Iman Shumpert believes Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers will struggle and face a Play-In situation next NBA season.
Iman Shumpert believes that Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers will struggle next NBA season.
The former NBA veteran made the bold claim in his recent appearance at Gil's Arena.
"I think it's going to be a Play-In type situation. I feel like they [Lakers] going to really be forcing it at the end," Shumpert said.
"Real talk though. I'm just saying it's going to be borderline and it's going to be borderline on some Luka got to pull a rabbit out of a hat, and he needs somebody to lose over here."
Lakers facing doubts amid brand-new group
With the offseason departures of LeBron James and several other key pieces such as Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, and Jaxson Hayes, the Los Angeles Lakers have taken a significant retooling this offseason.
They retained Austin Reaves via a max contract, landed the new center of their future in Walker Kessler, and tapped new faces such as Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Kevon Looney, Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle, and Jaden Hardy.
However, despite anticipation for their next year's campaign, the Lakers have been facing plenty of doubts and skepticism around the new-look group.
Even several personnel within the organization believe they got even weaker on paper entering 2026-27.
In the end, it all depends on how the team will perform under Luka Doncic's lead.
Doncic, who is now fully healthy after his season-ending hamstring injury, embraced the new group around him by hosting a team minicamp in Slovenia. He is now poised for a bounce-back year amid offseason focus on his weight and wellness.
As the Western Conference remains competitive as it is, only time will tell how Doncic and the Lakers will fare and live up to the expectations.
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