open the door for L.A. to make a move as long as the team takes care of business against the Utah Jazz on Sunday.

With James now back in the lineup and the Lakers’ looming schedule looking light, it might be inevitable that they become one of the top three seeds in the West soon. After all, their next four games are all against struggling teams in the Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans. Every one of those squads is well below the .500 mark as of now.

However, whether or not the Lakers are really one of the three best teams in the West will ultimately boil down to how they fare in the 2026 NBA Playoffs. The squad is on the heels of a first-round exit in the 2025 NBA Playoffs despite finishing last season as the West’s No. 3 seed.