Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Lakers fans and fans across the country.
With the Lakers completely overhauling their roster this summer, it’s made predicting just how good they’ll be difficult. Most of last year’s rotation is gone, and it’s not fringe players that only played a shift or two. It’s starters like LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and Marcus Smart.
Are the new players like Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Walker Kessler upgrades and a better fit around Luka
Last season, the Lakers won 53 games. Can they repeat that success, or will these changes and adjusting to so many new pieces mean growing pains and additional losses?
For our SB Nation Reacts survey this week, we’re keeping it simple and asking if the Lakers will win at least 45 games.
Whether your take is positive or negative about the 2026-27 Lakers, the one thing I do know is that you don’t have enough data to support it.
We don’t know how good the Austin Reaves, Luka, Kessler three-man rotation is going to be. We haven’t seen Mamu as Kessler’s backup big, or as the four next to him. Collin Sexton running the backup unit? We haven’t seen that either.
So, any take one has is fair until we can actually see some of these players together and get a better understanding of their fit.
However, experts consistently predict the Lakers will win far fewer games than they actually do.
Yes, there are a ton of roster changes, but Luka is their top player, which fixes a lot of things. During his career, Dončić has only had two seasons where his team didn’t have a winning year.
As long as he’s healthy, Luka is a shoo-in for All-NBA First Team, and the Lakers should easily reach 45 wins. During JJ Redick’s time as head coach, LA has won at least 50 games each season, even with massive roster changes.
Also, let’s not forget Reaves. He is Luka’s running mate and every year he has gotten better as a player. If he makes another jump this season, he’ll be an All-Star.
The only issue here is that health is never guaranteed. Luka played in 64 games last season and had a slew of injuries, including a hamstring strain that ended his year early. Reaves also missed a ton of contests, playing in just 51 games.
So with LeBron no longer here to carry an extra load when necessary, perhaps LA can’t win as much when Luka misses time. The Lakers went 10-8 in games Dončić missed last season.
With a lower ceiling, maybe voting for under 45 wins is an indication of one’s skepticism on Luka being healthy and the Lakers figuring out how to optimize all these new pieces.
So, if you trust Luka to be available and perform like he usually does, vote for 44-plus wins. But if you are worried about LA’s overhaul and Luka’s availability, then select under 44 victories. And as always, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
