Every week, power rankings for the NBA are released and teams are graded on how they did that particular week and how they’ve looked through the season so far. After week one, the rankings tend to fluctuate only a little from the preseason rankings, and teams are typically given a pass for a bad week as long as they’re a good team. This is how the Lakers, who went 1-2 in the first week of games, and their opponents for the week stack up.
Lakers
ESPN: 22
USA Today: 26
NBC: 24
Average Rank: 24
Washington Wizards
ESPN: 5
USA Today: 5
NBC: 6
Average Rank: 5.3
Toronto Raptors
ESPN: 6
USA Today: 7
NBC: 10
Average Rank: 7.7
Utah Jazz
ESPN: 11
USA Today: 13
NBC: 16
Average Rank: 13.3
With the average rank of the three opposing teams all being in the top half of the league, it’s safe to say that the Lakers will have their work cut out for them during the week. However, each of these teams could hit a snag in their strong starts and the Lakers could take advantage of it. The Lakers are hoping to string a few wins together early in the season, and there’s no advantage to losing games this season, as the team’s first-round pick will be conveyed to either Boston or Philadelphia.
