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Plenty of people expect the Los Angeles Lakers to be at least a little bit worse this season after losing LeBron James and several other starters and rotation players this summer. There are even some who feel that missing the playoffs is a real possibility for the team.
But there are also a few people who are confident that the Lakers will pleasantly surprise people. One man who is in that category is Charles Barkley of "Inside the NBA," and he hasn't exactly been someone who has regularly praised the Purple and Gold over the years.
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While on "The Bill Simmons Podcast," Barkley said that Los Angeles probably has a better roster than Luka Doncic did in the 2023-24 season when he carried the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals, and he even said he wants to see L.A. do well (h/t Basketball Network).
“I really want to see the Lakers do well,” said Barkley. “First of all, I’m a big Luka fan, a big Austin Reaves fan. I think they’re gonna be better than people realize. Luka and Kyrie [Irving] took the Mavs to the Finals, come on, man. This team is probably better; this team is probably just as good as that team.”
It could be argued that L.A. has a better big man in Walker Kessler than any of the big men (Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, P.J. Washington, Maxi Kleber) Dallas had when it got to the championship series. The Lakers also have an excellent scoring threat and ball-handler off the bench in Collin Sexton, which is the type of player Dallas didn't have that year.
But Barkley was quick to caution that there likely won't be a Cinderella ending for the Lakers this season.
“They’re gonna be fine, I think,” he added. “Are they gonna win a championship? I don’t think they’ll win the championship.”
Championship contention could come for the Lakers within the next two or three years if all goes well. But for now, they will be looking to reach the playoffs again and be more competitive in the second round, if they get there.
Last season, they finished with a 53-29 record and the Western Conference's fourth seed before getting swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Barkley: Lakers are at least as good as Luka Doncic's 2024 Mavericks
