The NBA has quietly prepared the Los Angeles Lakers for immediate failure

The Los Angeles Lakers are no strangers to adversity. They have accomplished more than the vast majority of franchises over the past five seasons, winning a championship in 2020 and reaching the conference finals in 2023, but also missing the playoffs once and losing in the first round twice.

As Los Angeles prepares to officially begin the JJ Redick era, the NBA is giving them one of their toughest challenges yet.

Los Angeles begins the 2024-25 NBA regular season on Tuesday, October 22 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It will be the first of three straight home games to start the year, which most believe is a favorable start to the season.

However, this three-game home stretch has obscured a schedule that will challenge the Lakers in ways that could quickly determine the course of their season.

Following the three home games, Los Angeles will go on a five-game road trip. That starts with a meeting with the Phoenix Suns and continues with meetings with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies.

A five-game road trip between the fourth and eighth games of the regular season is a bizarre way to start a new year, but it only scratches the surface of how the NBA has failed the Lakers.

Los Angeles will play for the first time in a row in the second and third games of the 2024-25 regular season. Two days later, the aforementioned five-game road trip begins, meaning the Lakers will play three games in four days and spend ten consecutive days on the road.

That’s a burden teams typically have to endure as the season progresses, but Los Angeles will face that challenge before they’re even in a position to get their legs under control.

Aside from Los Angeles playing two straight and five straight away games in the first eight games of the season, there won’t be much of a break overall. It will play its first 10 games in 20 days and 21 in 42 days, with a back-to-back game scheduled at Utah and Minnesota near the end of that stretch.

The Lakers will then play at the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks within the next four days, host the Portland Trail Blazers just 48 hours later and then begin defending the NBA Cup.

This is a topic that many teams have discussed over the years, as the NBA schedule often involves grueling periods that teams inevitably find difficult to overcome. The Lakers, unfortunately, will face this reality sooner than most.

Some might argue that it might be beneficial for Los Angeles to get through this type of phase as early as possible, but a poor showing could shatter their dreams of an ideal postseason placement.

Of course, every team will face challenges, and the Lakers shouldn’t be immune to anything that happens to other franchises. However, immediate back-to-backs and five-game road trips would put a strain on any team, and the NBA takes the blame with its questionable schedule.

The Lakers could prove stronger in navigating this rocky terrain, but instead of making it easier for teams to start the new season, the association has presented Los Angeles with a physically demanding challenge from day one.