The Los Angeles Lakers have sunk to a new low.
The 16-time NBA champions defeated the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night, but a New Orleans Pelicans victory eliminated the Lakers from playoff contention for the second consecutive season.
The Lakers weren’t expected to compete this season, especially after they lost Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash for the rest of the season because of injuries. But their elimination comes at the earliest point in the regular season since the franchise moved from Minneapolis in 1960. The team is on pace to set the second-lowest winning percentage in franchise history and the lowest in the L.A. era.
But it’s not all bad for Lakers fans. This is just the second time in team history that the Lakers have failed to make the playoffs in consecutive seasons.
Finally, the Lakers’ atrocious record puts them in good position for the NBA draft. If they get some luck in the draft lottery, they’ll be able to retain a top-five protected pick that was involved in the 2012 Nash trade.
Thumbnail photo via Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports Images
