Just how Good are the Lakers?

Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

The Lakers have been a surprising team so far this season. With 4-3 record the Lakers have shown a lot of positives. For starters all the players keep talking about how there is a different atmosphere surrounding the team this year. With Kobe gone the team has officially started life without Kobe Bryant. Just think this is the first time in 20 years that Kobe Bryant's name is not on the Lakers roster. Although it is sad it is also a big step for the organization. What's even better is the team has played very well in their early games.

This Lakers team had wins over the Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors last week. Both those teams are expected to make the playoffs. Finishing the week with a 3-1 record is very impressive. But all this buzz raises the question, just how good are the Lakers? NBA.com's power rankings has the Lakers currently sitting at 11. That is much higher than anyone would have expected them to be ranked this season. It is also impressive considering 6 of the Lakers main rotation players are younger than 24. The Lakers seem to have just the right mixture of veterans and young guys. It shows during the games as there is a lot of energy surrounding all of the young players. That energy then effects the fans and other players on the team. It brings that new atmosphere that they continue to talk about.

Mike Nelson/EPA

The problem is holding on to that energy. The Lakers are off to good start so far, but the NBA season is a long one. With 75 games remaining it is too early to judge this team. Most young teams start to fall off around the end of December or early January. And around all-star break rookies start to see a drop off in production. That is normal considering they are not used to the grind of an NBA season.

With this current Lakers team it is hard to tell if they will have a drop off. On one hand it is expected that they will fall below .500 at some point. The other side of the coin is there veteran presence. Luol Deng is a respected veteran and was an all star at one point. Timofey Mozgov is an NBA champion and brings experience from back-to-back finals with the Cavaliers. And Luke Walton brings his championship experience and coaching knowledge from the Warriors. If those three guys can get the rest of the team to believe in themselves and buy in to the long season there is a small chance that they can make the playoffs.

Considering the way the Lakers are playing right now I expect the Lakers to be in contention for a playoff spot up to late December to all-star break at the latest. At that point the Lakers will start to string together some losses and loose all momentum they had. Seeing at how young their team is I don't think they will recover and end up missing the playoffs for a 4th straight season.

The Lakers are still a team in rebuilding. Having a season with over 20 wins would still be considered a success. It is about growing and building chemistry between all the young talent on their roster. They are only going to get better so where ever they land this year expect them to top it next year.