The Los Angeles Lakers have just begun their push into the 2025-26 NBA season. However, a former NBA champion and prominent voice in in basketball community believes they don’t stand a real chance at contending for the title.

Although they are not completely healthy at the moment, the Lakers have both LeBron James and Luka Dončić on their roster. Having two generational talents, albeit in very different stages of their respective careers, gives the Lakers as good a chance as any team to make a deep postseason push this season. However, not everyone feels as optimistic about the Lakers.

How Far Can the Los Angeles Lakers Go in the Upcoming Playoffs?

Paul Pierce, a former NBA star and champion best known for his tenure with the Boston Celtics, is a veteran figure many remember helping Boston beat Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals.

Since retiring, Pierce has become a prominent basketball analyst, sharing opinions and hot takes on the league.

One such take — claiming that the Lakers will get “smacked up” in the upcoming playoffs — caught the attention of the NBA world. Pierce defended his stance by saying the Lakers have established a pattern for themselves over the past several years.

“It’s gonna be the same story every year with the Lakers. It’s gonna be the hype train, playoffs gonna come, and then they gonna get smacked up.”

Paul Pierce believes the Lakers are going to get SMACKED in the playoffs 🍿

“It’s gonna be the same story every year with the Lakers. It’s gonna be the hype train, playoffs gonna come, and then they gonna get smacked up.”

(Via @NFGShow, h/t @AhnFireDigital) pic.twitter.com/aguPIOKflu

— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) October 29, 2025

The Lakers last won a championship six seasons ago, inside the bubble during the COVID-19–impacted 2019-20 season. Except for one trip to the Western Conference finals, where the Nuggets swept them, the team has fallen short in the first round or failed to qualify for the playoffs every other season.

As Pierce rightly points out, injuries have greatly hindered the Lakers’ chances of winning another title. Perhaps that should be expected, especially in James’ case. Be that as it may, the Lakers getting hurt and quickly sidelined as soon as the playoffs begin is now being boldly predicted just a handful of games into the season.

While Anthony Davis may have contributed to this narrative, he is no longer with the team and has been replaced by Dončić, who has reportedly taken his health and conditioning seriously this offseason.

As things stand, James is dealing with a sciatic back injury, and Dončić has missed the past few games due to a finger injury. Additionally, Gabe Vincent, Marcus Smart, and Maxi Kleber are listed on the injury report for the Lakers’ matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Although Austin Reaves is doing his best to keep the team in contention, it is clear they have little chance to make any real impact in the Western Conference without a healthy James and Dončić in the lineup. Lakers fans are left hoping both stars recover fully and remain healthy for the postseason.