Are the Los Angeles Lakers Too High in Bleacher Report's NBA Power Rankings?
Oct 6, 2025
The Los Angeles Lakers believe they are true title contenders this season. They have a new and improved Luka Dončić and picked up multiple other weapons in free agency this summer. A full season of Luka and LeBron James will no doubt make them one of the better teams in the league. Still, how good will the Lakers actually be?
Bleacher Report released its NBA Power Rankings for the 2025–26 season, and they ranked the Lakers fifth on the list.
“These rankings may be a bit higher on the Los Angeles Lakers than others, but just consider what happened the last time Luka Dončić had a healthy playoff run with a solid supporting cast.
The Dallas Mavericks made it all the way to the NBA Finals in 2024, and Luka has emerged from this offseason looking as fit as he has since his first couple of years.
Surrounded by LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and a massive upgrade at center (from Jaxson Hayes to Deandre Ayton), Luka is going to be back in the MVP conversation this season.
If he's healthy in the spring—and his overhauled physique should help him on that front—L.A. will have a chance to go all the way.”
Even Bleacher Report admits that this ranking may be a little high. After all, the Lakers were easily eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs last year, and Luka and LeBron were fully healthy.
Until we see how well they can gel with their new teammates, teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks should probably be ranked higher on this NBA Power Rankings list.
