Before the start of the 2021–22 season, expectations were high for the Lakers. Many expected the team, led by LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the newly acquired Russell Westbrook, to return to championship form after a first-round playoff exit last year.
Fast forward to the end of the February and Los Angeles is well off the pace of the league’s top teams and narrowly holding onto a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament.
Following the Lakers fifth loss in their last six games to the Pelicans on Monday night, an ESPN graphic from August regarding the 2020 NBA champions started to make the rounds on social media once again.