Dwight Howard makes bold Lakers claim post Luka Doncic trade despite failed attempt to reunite with LeBron James

The way Dwight Howard sees things, with the LA Lakers on a tear lately in the wake of the blockbuster acquisition of Luka Doncic, the team may very well end up going all the way.

With eight straight wins and one of the best defenses in the NBA as of late, the team has jumped up to second place in the NBA's Western Conference standings.

Between LeBron James' stellar two-way play, which has even earned him some MVP consideration from the NBA community, and Luka Doncic finding his rhythm, the team has been on a roll.

In addition to snapping the Denver Nuggets' win streak last month, the team has picked up notable wins over the Timberwolves and the Clippers over the past week.

Although there were some whispers of Dwight Howard potentially trying to rejoin the Lakers after the Mark Williams trade was shut down, nothing came to fruition. Despite that, Howard believes that the Lakers have what it takes to go all the way this season.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday, Howard tweeted:

"Tbh it looks like the Lakeshow might win that chip."

Dwight Howard isn't the only former player who sees a run to the NBA Finals in the Lakers' future

In addition to Dwight Howard, another notable NBA veteran believes that the Lakers have shown they have what it takes to make a run at the NBA Finals: Richard "Rip" Hamilton.

The 2004 NBA Champ and 14-year NBA veteran appeared on CBS Sports this week to discuss the NBA's championship picture amid the Lakers' recent win streak. During the appearance, he commented on LA's recent performance, saying that he could see the team making a deep postseason run with the way they're playing lately.

"When they first got Luka, I was the guy that was really questioning — 'How would this work?' and 'Is this team good enough to get out the first or second round?' I'm watching this team play now... I could see this team making it to the NBA Finals. I mean they're just playing great basketball."

As Hamilton points out, in the playoffs, the game slows down. Because of the ability of both LeBron James and Luka Doncic to create plays and orchestrate a halfcourt offense, he believes the team will thrive come playoff time.

With just 22 games left in the season including tonight's game against the Knicks, the Lakers seem to be peaking at just the right time. Whether they can make the finals like Rip Hamilton suggests, or win the finals like Dwight Howard believes, only time will reveal what their ceiling is.