Lakers newsletter: Who the Lakers do and don’t want to face in the playoffs

Hey everyone, I’m Dan Woike, and welcome back to the Lakers newsletter, a chance for me to speak directly to you, dear reader, through the same medium that various men’s outlet stores speak to me. Sadly, I can’t get you 40% off on chinos.

I can, though, offer you a piece of Lakers’ optimism and a look ahead to what could potentially be a very interesting postseason (should the Lakers get there).

Wild, wild, wild West

I was a guest on Spectrum SportsNet on Wednesday night, and before the show, I was asked which team in the West was moving in the right direction.

Obviously, I answered with Phoenix.

I also was asked which team was moving in the wrong direction,

Obviously, I answered with the Clippers.

By the time I went to bed Wednesday night, I think I would’ve changed both answers.

That’s sort of been the story in the Western Conference this last month. If you get a good night’s sleep, you miss things that totally flip.

So I thought, for history’s sake as much as anything, let’s look at the West and see which teams I think would be scariest for the Lakers to face should they get themselves into the postseason.

No disrespect but….

Utah Jazz

Yeah, the Lakers have lost twice to the Jazz already this season in their only meetings. And yeah, Utah’s been one of the best stories in the league this year with a bright head coach in Will Hardy and plenty of offensive punch with Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson.

But the Lakers helped raid the Jazz at the trade deadline, and in must-win situations, there’s not a good team the Lakers will see that should frighten them less.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The thing about playoffs, and especially play-in games, is that you want to make sure you have the best player on the court.

Well, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is good enough to make you think twice about that question.

The Thunder are tough, play for one another and completely free of pressure and that makes them dangerous. But on this list, that’s not enough for anyone to lose sleep over.

Portland Trail Blazers

When you’ve got a player who can score 70 on any given night, that’s scary enough. But outside of Damian Lillard, Portland’s injury issues and lack of depth make them not much to worry about outside of a Lillard heater.

It could happen and the Blazers blitzed the Lakers post-deadline, but it still feels like a match-up that tilts towards the Lakers.

New Orleans Pelicans

If Zion Williamson was playing, New Orleans would be way higher up this list. He’s not playing yet — and no one seems to know when that will be. CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram are the kinds of tough shot-makers who can beat even good defenses, but they’ve won just seven times since Jan. 13.

At one point, they were terrifying. Now, they’re more of a hypothetical threat.

Appropriate fear

Sacramento Kings

The beam team plays with tons of speed and skill, but it’s more than fair to wonder how they’ll handle the slower-paced postseason game.

The Kings definitely speed up the Lakers and the Kings have scored at least 120 in each of their meetings with them, but I think Sacramento’s lack of interior defense is the kind of thing the Lakers would exploit in a series.

Minnesota Timberwolves

When the Lakers played Minnesota last week, the Timberwolves physically dominated the game. They pushed the Lakers out of their offense, and when the team did get into the paint, Rudy Gobert totally spooked them.

Anthony Edwards could be one of the best two-way players in a season and Jaden McDaniels can lock up whomever he’s assigned to.

Still, there’s big fit concerns when Karl-Anthony Towns finally gets back on the court, the kind of thing you ideally wouldn’t be figuring out in March.

Memphis Grizzlies

I’m gonna keep this simple.

There’s tons of talent here, and even more if Ja Morant rejoins the team.

But, do you really trust them to make the right decisions, especially under the pressure of the postseason?

OK, this has me feeling anxious

Golden State Warriors

So much championship experience, two terrifying players in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and a defensive whiz in Draymond Green and yet…

This team has had weird vibes all year — starting with leaked video of a preseason punch in practice — and their struggles on the road have been downright bizarre.

Ignore the Warriors at your own risk, but the Lakers have already beat them three times this year and another deep run from the Warriors is still pretty speculative.

Dallas Mavericks

There’s no player in the West that would be scarier to see in a playoff series than Luka Doncic.

Dallas got good news that his leg injury isn’t thought to be serious. Their defense and chemistry and depth are all suspect, but Doncic is good enough to end a team’s season on his own.

I’d really rather not

Denver Nuggets

No drama, possibly the MVP and continuity — it feels like people have undervalued the threat Denver poses in the West and if they win, we’ll look at those reasons and kick ourselves.

But the Lakers have had some success against Denver this season, and that was even before the Lakers rebuilt their team for the better.

Still, give me the team that’s done it all year instead of the one who has done it for three weeks.

Clippers

They’ve got plenty of issues to work out — how to best handle Russell Westbrook being just one of them. But if they answer half of their questions and sort out their rotation, they’ve got an incredibly playoff-ready roster with experience, size, shot-making and versatility.

The questions are huge; so is the upside.

The way they defended against Toronto on Wednesday night was a huge step forward, and if they can get into a rhythm on that side of the floor, they’ll be tough for anyone to beat.

Nope, none of that

Phoenix Suns

On one hand, they gutted their wing depth to land Kevin Durant and he just injured his ankle going through pregame warmups.

On the other hand, he’s the most plug-and-play star in the league, a perfect fit in any situation because of his skill, versatility and under-discussed defense.

They’ve got some depth issues, but if their Top 7 stay healthy, they’re the scariest team in the West.

Song of the Week

“A Roller Skating Jam Named ‘Saturdays’ “by De La Soul

Let’s celebrate De La Soul’s catalog finally being available by strapping on some skates and heading into the weekend. By the team we get home and unlace, everything you just read about the West will probably have changed.

In case you missed it

Plaschke: ‘I miss him so much.’ Pau Gasol takes rightful place next to ‘brother’ Kobe Bryant

‘The physical style’: How Rui Hachimura helped Lakers beat the Grizzlies

Anthony Davis leads Lakers’ win over Grizzlies after Pau Gasol’s jersey is retired

‘AD is AD. One of one.’ Anthony Davis leads Lakers past Warriors in critical win

Hernandez: Anthony Davis gives Lakers hope so long as he’s on the court

Troy Brown Jr. fulfilling valuable Lakers role with LeBron James injured

With their playoff lives at stake, Darvin Ham challenges Lakers’ effort and urgency