Christian Wood Says Lakers Can Avoid Play-in Tournament: ‘We’re a Top 6 Team’

Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacekFeatured Columnist IVFebruary 14, 2024

Tyler Ross/NBAE via Getty Images

The post-All-Star break goal is clear for Los Angeles Lakers big man Christian Wood.

“I think we’re a top-six team,” he told reporters Tuesday. He explained he believes the Lakers can climb out of the Western Conference play-in tournament if they “come back with the attitude to try to stay consistent” following the break.

Dave McMenamin @mctenChristian Wood says he thinks L.A. can avoid the play-in tournament if they “come back with the attitude to try to stay consistent” after the All-Star break: “I think we’re a top-six team” pic.twitter.com/D7bAICgdXe

Los Angeles has plenty of work to do if it is going to avoid the play-in tournament for the Nos. 7-10 seeds.

It is currently 28-26 and in ninth place in the Western Conference. It is closer to being out of the play-in tournament entirely with a two-game lead over the 11th-seeded Utah Jazz than it is to the sixth-seeded Phoenix Suns.

The Suns are 3.5 games ahead of the Lakers but just a half-game ahead of the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks, which are two more teams Los Angeles would have to jump if it is going to accomplish Wood’s goal.

Fortunately for the Purple and Gold, they don’t have to go too far back in history to find successful runs out of the play-in tournament. They were in the play-in tournament last season but advanced all the way to the Western Conference Finals, where they lost to the eventual-champion Denver Nuggets.

Yet it wasn’t even the most impressive run out of the play-in tournament last season, as the Miami Heat advanced all the way to the NBA Finals before losing to Denver. They even lost their first game in the play-in tournament before advancing.

As for this season’s Lakers, they have dealt with inconsistency but are 4-1 in the last five games with an opportunity to keep the momentum rolling with a Tuesday matchup against the Detroit Pistons and Wednesday game against the Utah Jazz.

They then hit the ground running out of the All-Star break with four straight games against Western Conference foes, including one against the Suns team they are chasing.

If they continue to play well, they could climb out of the play-in tournament ahead of the postseason.