All Lakers Expert Predictions For Final In-Season Tournament Pool Play Game Vs Jazz
Your 8-6 Los Angeles Lakers are hoping to stay perfect as they wrap up the pool play round of the NBA's inaugural In-Season Tournament with a matchup against the struggling Utah Jazz. A win would guarantee them a slot in the eight-team knockout round, while a loss will leave them vulnerable to jockeying for just one possible wild card spot in the Western Conference.
We're ready to answer all your burning questions before the bout:
The Lakers genuinely do seem to (kind of) care about the In-Season Tournament. Should their fans?
I'm genuinely surprised by how much I've enjoyed the tournament to this point. Players, too, seem to be absolutely revved up by having a fun little activity in the NBA doldrums of November. Also, the Lakers have been placed in a very advantageous bracket. There's no real reason for fans of one of the league's two most storied teams to root for LA winning a little tournament. But then again, would you otherwise be watching a Lakers-Jazz game late on a Tuesday night?
I rest my case.
Would you trade Anthony Davis for Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler and two unprotected or lightly protected first round draft picks?
I know that sounds harsh, but let's think about it practically. Anthony Davis is on the wrong side of 30, he gets hurt all the time, and LA has barely any draft picks at its disposal. When healthy, he remains an All-Star-caliber talent. Markkanen, a one-time All-Star last year who finally blossomed into the elite scorer the Chicago Bulls had always wanted (but evidently not that much since, you know, they traded him), is a multi-tooled seven-footer with surprising burst who's far more than just a corner stretch four. Although he is that, too. He'd essentially be LeBron James' new Kevin Love. Kessler would add the rim protection and rebounding that Davis supplies, plus he's a decade younger and has room to grow. Both could really compliment James on the hardwood. But the biggest asset is getting lottery-level draft picks. With two (it's hard to see Danny Ainge signing off on all this), perhaps they could be put towards acquiring an actual young superstar.
The Lakers are favored to win by a fairly wide margin (-8, per The Action Network). Will they? And can they cover that spread?
Los Angeles has struggled to create much separation even when it does record a victory. It's funny, this projected spread is hovering right around the Lakers' average win margin for the year (7.75 points). The team thus far has grown over-reliant on LeBron James to bail out its ineffective offense late in games, and is one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the league by takes (29th with 29.4 attempts per) and makes (26th with a 33.8% conversion rate). This team as currently constructed isn't nearly as good as I'd thought it would be, and while you could counter and say LA has had its injuries, the main players impacted have been projected bench pieces Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt.
All that said, the 4-9 Jazz have underwhelmed this year, too, after enjoying a season so unexpectedly competent in 2022-23 that they had to quietly tank to ensure they had a crack at a lottery pick last summer. Although Utah's shot diet is a bit more modern, it lacks anything approaching the stout Lakers defense. It's a talented roster to an extent, with intriguing NBA-middle aged pieces like Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson, John Collins and Kelly Olynyk anchoring the group, alongside fun young prospects like Ochai Agbaji and Walker Kessler. But it ultimately lacks cohesion, and while it may have the size to at least throw some interesting looks at Anthony Davis, I think ultimately LA will win and cover the spread in so doing.
The fun starts at 7 p.m. PT, to be broadcast on TNT.
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