NBA 2018/19: 5 Most surprising teams at the quarter-mark of the season

#4 Los Angeles Lakers

Indiana Pacers v Los Angeles Lakers

The arrival of LeBron James has vastly improved the Los Angeles Lakers. They currently have a record of 14-9 as they sit fifth in the Western Conference standings. The Lakers are just two games behind the first seed and it is quite surprising since many predicted that they will barely make the playoffs in LeBron’s first year in Hollywood.

Los Angeles’ offense has been mediocre with James carrying most of the load. He is averaging 27.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. The Lakers badly need to add another scorer because James will tire out for the playoffs, which means they could get eliminated in the first round, ending LeBron’s Finals appearance streak.

On the other hand, their defense is among the top ten in the league. Lonzo Ball is certainly better at this end while JaVale McGee has been a revelation. But the addition of Tyson Chandler really helped them. Chandler is a former Defensive Player of the Year and he knows how to get the team going defensively.