Lakers’ 10-2 Start Makes Them Championship Contenders

The Lakers have surged into the championship conversation, opening the season 10-2 and winning six straight. Their start has exceeded expectations for a roster with nine new players and questions about perimeter defense and backup-center depth.

Luka Dončić has led the charge, averaging 39.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game. He scored 361 points over his first nine games, the highest total in that span in modern NBA history, surpassing Michael Jordan’s 347 in 1986-87.

Austin Reaves has added 25.3 points per game while shooting 50.8% from the field and 41.3% from three-point range. The pair average 64.6 points combined, the league’s highest-scoring duo. Reaves showed his capacity to carry the offense when Dončić missed a 121-116 win over Detroit with lower-back tightness, scoring a season-high 43 points.

Walker Kessler is averaging 14.9 points and 10.8 rebounds, and leads the league in contested shots with 140. The Lakers also won without Reaves against Atlanta, getting 23 points and eight rebounds from Sandro Mamukelashvili and 18 points and six assists from Collin Sexton.

Los Angeles leads the NBA in offensive rating at 121.5, while its defensive rating ranks 19th at 113.8. The team is second in steals and deflections and third in blocks. Its early results have put it among the teams to watch as it pursues its first title since 2020.