Wednesday night the Warriors walk into Crypto.com Arena, and the Lakers finally stop rehearsing. The question that follows them onto the floor is the one that defines this season: is a roster built around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, with a defense that finished 19th last season, a real contender or a very good team dressed as one?
The Case for Yes
Start with the scoreboard. The Lakers went 53-29 last season behind the 10th-ranked offense in the league, and the engine was Doncic at 33.5 points a night across 64 games. Reaves gave them 23.3 in his 51 appearances. Then the front office bought a center: Walker Kessler, 25 years old, who averaged 14.4 points and 10.8 rebounds in his five games with the club last season and now draws $30.2 million. Around them sit shooters with a track record, Collin Sexton at 40.1 percent from three and Sandro Mamukelashvili at 38.9 percent across 80 games. JJ Redick is in his second season, and Silver Screen and Roll reported he credited the extra practice time this preseason with letting the staff work on special situations. Lakers Nation reported that Kendrick Perkins believes this will be the best offense in the league. If the offense holds and the center changes the math at the rim, the ceiling moves.
The Case for No
The 53 wins came with a net rating of 1.5, 14th in the league. Contenders do not usually live there. The defense ranked 19th, and the cure is one big man who has played five games alongside the two stars. Kessler himself told Silver Screen and Roll there would be a transitional period learning to play with Doncic and Reaves. The preseason offered no reassurance: a 2-1 start became 2-3 after an 89-101 loss to these same Warriors on Oct. 13 and a 106-121 loss to the Nuggets three nights later. Then there is the ledger of options. Payroll stands at $201.3 million against a tax threshold of $200.4 million, with the first apron at $209.0 million. The 2027 first-round pick is protected to Memphis, the 2029 first belongs to Dallas, and the 2028 and 2030 firsts are swaps. Dalton Knecht and his $4.2 million were waived Monday to get the roster to 15. Jake Fischer's reports that the Lakers are among teams exploring trades named no players and no terms. This is a team that cannot easily buy its way out of a flaw.
The Verdict
The answer is not yet, with an honest path to yes. Last season's offense is real, and Doncic at 27 is the kind of star who makes a 14th-ranked net rating look worse than the record it produced. But a contender's defense does not arrive on a press release, and the Lakers have staked the whole season on one 25-year-old center fixing a unit that finished 19th. Wednesday's opener is a fair first exam. The Warriors went 37-45 last season, and Silver Screen and Roll reported that Stephen Curry is expected to play after an injury scare, while Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody are out. Beat a thin Golden State team by guarding, not just by scoring, and the question gets a little easier to answer.
Is Luka Doncic playing in the Lakers' season opener against the Warriors?
He is not on the injury report. He was listed day-to-day for rest on Oct. 16 and cleared the same day.
Are the Lakers over the luxury tax this season?
Yes. Payroll is $201.3 million against a $200.4 million threshold, with the first apron at $209.0 million.
