Coming into the 2017-18 season, there was a lot of excitement for the Los Angeles Lakers. After a good offseason, the Lakers were certainly an improved team. However, how much they improved was the real question.
This offseason, the Lakers might have gotten better, but so did the Western Conference. For the past number of years, the West has been much more difficult than the East. After All-Star players like Paul Millsap, Paul George, and Jimmy Butler all headed West, the conference became even better.
For the Lakers, few thought that they would be able to contend for a playoff spot this season.