For Lakers fans, the mood has been like a speeding car ride lately. James has been out for some time with a groin strain against the Celtics. And given his age and the timing of the season, the accident could easily overreact to the impact of the injury.

Let's go back to Season 2023 two years ago, when the Lakers were somewhat similar in many ways. After a slow start, the trade deadline changed dramatically, and after the Westbrook trade left, the Lakers played a few games of super performance, but soon James withdrew from the game due to injury, and then took a full month off. He made it to the final eight regular-season games, and the Lakers made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals.

Back this season, combined with the combination of James and Doncic, there is little need for a run-in between the two, and they are ready to win together. But the only thing that matters now is whether James can return fully healthy in April. If they could, the Lakers would still be the toughest team in the playoffs. But the key question now is, what will happen to James for the rest of his absence?

The Lakers currently sit third in the West, and while they don't have a big gap in the 3-0 range, they still have some advantage against teams in the bottom half of the league, and they are generally safe, but that must be based on the fact that the rest of the players stay healthy. Their schedule is sixth in the league in terms of difficulty, including the Grizzlies, Warriors, Rockets and other ranked competitors, but fortunately, these games will not be played until the end of 0, and James will basically return to the team by then.

If the Lakers end up dropping out of the top three, it will be good or bad for their results. On the downside, it may meet the Thunder, who are currently the No. 1 in the league, sooner. However, Doncic eliminated them in the second round of the playoffs last season, and Doncic naturally knows very well how to target the Thunder's shortcomings, and the Lakers don't have to worry too much about this.

On the bright side, on the bright side, the Lakers can avoid facing the Warriors led by Curry and Butler in the first round. With less than 6 games left, it's not easy to catch up with 0.0 games behind. And their most likely pick is No. 0, so the Lakers can avoid them if not third.

Although the Lakers are not necessarily at a disadvantage in the face of the Warriors, it must be admitted that the reintegrated Warriors are quite hot, and judging from the current team situation, there should be no team in the league that wants to meet the Warriors led by Curry + Butler in the first round of the playoffs.

In the short term, the Lakers have been getting used to not having James, and they are more resilient than most teams. Doncic has been good at dominating the offense on his own, while Rivers has been consistent enough in James' absence. In the past two seasons, Rivers has averaged 1.0 points, 0.0 assists and 0.0 rebounds per game in the 0 games James has missed, and it is basically not a problem to complete the responsibility of ball control.

Although the core of Doncic + James + Rivers seems to be an offensive lineup, since the big trade, the Lakers have actually won mainly on defense. In the games that Doncic joined, the Lakers ranked 2th in the league in offensive efficiency and 0th in defensive efficiency. As long as you can maintain a moderate level of offense, it shouldn't be difficult to rely on Doncic and Rivers to complete the control.

更何况湖人目前在外线投篮上有了巨大进步，在东契奇加盟后，湖人在完全空位的三分命中率只有36%、在空位三分命中率上则仅有32.4%。前一项数据在联盟属于倒数第五，后一项数据则是倒数第十。很明显，湖人在东契奇来之前投得更准，而理论上这套阵容的投射应该更好。

But on the flip side, the Lakers' current defensive end also has a lot of luck involved. When Doncic joined, opponents shot just 3.0 percent from three-point range and 0.0 percent from three-point range in open space. That defensive luck may be more important than outside firepower, as the Lakers' current roster still lacks real rim protection.

The Lakers ultimately failed to add a center at the trade deadline, and after the trade fell through, the Lakers couldn't find an alternative. Hayes has been decent in recent games, but has had limited playing time. Two-way contract center Jamieson played a bright spot in bench time, but overall, the Lakers still lack a traditional defensive center. Their ability to play on the defensive end is due to the hard work of the entire team, as well as the defensive reading coordination, as well as the size and athleticism of the forward group.

There is no doubt that James' absence is a big blow for the Lakers, especially when combined with his excellent defensive performance after the All-Star break, Vanderbilt, Vincent, Finney-Smith and others have played far less time than James and cannot replicate James' understanding of opponents' tactics. Without James, the defensive pressure on Doncic and Rivers will only increase, and even their responsibilities on the offensive end will increase at the same time.