The Lakers entered the 2023-24 season with a fair amount of expectations. A combination of making the 2023 Western Conference Finals paired with a strong offseason meant that the Lakers were, finally, seen as a top contender in the Western Conference. Multiple seasons of cobbling together rosters around a flawed Big Three gave way to a balanced, deep group ready for a long 82-game season.
As a result, they were regarded as one of the top contenders in the league. As of Oct. 29, according to our friends at DraftKings, the Lakers had +1200 odds to win the NBA title, sixth-best in the league.