NBA GMs have no idea what to expect of the Lakers this season

General managers from around the league think LeBron James is a great leader but have no clue where to place the Lakers in the Western Conference hierarchy.

A tradition unlike any other, the yearly piece put together by John Schuhmann of NBA.com surveying all 30 NBA general managers on a number of topics related to the league is out.

The Lakers are mentioned throughout the survey in ways that will please and anger fans. The most interesting aspect of the survey is that 17% of GMs said the Lakers were the team whose level of success this season is toughest to predict.

The Lakers garnered the most votes on this subject, with the Houston Rockets and New Orleans Pelicans tied for second at 13% each.

Why the Lakers are hard to predict likely has to do with how their last two seasons ended.

The 2023-24 campaign finished as expected for a play-in team. They lost in the first round to the Denver Nuggets, a higher-seed team.

However, the 2022-23 season ended with the Lakers reaching the Western Conference Finals and while much has changed between that version of the Lakers and the 2024-25 one, what hasn’t is that the two best players on the team are still LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

They are still All-NBA players and anyone who watched them represent Team USA at the Olympics and win gold can attest that they are still good enough to win it all.

With a new coach in JJ Redick and maintaining a core that won 47 games, is it out of the realm of possibility that they win 50-plus games and are contenders in a Western Conference that has seen many shakeups to the best teams from last year?

Sure, you might be surprised if the Lakers ended the year a top-four seed in the West, but you wouldn’t be shocked.

On the other hand, if Redick proves not to be Pat Riley but instead a rookie coach in over his head, it wouldn’t be a surprise if this is another play-in Lakers team that poses no threat to any legitimate contenders.

With both scenarios being reasonable and possible, it’s no shock GMs can’t make heads or tails of how good the Lakers will be.

One thing GMs did agree with is that LeBron is a great leader.

The King got 23% of the vote, along with Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks. Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors came in first, with 33% of GMs voting for him.

It makes sense that three stars in big markets are considered the best leaders in the NBA. We’ve seen this trio rise up and be the best players on their respective teams and, in LeBron and Curry’s case, win MVP awards and NBA titles as the leaders.

Even entering Year 22, it’s clear the Lakers are LeBron’s team, even if Anthony Davis has usurped him as the best player. Being a leader is more than individual performance and when you factor everything in, Lebron is the King of Kings in Los Angeles and the NBA by and large.

GMs also view LeBron as one of the most versatile players in the NBA. He got 20% of the vote, with only Giannis Antetokounmpo getting more with 30%.

LeBron can play any position on the floor and guard pretty much everyone, so it’s no surprise he’s on a short list of the most versatile players in the NBA.

James has shared tidbits with the media on just how good his basketball IQ is and GMs didn’t forget when they submitted their surveys. Bron came in second with 30% of the vote but was far away from Nikola Jokić of the Nuggets, who 50% of GMs voted for. Joker also won this category last year, when half of the GMS voted him the player with the best IQ in the NBA.

One day, AD will get the respect he deserves as a defender, but today is not the day. When asked who the best defender in the NBA was, Davis’ name wasn’t near the top of the list. He was in a three-way tie for fifth with Antetokounmpo and Herb Jones.

The disrespect of AD is getting ridiculous. No wonder he believes every part of his defense is underappreciated. I mean, Jones is nice, but he’s no AD. We might have to force these GMs to watch AD on defense in a locked room with a VR headset strapped to their head to avoid any distractions.

Or maybe we can do a jersey and face swap so they can view it without bias because I just don’t understand how so few GMs voted for the Lakers big.

One thing I do understand is Dalton Knecht getting plenty of love as the rookie who was the biggest steal of the draft based on where they were selected.

He was the top selection in this category, tied with six other rookies who received 10% of the vote. It sounds like many players were drafted at the wrong spot, according to these GMs.

The Lakers selected Knecht at No. 17, which was a surprise since many mock drafts had him as a lottery pick. After the NBA Draft, plenty of experts agreed it was a tremendous selection.

Based on his Las Vegas Summer League showing and preseason play, all signs point to the Lakers drafting a player who is much better than his draft spot implies.

Seeing these survey results is fun and entertaining, but remember, they have no bearing on what actually happens on the floor.

As Lakers owner Jeanie Buss stated, the team just needs to ‘let the work speak for itself.’ Everything else is just noise.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.