Not everyone is penciling the Lakers in among the Western Conference's safe bets. Malika Andrews, ESPN's lead NBA host, laid out a path where Los Angeles has to battle simply to hold a top-six seed rather than cruise into it.
A tighter race than expected
Andrews grouped the Lakers with the Celtics when describing teams facing a similar climb.
"I see both of these teams [Lakers and Celtics] as having actually fairly similar paths. They're both going to be sort of in that top six, maybe in danger of falling out of that top six."
It's the kind of take that won't sit well with a fan base expecting more, and one the Lakers can only answer on the floor.
