The recent past for the Los Angeles Lakers has had fluctuating success. After the 2020 NBA Championship run, the Lakers lost in the first round against the Phoenix Suns in the 2021 NBA Playoffs. The 2022 Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook on a draft night trade and missed the postseason entirely after being riddled with injuries constantly. Westbrook’s tumultuous tenure with the Lakers was cut short in early 2023.
In 2023, Los Angeles entered the postseason as the seventh seed following an impressive list of trade deadline moves. Winning in the Play-In Tournament, they entered the Playoffs against the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies.