It is easy for both fans, and front offices, to sometimes get too preoccupied with one’s own team.
When looking inward, an individual could lose track of the broader task at hand, and often, fail to respond to what their competition is doing. The Lakers may or may not currently be victim to this.
But regardless of how wide the team’s focus is heading into the new year, they likely will have one last shot to improve their roster. A hypothetical move that could accomplish this would almost certainly revolve around Russell Westbrook.
Whatever return Los Angeles ultimately nets for Westbrook remains to be seen, however, a real argument could be had that the conference around them is shaping up to be stronger than ever.