Channing Frye is not buying the Lakers as a top-six team in the Western Conference.
On the latest episode of the Road Trippin’ podcast, Frye laid out his projected West standings for the 2026-27 season and put Los Angeles all the way down at No. 8. That drew an immediate reaction from Kendrick Perkins, who pushed back hard on the ranking.
“Why in the hell do you have the Lakers so low, bro? Like, the Lakers are top six. Like, what?”
Frye didn’t budge.
“I don’t think so. Personally.”
His list had San Antonio at No. 1, followed by Oklahoma City, Minnesota, Denver, Houston, Utah, Phoenix, and then the Lakers. Portland and Golden State rounded out the top 10.
This isn’t a one-off take from Frye. He has been one of the loudest skeptics around the Lakers’ new roster since LeBron James left, and he’s kept the pressure on all offseason. Even with Luka Doncic still in place and the front office adding Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle, Kevon Looney, and other rotation pieces, Frye still doesn’t like the fit.
Earlier this month, he was even more direct about the team’s ceiling.
“Make a playoff run? No, they can make the playoffs.
I don’t like the way that the team is built at all. They’re going to lose to a team like Denver, Minnesota, OKC, Houston; I even got Phoenix right there.
Utah. I mean, do I even have to say San Antonio?”
That same skepticism showed up in his latest rankings.
Frye has also gone after the Lakers’ lack of athleticism and defense around Doncic. He compared this group to the Dallas Mavericks team that reached the 2024 NBA Finals and said the Lakers have not come close to building the same kind of formula.
“He needs to be surrounded by defensive athletes, guys that can get out and play, make their own plays. This team feels very ploppy, and very half-court sets team.”
That matters because Doncic and Austin Reaves could be one of the league’s most productive offensive backcourts. But neither is known for perimeter defense, and Frye clearly believes that weakness will get exposed against the better teams in the West. Kessler should help at the rim, and Grimes can offer some help on the ball, but Frye does not see that as enough.
He’s also not the only one with doubts. ESPN recently pegged the Lakers as the most disappointing team in the NBA next season, with the club getting 32 points in a panel vote. ESPN also projected Los Angeles to win 45 games, down from 53 last season.
So the Lakers head into the season with a strange mix of confidence and concern. They still have one of the top five players in the league in Luka Doncic, and the offense should have plenty of punch. But questions about defense, athleticism, and roster balance keep hanging over them.
Perkins sees a top-six team. Frye does not. And by placing the Lakers at No. 8, he made that pretty clear.
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