The Los Angeles Lakers moved to 8-3 on the season after winning at Charlotte on Monday, doing it on the back of another MVP-caliber performance from Luka Doncic, who scored 38 points while also leading the team in rebounds and assists. The Lakers are near the top of the Western Conference standings, a pleasant surprise for those who figured the team would just have to survive without the 21-time All-Star.
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However, Wednesday night’s mollywhopping at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder proved that there’s a wide gap between the defending champions and the league’s most famous franchise. In fact, the only reason OKC didn’t end up winning by more than 40 is that Mark Daigneault didn’t feel the need to play Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the rest of his starting lineup in the fourth quarter.
The Inside the NBA guys were understandably critical of the Lakers’ effort at halftime. They called out Deandre Ayton specifically for not showing up, as Charles Barkley pointed out that it’s going to take a lot more than just LeBron to balance the scales between these two teams.
“King better bring the whole G League with him,” the Chuckster said, referring to LeBron practicing with the Lakers’ G League affiliate as he ramps up his activity level in anticipation of his return from sciatica.
There’s probably not anybody in the G League that LeBron will be able to find to help him beat this budding Thunder dynasty, but Barkley’s point is still a good one. OKC is so ridiculously deep at every position that they just seem like a lock to repeat, even with so many other good teams gunning for them.
The Thunder are now 12-1 on the season after wrecking the Lakers last night, and they haven’t even gotten a single minute from Jalen Williams yet. Williams emerged as the Robin to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Batman last year, picking up a Third Team All-NBA nod in the process, but he’s been on the shelf due to offseason wrist surgery.
No matter, as OKC has been even more dominant this year than they were last year. They’re beating teams by an average of 15.5 points right now, well above the already ridiculous 11.6 margin they posted last year. They’re undefeated at home, and their only loss was by two points.
OKC was the youngest team in the league last year, and they brought everybody back. All of their young guys are still getting better, a scary proposition for the other 29 teams, especially as no one remotely compares to them defensively. The difference between the Thunder’s team defensive rating and the Pistons, the next-closest team, is more than the difference between the Pistons and the Raptors, who rank 18th.
Barkley didn’t sugarcoat just how far the Lakers are from being in OKC’s league. “You’re not gonna overreact, but this Laker team, just because they’re off to a good start, they can’t beat this team … They got the best depth, and it seems like they just reloaded. They’re playing some guys who they didn’t even play last year.”
LeBron is incredible, and he’s earned his spot in the GOAT discussions. What he’s been able to do at such an advanced age as he continues to make All-NBA teams is unbelievable. But Barkley is right that it’s going to take a whole lot more than just him to close the gap. The Thunder seems inevitable right now, and there may be no way for the Lakers to catch them until LeBron rides off into the sunset some day.
