Michael Porter Jr. isn't buying the Lakers as a championship contender. The Nets forward delivered a blunt assessment of Los Angeles' new-look roster, making it clear he doesn't see Luka Doncic and company winning a title.
Michael Porter Jr. has never been shy about sharing his opinion, and the Brooklyn Nets forward had another blunt assessment when the Los Angeles Lakers came up.
During a recent livestream with content creator N3on, Porter was shown the Lakers’ updated depth chart after their busy offseason. His reaction was immediate.
“Yeah, I don’t like that roster,” Porter said.
When asked whether he believed the Lakers had built a championship roster, Porter doubled down.
“To be a championship roster? They might be solid, but I do not see them winning a chip.”
That is a pretty strong statement from a player who has been on both sides of the championship conversation.
Porter won a championship with the Denver Nuggets in 2023 and spent several seasons battling the Lakers in the playoffs before being traded to Brooklyn this summer. Now, he clearly does not believe Los Angeles did enough to put itself in position to make another deep postseason run.
The Lakers underwent a major transformation this offseason after LeBron James left the franchise for the Philadelphia 76ers. Los Angeles is now fully entering the Luka Doncic era, with Austin Reaves remaining alongside him as one of the team’s primary offensive pieces.
The front office also made several notable additions.
Los Angeles acquired Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz and added Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Matisse Thybulle, and Kevon Looney during the offseason. The Lakers also retained Reaves on a massive new contract.
On paper, there are still plenty of reasons for Lakers fans to be optimistic.
Doncic remains one of the NBA’s biggest offensive stars, while Reaves is coming off another strong season. Kessler gives the Lakers a legitimate defensive presence in the middle, while Grimes, Sexton, and Thybulle give JJ Redick more options around his two primary offensive players.
But Porter is looking at the roster through a different lens.
There is a difference between putting together a solid team and building a roster that can survive four rounds of the playoffs. Porter clearly does not think the Lakers have reached that point yet.
The Lakers no longer have James, who helped carry the team through plenty of difficult moments over the past several seasons. They are now relying heavily on Doncic to lead a roster that looks considerably different from the one that finished last season.
Porter also has plenty of personal experience against the Lakers.
During his time in Denver, he became a consistent problem for Los Angeles because of his size and ability to shoot over smaller defenders. He previously explained on the “Glory Daze Podcast” that he enjoyed those playoff matchups because he felt the Lakers never had the right defender for him.
“I always cooked the Lakers,” Porter said at the time.
Now, Porter is looking at the Lakers from the outside and questioning whether their current roster is good enough to compete for a championship.
Of course, his comments will get plenty of attention because of where he plays now.
Porter has been publicly optimistic about Brooklyn’s upcoming season and has even expressed confidence that the Nets can win more than 50 games. That makes his Lakers comments an easy target for fans who believe he should be more concerned about his own team.
Still, Porter was not simply criticizing one player or one offseason move. After hearing the Lakers’ depth chart, he came away unconvinced that the roster has enough to win a championship.
Now, the Lakers will have to prove him wrong on the court.
For now, MPJ clearly is not buying the hype surrounding their post-LeBron era.
