The Los Angeles Lakers are 3-0 since LeBron James returned to the lineup. Those three wins came against underwhelming competition, seamlessly writing the narratives of skepticism for all the critics. James and the Lakers will not get an opportunity to extinguish that doubt until December.
The first three wins of the 2025-26 season that featured James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves all available came against the Utah Jazz (twice), and the Los Angeles Clippers. Neither of those two teams will be viewed as reputable competition for Lakers naysayers.
Any of the numbers or results from those contests will be treated as easy wins for those who have already made their minds up about the Lakers being pretenders. The rest of the month really won't offer an opportunity to change that tune either.
However, that opportunity will not elude the Lakers forever.
December dominance can paint the Lakers as bona fide contenders
One of the numbers on the season that really stands out, in a concerning way, is the Lakers' net rating thus far. Despite their impressive record of 13-4, a mark of only 3.2 in that category puts them at 14th in the NBA.
During the three games that have featured LeBron, that number bumps up to 10.0, trailing only the dominant Oklahoma City Thunder and surging Orlando Magic during that span. Again, the criticism will be that the Lakers played two of the five worst teams in the Western Conference standings.
Funny enough, that much will not change about the rest of the schedule in November. The Lakers play the disappointing Dallas Mavericks on Nov. 28 and the downright dreadful New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 30 to close out the month.
The first week of December? There's some real competition there.
Before continuing, it should be said that the idea of 'easy wins' is kind of silly. Great teams should beat bad teams, yes. However, there is never a foregone conclusion in the NBA. Every win can be impressive in its own way.
That being said, the Lakers will play the Phoenix Suns, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtis, and Philadelphia 76ers in the first week of December. Each of those teams is currently occupying no worse than a spot in the Play-In Tournament.
If the Lakers walk out of that stretch 4-0, the conversations will be forced to evolve. Even a 3-1 record through that stretch should be met with praise. That would be the hope, at least.
Realistically, the Lakers will continue to receive skepticism even if they dominate that week. It's just the nature of being such a popular and polarizing franchise. However, every win from here should help reassure the group inside the building of their upside. That is really what matters most.