Ex-Grizzlies Player Shares Harsh Truth for Los Angeles Lakers

Former Grizzlies forward Chandler Parsons has some rough news for the Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) talks with Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) during a timeout against the Washington Wizards in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

At the start of the NBA season, one of the first questions that every analyst likes to ask is how good the Los Angeles Lakers are going to be. The team didn't make many significant changes from last year to this year and many don't believe they'll be a major threat, including former Grizzlies forward Chandler Parsons.

During an episode of FanDuel's Run It Back show, Parsons was asked if NBA fans should expect more out of the Lakers than what they did last year. While Parsons was being polite in his answer, his response seemed like a solid no.

"I think to put more expectations on their plate is unfair," Parsons said. "Can Austin Reaves take that jump to a 20-point per game scorer, can D-Lo thrive under JJ Redick's new offense, what is Rui Hachimura gonna do? There's some questions there. Is Dalton Knecht really going to explode and be a rookie of the year threat?"

Will the Lakers be better this year? 🤔

"It's hard to expect anything more than what they did last year." - @ChandlerParsons

"Lot of unknowns with them, especially with JJ Reddick being your head coach. You have so many things going on." - @TeamLou23

📷⬇️… pic.twitter.com/o3yogzYF0A

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) October 15, 2024

Even though the Lakers have some pieces, their two best players in LeBron James and Anthony Davis have only gotten older and older. LeBron James is now 39 years old and will turn 40 when the season starts. Anthony Davis, who was already injury prone, is now 31 years old. It's hard to say their team is better than the top teams in the Western Conference.

"They do have pieces, but it's hard to expect anything more than what they did last year," Parsons said. "They're all a year older, LeBron is a year older, but he does look pretty good this summer to say that they're going to be bad. I think looking at the Western Conference, there's some good teams there to the bottom, but I don't have much higher expectations for them."

Last season, the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated in the first round within five games, it sounds like Parsons expects the same out of them this season as well.

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