Norman Powell didn’t dance around the question.
When Neon asked him which team gets more praise than it deserves, Powell went straight at the Lakers with a two-word answer: the Lakers.
That was enough to light up another round of debate around a franchise that never really gets to operate in the shadows. Even in a season where so much has changed, Los Angeles still draws outsized attention, and Powell’s comment only added fuel to that fire.
The timing matters, too. The Lakers are entering the 2026-27 season in a very different place after LeBron James left this offseason to join the Philadelphia 76ers, ending his eight-year run with the team. That move forced Los Angeles into a new era built around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Instead of standing still, the Lakers attacked the roster. They brought in Walker Kessler to give Luka a real interior partner and rim protector, while also making a series of moves aimed at improving depth, defense, and athleticism.
That doesn’t erase the questions. Losing LeBron leaves a major gap in both production and leadership, and Luka is now being asked to shoulder even more. On top of that, several new faces will have to find chemistry quickly.
Still, there’s a difference between wondering whether the Lakers can live up to expectations and calling them the league’s most overrated team.
Luka remains one of the best players in the NBA, and Reaves has grown into a real scoring threat and a legitimate second option beside him. The center spot has also been addressed, which matters a lot when you’re trying to build around Luka.
Powell’s take may say as much about the Lakers’ spotlight as it does about the roster itself. Few teams get this much national attention no matter where they sit in the standings.
A winning streak can trigger title talk. A losing streak can turn into a full-blown crisis.
That kind of constant scrutiny makes the Lakers an easy target in conversations like this.
Powell knows the Los Angeles basketball scene well, too. The Southern California native played at UCLA and spent multiple seasons with the Clippers, so he’s been around the kind of attention both teams command.
Now the Lakers get the chance to respond where it matters most.
This is not LeBron’s team anymore, and it would be premature to judge this group by the standards of the previous era. There are real questions about Luka, the new roster, and whether the Lakers can contend in a loaded Western Conference.
But they also have enough talent to make Powell’s comment look very foolish.
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