Should Lakers Be Underdogs To Make The Playoffs In 2023?

• The Los Angeles Lakers have -240 odds to make the playoffs in 2023.
• The Los Angeles Lakers have been favored to make the playoffs in each of the last four seasons with -5000 odds last season.
• LeBron James has only missed the playoffs four times in his career and twice with the Lakers over the last four seasons.

LOS ANGELES – Since LeBron James joined the Los Angeles Lakers back in the 2018-2019 season, they have been favored to make the playoffs each season and 2023 is no different as they are favored to do so. However, it has not been as smooth sailing as they might’ve hoped as they missed the playoffs twice.

To make matters worse, their odds to make the playoffs in each of the last four seasons have been extremely favored with sportsbooks showing -520, -700, -10000, and -5000 odds. $100 bettors would be up $1,580 in profit if they faded the Lakers making the playoffs for the last four seasons.

Where The Lakers Playoff Odds Opened

Although they are coming off of a missed playoff season, their odds to make the playoffs in 2023 are favored once more, but this time at a much less expensive -240. There is no doubt that the talent is there for the Lakers as they have All-NBA caliber players surrounding LeBron in Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook as well as veteran role players in D.J. Augustine, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwight Howard.

This core has shown its full potential before as they did win the NBA Finals in 2020 (+450) with five of the players that are currently on the team now. In terms of the odds, it is also extremely hard to put plus odds to make the playoffs on LeBron James considering he has only missed the postseason four times in his 18 seasons and has been favored every season dating back to his first with the Miami Heat in 2010-2011.

What’s Next For The Lakers?

A big offseason is likely coming for LA being that they did change head coaches going from Frank Vogel to Darvin Ham. Ham helped lead the 2020-21 Milwaukee Bucks to an NBA Championship (+550 preseason odds) as an assistant coach.

Aside from the coaching change, there is still uncertainty surrounding Russell Westbrook as many believe he and LeBron’s style of play do not mesh well together. That is where Kyrie Irving comes in as the Brooklyn Nets and Irving have agreed to find a trade partner for the seven-time all-star and the Lakers have emerged as the favorites to land him if traded.

Fueling those Kyrie to LA rumors, even more, is that the Lakers have the shortest odds of any team to land him at +300. Kyrie and LeBron do have an extensive history together with three NBA Finals appearances and an NBA Finals win. In those three seasons that they played together also, they were -2500, -23000, and -25000 favorites to make the playoffs and also opened with preseason NBA Finals odds under +1000 in each season.

When all is said and done, depending on how their offseason plays out, their odds to make the playoffs could offer the biggest profit over the last five seasons.

News tags: Anthony Davis | basketball | LeBron James | Los Angeles Lakers | NBA | NBA Playoffs | Russell Westbrook