Are the Lakers still a championship contender? All signs point to no
When the Los Angeles Lakers signed former shooter J.J. Redick as their new coach in the offseason, there was optimism that he would be able to maximize the worth of a group that was mismatched and only advanced five games in the previous season's playoffs.
The Lakers were apparently counting on Redick to boost a club that hasn't won a conference finals game since 2020, the last time it seemed like Los Angeles was a real title threat, following a quiet summer in terms of deals and signings.
Rather, following Wednesday's 134-93 thrashing at the hands of the Miami Heat, the Lakers appear to be as far from a title as they were under the previous administration, with about a quarter of the NBA season left. And one of these issues is particularly startling.
Los Angeles finished the previous seas...