Former Celtics Champion Gets Honest About Lakers: "A Play-In Team At Best"

Former NBA player Eddie House isn't too high on the Los Angeles Lakers , as things stand. During an appearance on The Herd , House was asked about LeBron James ' decision to sign a two-year deal with the Lakers, and while he is confident his former teammate will shine on the court, he isn't sure the team will have much success.

"I just don't know where the Lakers stand in all of this. The Lakers look like they're a Play-in team at best."

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House, who won an NBA title with the Boston Celtics in 2008, got some pushback from Jason Mcintyre for his take. In response, he reminded the host that the Lakers were a Play-in team the last two seasons.

Actually, if you go back a bit further, the Lakers have been a Play-in team in three of the last four seasons. The only time they weren't was in 2022 when they finished as the 11th seed in the West and didn't even qualify for it.

Can the Lakers turn things around and get into that top six in the West in 2024-25? I have some doubts about that. For starters, none of us know how good of a coach JJ Redick is going to be. He never coached in high school, college, or the NBA, and anyone who firmly believes he is going be a hit is being a tad too optimistic.

Secondly, the West isn't getting weaker. Sure, the Los Angeles Clippers have lost Paul George as Mcintyre pointed out, but teams like the Memphis Grizzlies should be better than they were last season. The Grizzlies had an injury crisis that led to them tumbling down the standings.

Ja Morant played just nine games while Desmond Bane missed half of the season. That dynamic backcourt is healthy now and I think there is a good chance they'll finish as a top-six seed in 2024-25 with the duo leading the way.

On the topic of injuries, the Lakers were somewhat fortunate in that regard last season. Yes, their role players missed time, but LeBron James, Anthony Davis , Austin Reaves, and D'Angelo Russell all played over 70 games and they were still a Play-in team. Will all four of them stay injury-free again? I can't say I am optimistic about that.

James was on the sidelines a fair bit in the three seasons prior to the last one and is turning 40 in a few months. The 20-time All-Star will also be playing at the Olympics, so he isn't getting a big break either.

The same applies to Davis as well. He surprisingly stayed upright for almost the whole of last season and it remains to be seen if it was an aberration or the new norm. If everyone stays healthy, then I suppose the Lakers will improve on their 47-35 record from 2023-24 and get into the top six, but that's a big if.

Adrian Wojnarowski Doesn't See The Lakers Making Big Changes To Their Roster This Offseason

Now, if the Lakers can pull off a big trade, then you might look at them as a lock for the top six. It doesn't look like they'll go that route, though. NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski thinks the Lakers will not make major changes to their roster this offseason.

"It's a very limited market out there," Wojnarowski said. "It is a limited trade market unless you want to put draft picks with contracts to get money off, you're going to have trouble really adding to your roster.

"I don't expect the Lakers to look a whole lot different on opening night than they do now," Wojnarowski continued. "There's some moves around the edges, (but) I don't sense there's a big impact move out there for the Lakers or very many teams right now."

Wojnarowski also reported that the Lakers have lost faith in the three-star model to win championships . So, it appears some minor moves might be made, but that's about it.

Related: NBA Insider Says There's A "Big Gap" Between The Lakers And Top Contenders

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