Nick Wright Believes Lakers' Should Want to Face Juggernaut West Squad in First Round

If healthy, the Lakers will be a threat in the postseason.

May 22, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) shoots the ball / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers sit in a much better position, record-wise, than they did last year., However, it just so happens that the Western Conference is far superior to last season.

Even with a 41-32 record after Wednesday, the Lakers are a ninth seed in the Western Conference. There's a chance they move up to the eighth seed or fight for a seventh seed in the play-in game, but at the moment, they'll need to win two games in the play-in to secure the eighth seed.

Nonetheless, the Lakers are playing good basketball at the moment and have proven they could beat anyone who's in front of them, except for the reigning and defending champions, the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets have had the Lakers' number in the past eight matchups, and although the Lakers have kept it close and competitive, the Nuggets seem to run away with the game in the closing minutes.

The Nuggets are the team to beat, and while an early-round meeting may seem daunting if it comes down to that, this FS1 analyst believes it could be the best thing for Los Angeles. Nick Wright of First Things First appeared on the Colin Cowherd Podcast and explained why the Lakers should want to face the Nuggets in the first round rather than later in the postseason.

"The Lakers should want Denver in Round 1"

—@getnickwright tells @ColinCowherd why pic.twitter.com/T1gna5oRA2

— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) March 27, 2024

On the surface, that quote alone is not something Laker fans want to hear, but his reasoning behind it makes some sense. There would be more rest days for the older LeBron James in between games, meaning he would be fresh for the matchups compared to the later rounds. Wright didn't say the Lakers would beat the Nuggets in a series, but he believes it would give the purple and gold a better chance.

I'm all for this if it means the Lakers are healthy. Their defensive-minded forward Jarred Vanderbilt is supposed to return before the end of the regular season; however, how healthy would he be? He is key to turning this Laker defense around, and without him at 100%, L.A. might not stand a chance.

If the Lakers are playing at their best, they could beat anyone. The Nuggets have been L.A.'s kryptonite; however, could the Lakers exercise all their demons in a potential first-round meeting? If the Western Conference standings stay pat, that could be a reality in a couple of weeks.