The Lakers’ current situation can be described as a failure to elevate their game rather than a downward trend. Despite having aspirations of winning a championship and securing a favorable position in the standings for the play-in tournament, their performance feels like a disappointment.

Ideally, this would be the time when the Lakers start gaining momentum, winning games, and building confidence. They would aim to catch up to or surpass the teams ahead of them in the rankings. However, the Lakers find themselves struggling with a nearly .500 record (7-6) and a negative net rating (-0.3, 16th) since the All-Star break.

On the offensive end, there has been some improvement, likely due to coach Darvin Ham’s decision to field the team’s best five players: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura. The Lakers have gone from being ranked 18th in offensive efficiency to third.

Unfortunately, the defensive aspect of the game, which was a strength for the Lakers’ title-winning team in 2019-20, has become a challenge that they can’t seem to solve. Their defensive efficiency has dropped from 15th before the All-Star break to 28th.

If the Lakers had performed better during this stretch, they would have had a reasonable chance of competing for a top-six seed. However, it appears highly likely that they will once again participate in the play-in tournament, where they will need to win two games to advance this time.