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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 12: Luka Doncic #77 and Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers hold hands during a time out in the second half of a game against the Chicago Bulls at Crypto.com Arena on March 12, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers have a lot of question marks entering this season after taking huge risks with some of their offseason moves. 2026 All-Star Norman Powell appeared on a Twitch stream of popular streamer Neon and received a bold question. Neon put Powell on the spot and asked him to name the most overrated NBA team entering this season.
Powell did not hesitate for a second and made it clear that he viewed the Lakers as the most overrated team. Some fans took this as an offensive comment since he showed no respect toward the Lakers. Any team with Luka Doncic on the roster has a chance to win plenty of games to make Powell’s statement a bit risky.
The Lakers losing LeBron James and a slew of other rotation players from last year caused the team to get scrutinized. Rob Pelinka decided to prioritize extending Austin Reaves to a long contract and trade for the opportunity to sign Walker Kessler to a contract. The roster could be argued as worse than last season to warrant Powell and others questioning them. This season will either validate the Lakers’ moves or make them look worse with negative results.
Why Norman Powell Could Look Bad
Powell naming the Lakers puts his name in the news for the wrong reasons. Despite making the All-Star team for the first time last season, the Miami Heat lost faith in Powell during the second half of the year. Tyler Herro’s return limited Powell’s minutes and saw him becoming an afterthought in free agency.
The Chicago Bulls signed Powell to boost their chances of success this season by adding a respected veteran. Unfortunately, Chicago is unlikely to be as good as the Lakers will be this season. Doncic alone makes the team more formidable to have long-term success over the entire year.
Powell could get heckled at Lakers games and have this quote haunt him if the Bulls struggle more. The Lakers must rely on names like Kessler, Quentin Grimes, and Collin Sexton from free agency to have success with the new look roster in 2026 and beyond.
Lakers Fans Will Let Powell Hear Them
Chicago will play one game visiting the Lakers to see the Los Angeles fans heckling Powell. More pressure will see him expected to have high scoring numbers after last season’s All-Star success. The Bulls have higher expectations with rookie Caleb Wilson now on the roster.
Powell failing to help Chicago win games and/or struggling against the Lakers will see a lot of negative reactions following him. Neon put the longtime NBA veteran on the spot to answer a tough question. Powell does have credibility as a strong scorer who was part of the 2019 NBA Championship Toronto Raptors roster.
However, putting himself in the news by insulting one of the premiere franchises made little sense. Powell was just being honest, but the Lakers fan base will not take this lightly. Now the veteran guard must deliver on the court to both appease Bulls fans and not get roasted by Lakers fans.
Joey Haverford Joey Haverford is a seasoned sports content writer with over 12 years of experience. He has covered the NBA, WNBA, MLB, NFL, and professional wrestling in the sports industry. More about Joey Haverford