The Los Angeles Lakers started their slate of games following the All-Star break with an impressive win over the Golden State Warriors. As a result, it appears that some people are feeling quite confident about the team’s chances moving forward. Former Lakers player Nick Young is among them.
Young took to Twitter on Friday evening to express his belief that the Lakers would defeat the Denver Nuggets if the two teams were to meet in the first round of the 2023 playoffs.
If Denver play lakers first round they losing
— Nick Young (@NickSwagyPYoung) February 25, 2023
The interesting thing is that a first-round matchup between the two teams doesn’t seem all that unlikely at this point.
The Lakers are currently just 1.5 games back from the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference, the final seed that will sneak into the play-in tournament. Out of the four teams that enter the play-in tourney, two advance into the playoff bracket as the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds.
If the Lakers were to advance through as the No. 8 seed and the Nuggets were to stand pat where they are right now at No. 1, the two teams would indeed face off in the first round. Earning the No. 1 seed in the West may seem like a much less attractive prize if it eventually means having to face off against LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the first round.
In the end, though, Young may be getting ahead of himself. The Lakers have a lot more games to play, and there is no telling where they will be by the season’s end. While they’re 1.5 games back from the No. 10 seed, they are also just 3.5 games back from the No. 6 seed, the final seed to advance straight into the playoff bracket. With 22 games left on the schedule, achieving that is not out of the question.
On the flip side, missing the postseason entirely is also absolutely not out of the question. The Lakers looked great in their last two games (both wins), but nothing is guaranteed.
The team is going to have to remain locked in and healthy to finish the season out strong. The Lakers are already dealing with an injury to point guard D’Angelo Russell, who hurt his ankle in the win over the Warriors.
Luckily, it doesn’t appear to be a very serious injury, and there seems to be confidence that he’ll be returning sooner rather than later.
