The Los Angeles Lakers are not good enough to win the NBA title, reckons Rich Paul, the agent of LeBron James.
On the debut episode of The Ringer’s “Game Over With Max Kellerman and Rich Paul” video podcast, Paul felt the Lakers lack the athleticism to truly compete with Western Conference giants such as the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets.
“I personally don’t think the Lakers are good enough to be contenders, not right now,” Paul said.
When asked to clarify what he meant by “contenders,” Paul said the Lakers will struggle to reach the conference finals in a loaded Western Conference.
“I don’t think they have enough to get to the Western Conference Finals,” Paul said.
No. 2 Seed Means Nothing?
When reminded by Kellerman that the Lakers (17-6) own the second-best record in the conference, Paul said that the regular-season seeding means nothing.
“We’ve seen that before — I don’t think it means anything,” Paul said of the Lakers’ hot start to the 2025-26 season.
“… When you have the talent up top that they have — LeBron James, Luka Doncic — those guys can win games. Even Austin Reaves has taken a step. But things start to really [change] in the back half of the season, when guys have their conditioning and are scouting you differently.
“And once you get to the playoffs, as we saw last year [against the Minnesota Timberwolves], they ran into athleticism and length. They struggled.”
To Paul’s point, the Lakers suffered a Gentleman’s Sweep against the Timberwolves last year despite finishing the season with the No. 3 seed and entering the playoffs with the second-shortest odds to represent the West in the NBA Finals.
Lakers Title Odds
Rich Paul delivered a harsh reality check to the Lakers, stressing that they lack the athleticism, shooting and speed to compete against the West’s juggernauts.
“When you look at it [the modern NBA] now — athleticism, length, shooting and speed. Can the Lakers play fast? I don’t think so,” Paul said.
“And their style of play is going to be very easy to guard when you get into the playoffs.”
Further to Paul’s point, the Lakers rank No. 28 in PACE, fifth in ISO points, No. 29 in catch-and-shoot points — metrics that hint at an old team that grinds out opponents in half-court sets. In comparison, the OKC Thunder rank No. 3 in PACE and No. 5 in catch-and-shoot points, but are also an excellent half-court team thanks to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s ISO brilliance and ability to get to the foul line.
The Lakers also rank No. 21 in defensive efficiency, with all nine teams below them expected to miss the playoffs. As such, they are not in excellent company.
It would appear that oddsmakers agree with Paul’s skepticism about the Lakers’ title odds. JJ Redick’s team currently has the fourth-shortest odds to win the 2026 NBA title behind the Thunder, Nuggets and Rockets.
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