Oct 15, 2026 · 1h 55m
Lakers’ ceiling meets the NBA’s biggest season questions
Roundtable Preview With Stan Van Gundy! Plus, How Good Are the Lakers?
The episode pairs a league-wide forecast with a detailed test of whether the Lakers’ star-driven roster can withstand Western Conference depth.
- 1Stan Van Gundy and Zach Lowe identify the teams, players, and defensive trends most likely to reshape the NBA season.
- 2Both analysts make Victor Wembanyama the leading MVP candidate while weighing roster depth, incentives, and award context.
- 3Dan Woike argues the Lakers need internal growth and reliable depth to become more than a strong regular-season team.
Don't miss
Van Gundy predicts a San Antonio–New York Finals rematch and picks the Spurs to win, crystallizing his view of the league’s next power shift.
The brief
Stan Van Gundy joins Zach Lowe to sort through the NBA’s hardest teams to project, from uncertain Eastern contenders to a compressed Western Conference.
The roundtable weighs Toronto’s upside, Minnesota’s frontcourt losses, modern defensive coverages, and the unusual incentives facing teams without control of their picks.
Both analysts elevate Victor Wembanyama in the MVP conversation, then compare Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, and Most Improved Player predictions.
Van Gundy’s Finals call sends San Antonio against New York, with the Spurs winning a rematch that captures his confidence in the league’s emerging hierarchy.
Dan Woike joins for the central roster question: can Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, and Walker Kessler lift the Lakers beyond the second round without dependable depth or easy trade fixes?