The LA Lakers have quietly been one of the bigger overachievers in the West this season. At 31-19, they’ve stacked wins even when the lineup hasn’t always been perfect. What’s wild is they’re sitting in 5th place despite having the same record as the 3rd and 4th seeds, which shows how tight the conference is. Still, for a team many thought would be inconsistent, they’ve looked pretty steady night to night.
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Because of that, fans of the Purple and Gold are starting to believe this could be their year. Luka Doncic is still playing at a high level, LeBron James is returning to form, Austin Reaves is back, and role players like Marcus Smart and Rui Hachimura continue to do their part.
That said, some analysts are unconvinced about the Lakers’ success. They think that when they face off against the elites of the West like OKC, Minnesota, or the Nuggets, they will fold. Paul Pierce in particular, is laughing at the idea that the Lakers might go all the way. In fact, he even suggested on the latest No Fouls Given that the squad needs a makeover.
“They need to fly to Colombia, and then fly to Turkey, and then come back. A makeover. They need to go to both cities and get a hard makeover,” joked the Truth, who couldn’t contain his laughter. “Because right now they in Dubai. Because right now we know what’s going on out there.”
It was that classic Pierce humor that has turned him into one of the most “have to hear it for yourself” basketball analysts in the game. He makes some valid points. Lakers are playing competent ball, but will they survive when it comes to the postseason? Many thought they would excel last year with Doncic. They ended up getting exited in the first round.
“Lakers fans or delusional. They are so delusional they still think they can win it all this year. They have no shot, you can bet the whole USA the Lakers won’t win it and double up on the USA,” added Pierce.
Take that with a grain of salt too. He was a Celtic for most of his career. Pierce has no love for the Purple and Gold.
Paul Pierce says the Lakers need to fly to Colombia and then fly to Turkey and get a makeover
“They need a whole makeover, they need to go to Colombia then Turkey. Because right now they in Dubai. Because right now we know what’s going on out there. Lakers fans or delusional.… pic.twitter.com/uMLewPqZWB
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) February 6, 2026
The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. The Lakers haven’t proven anything in the postseason yet, but they also don’t look like a fluke team that’s just riding a hot month. What they do have is star power, experience, and the kind of market pressure that tends to sharpen a group by April.
If they stay healthy and land in the right matchup, nobody’s going to be lining up to play them. Doubt them if you want, but this feels like one of those teams that could get dangerous the longer the season goes.
