Tracy McGrady explains why the Lakers have no shot against OKC and Denver

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After dismantling their cross-town rivals, the L.A. Clippers 135-118, the Los Angeles Lakers clinched Group B and advanced to the knockout round of the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup.

The Lakers' Big 3 of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and LeBron James combined for 99 points, with Doncic leading the way with 43 big points. However, despite the win, Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady wasn't impressed with the Lake Show and thinks they don't stand a chance against the best teams in the West in a playoff series.

"I don't think this team, presently constructed, can survive OKC or a Denver team that has depth, size, speed," said McGrady. "I don't think they can sustain that for a seven-game series…If you look at this roster constructed, what do you see on this bench that can give you consistency in a seven-game series against OKC or Denver?"

The Lakers rank last in bench points per game this season

As mentioned earlier, the Lakers' trio finished one point shy of 100 points combined. And with Rui Hachimura scoring 13 points plus Jaxson Hayes adding 8, that meant that the Lakers' bench scored only a combined 15 points, with Marcus Smart scoring 7 of them.

Against deep teams like the Thunder and Nuggets, that bench output isn't going to get the job done for the Lake Show.

For the season, the Lakers' bench ranks dead-last in the league in scoring at just 24.4 points per game. That's easily 8 points fewer than what the Nuggets bench produces and over 15 points less than what the Thunder's reserves score per game.

Aside from bench points, McGrady's issue with the Lakers is sustaining their offensive onslaught. Sure, Luka is the current scoring leader at 35.2 points per game, while Austin Reaves is averaging an impressive 27.9 points per game. However, against an elite defensive team like the Thunder, where is JJ Redick going to go if Luka, AR, or Bron aren't combining for 99 points in a game?

Related: Steve Kerr heaves sigh of relief after Steph Curry injury update

Pelinka thinks they've addressed their depth issues

However, during an interview after the Lakers-Clippers game, GM Rob Pelinka told "Spectrum Sportsnet Live" that adding depth was their focus last summer and by getting Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart, Pelinka thinks they did well with that.

"We talked a lot about how we wanted to get younger with the roster and then more depth, which was something we really focused on in July. If you look around the league, the successful teams, they're young. Everyone's playing fast, physical. So when we went out and added Deandre Ayton and Jake LaRavia and brought in Marcus Smart, we really felt like that would fill out our depth. To see that happening in real time, proof of concept is encouraging,"said Pelinka.

So far, the Lakers are 13-4 and are on top of the Pacific Division. They are tied for the second-best record in the Western Conference and carry a five-game winning streak to their Friday night game versus the Dallas Mavericks.

But as T-Mac said, this Lakers team will be great during the regular season. It will be in the playoffs when teams play each other in a seven-game series, where their weaknesses will come out.

Related: "The Lakers are a B+ team" - Richard Jefferson explains why he doesn't see the Lakers as true championship contenders

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Nov 27, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.