NBA futures: Lakers sit at 13-1 despite star-studded core
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The Los Angeles Lakers are listed at 13-1 to capture the 2025-26 NBA championship, according to DraftKings Sportsbook, placing the franchise well behind the Oklahoma City Thunder (+170), Denver Nuggets (+550), Houston Rockets (+550) and Cleveland Cavaliers (10-1).
Thunder remain clear favorite
Oklahoma City, the defending champion, opened the season 20-1 with a league-leading average margin of victory of 15.5 points. That figure is ahead of the all-time single-season record of 12.9 points per game, established by the Thunder last year.
Why the Lakers draw attention
Los Angeles is anchored by guard Luka Doncic, one of only three players with MVP odds shorter than 30-1 at DraftKings (Nikola Jokic +140; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander +170; Doncic +320). Doncic tops the league in scoring at 35.1 points per game and also leads in free throws made (9.9) and attempted (12.3). He hands out 9.4 assists per contest and owns a 42.0% assist rate, meaning he creates more than four of every 10 made baskets when he is on the floor.
Second-year guard Austin Reaves has emerged as a high-level secondary option, averaging 28.5 points and 6.7 assists. Reaves’ true shooting percentage stands at 67.3%, and he assists on 28.6% of teammates’ field goals while self-creating the majority of his two-point attempts.
LeBron James, sidelined by sciatica for the opening month, has appeared in four games. In limited action, 60% of his two-point field goals and all of his three-pointers have been assisted, signaling a willingness to function off the ball. James is averaging 8.3 assists against 2.0 turnovers and recording a 37.2% assist percentage in that span.
Numbers behind the price
ESPN’s playoff version of the Basketball Power Index rates the Lakers fourth at 4.7, trailing the Thunder (10.7), Rockets (8.2) and Nuggets (6.4). Los Angeles is tied for the second-fewest losses in the league with four and is unbeaten in the four games James has played.
Roster depth, particularly in the frontcourt, remains a concern, and the club’s outlook is contingent on the health of Doncic, Reaves and James. Even so, the sportsbook price of 13-1 would return $130 on a $10 stake if the Lakers win the title in June.
Source: ESPN
