Lakers Analytics Team Seems to Confirm Longstanding Fan Theory

Los Angeles actually looked into this ahead of its Grizzlies win.

Mar 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA: Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent (7) talks with Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick before the game against the Milwaukee Bucksat Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Ahead of a critical 134-127 Los Angeles Lakers victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, it was announced that two-time All-Star Memphis point guard Ja Morant was returning from an injury absence for the first time in six games.

In the Grizzlies' loss, the 6-foot-2 pro scored 22 points on 9-of-23 shooting from the field (1-of-5 from deep) and 3-of-5 shooting from the foul line, dished out 10 dimes, grabbed eight rebounds, and swiped a steal.

The Lakers' "Big Three" of five-time All-NBA First Team guard Luka Doncic, 21-time All-Star power forward LeBron James and guard Austin Reaves combined for a whopping 85 points.

Reaves submitted a game-high 31 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the floor (5-of-8 from distance) and 10-of-10 shooting from the foul line. He also passed for eight dimes and grabbed seven boards.

Morant's return pointed to a broader Lakers fan conspiracy theory: that opposing teams' players often targeted Los Angeles games when returning from injury.

Per Dave McMenamin of ESPN, that assumption has been on the minds of Lakers brass, too. Head coach JJ Redick revealed that L.A.'s analytics team investigated the hypothesis.

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"I think it's like 86 percent of [opposing] payroll has been available to [play] us this year, which is by far No. 1 in the league," Redick revealed.

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Part of the reason behind this might be pragmatic. Even before bringing in Luka Doncic (i.e. when the Lakers were expected to be a mediocre play-in tournament team), Los Angeles had a league-most 39 national games scheduled for the 2024-25 NBA season.

Teams are now penalized by the NBA for suspiciously resting star players during national games, so from a financial incentive they are pressured to play their best pieces if possible.

One final order: The same list but sorted based on number of national TV games, including NBA TV.

LAL: 39
GSW: 36
BOS: 34
NYK: 34
DAL: 30
PHX: 30
DEN: 29
MIL: 27
PHI: 27
MIN: 25
OKC: 25
LAC: 21
SAS: 21
MEM: 17
CLE: 16
IND: 14
MIA: 13
NOP: 13
SAC: 12
HOU: 11
ORL: 9
ATL: 8
CHA: 7… https://t.co/igejprP4Nf

— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) August 15, 2024

From the perspective of any player, too, increasing their national exposure could boost their profile among fans and front offices alike. This could directly benefit their own pocketbooks when they reach free agency.

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The 17-time NBA champion Lakers are also the NBA's glamor franchise, which in and of itself likely excites opponents. Los Angeles boasts one of the best players of all time in 40-year-old LeBron James, a living hoops legend who's enjoying an utterly unprecedented post-prime run. The team also has perhaps the next face of the league in 26-year-old Luka Doncic.

Playing against the Lakers even now serves as a real measuring stick for the league.

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For the latest Los Angeles Lakers news and notes, stay glued to Los Angeles Lakers On SI.