The Nuggets give the Lakers a gift! The Warriors are gradually collapsing, and the East-James combination has the best chance to win the championship?

Although there is no Lakers game this weekend, the Lakers still received some good news. The Nuggets defeated the Rockets 112-109 in the road, causing the Rockets to fall from third to fourth in the Western Conference. The Lakers rose to third in the Western Conference. Considering that the Lakers' opponent in the next game is the Jazz, the Lakers are very promising. We hope to continue to win and consolidate the third place in the Western Conference, and currently there is only one win between the Lakers and the second-placed Nuggets in the Western Conference. The Nuggets' Bryan and Gordon have been injured one after another, and they may encounter some troubles in the future. The Lakers, on the other hand, are all healthy and are in the midst of a three-game winning streak. They have a very good chance of overtaking the Nuggets and becoming second in the Western Conference in the short term.

In fact, this season may really be the season where the Lakers have the best chance to win the championship. The Celtics in the Eastern Conference are having trouble doing anything this season. The Clippers are completely bad. The Timberwolves' performance has regressed a lot compared to last season. They currently have a record of 10 wins and 6 losses. Ranked seventh in the Western Conference, the Spurs' Wenban Yama is injured, and the team is relatively young. Even if it reaches the playoffs, it will be difficult to become a real favorite to win the championship. The Grizzlies are basically starting to rebuild due to conflicts between Morant and the management. As for the Mavericks, they are already preparing to trade the thick eyebrows and rebuild.

It can be said that this season, many strong teams in the Western Conference suddenly failed and fell into a situation where everyone is in danger. And now, even the Warriors are beginning to collapse. After losing to the Trail Blazers 123-127 at home, the Warriors suffered a 3-game losing streak. They are currently ranked eighth in the Western Conference with a record of 9 wins and 9 losses. The lineup is short and the core is too old. Bart LeBron can't handle the offensive output. Curry's offensive status is up and down, and the defensive end is getting worse. He has been beaten by little-known small guards many times this season. This game also allowed the Trail Blazers' undrafted Love to have a career night. He scored 26 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. In the last quarter of the game, the Trail Blazers even singled out Curry, but Curry was helpless.

Looking at it this way, the playoff teams in the Western Conference last season, as well as some teams that were promising during the offseason, did not perform as expected this season. It can even be said that although the season has just begun, some teams have basically withdrawn from the championship. The teams, including the Warriors, Clippers, and Mavericks, are pretty good for making the playoffs this season. It seems that the only threats to the Lakers in the Western Conference are the Thunder, Nuggets, and Rockets. But as long as all the Lakers stay healthy, I believe they can compete against these three teams.

Of course, we must admit that compared with the Thunder, Rockets, and Nuggets, the Lakers are not actually stable. At this stage, their offense still relies more on shooting. In terms of rebounds, defensive efficiency, etc., the Lakers are even in the middle and lower reaches of the league. This shows that Said that if the Lakers really want to compete for the championship this season, they may need to continue to upgrade their lineup. The good news is that because many teams are not performing well this season, there may be many high-quality championship puzzle pieces that will be put on the shelves one after another. The Lakers have the opportunity to pick up the missing pieces during this period. The current common view is that the Lakers should use Hachimura to trade back a high-quality 3D or inside lineman.

So far this season, Hachimura is the Lakers' worst rim protector in the regular rotation, but he averages 15.1 points per game, and his 56.6% field goal percentage and 48.1% three-point field goal percentage are both career highs. With a new career high, it can be said that now is the time when Hachimura is most valuable. Should the Lakers keep him for their own use, or should they take advantage of the opportunity and trade him? This may be the question that the Lakers management must think about next. The opportunity to compete for the championship is not easy to come by. Do you think the Lakers should take a gamble?