Lakers need to learn these lessons from 2026 Western Conference finals

When the buzzer sounded on the Spurs’ 111-103 Western Conference finals Game 7 victory over the Thunder, a new king of the conference was crowned.

And the series, which was the first Western Conference finals to go seven games in eight years, showcased how far behind the Lakers and the rest of the conference teams are in competing against the Spurs and Thunder.

For the Lakers, the gap was already evident. 

They lost all four regular-season matchups to the Thunder with an average margin of defeat of 29.3 points per game. And in the playoffs, albeit without superstar guard Luka Doncic, they suffered a four-game sweep with an average margin of defeat of 16 points per game.

The Lakers went 1-3 against the Spurs during the regular season with an average margin of defeat of 13.8 in those matchups. The gap between the teams widened as the Spurs improved throughout the season. 

Those are the teams the Lakers will need to overcome if they’re going to compete in the West and contend for an NBA title.

What lessons can the Lakers learn from the Western Conference finals to help close the gap?

It starts with adding more depth to the roster. 

Many circumstances determine the success of a season for players and teams. 

Nothing should be taken away from the Spurs, who earned their spot in the NBA Finals for a matchup against the Knicks. 

The Thunder played without Jalen Williams, a 2025 All-NBA third-team honoree and All-Star, and Ajay Mitchell, Oklahoma City’s fourth-leading scorer during the regular season and second-leading scorer during the playoffs, for most of the Western Conference finals. 

Despite those absences, the Thunder pushed the series to seven games behind the strength of their depth. Even with Williams and Mitchell injured, OKC was competitive and trusted eight to nine players to consistently contribute in a deep playoff run. 

And that’s not even counting Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe, both of whom were in the Thunder’s rotation during their run to the 2025 NBA Finals.

The Spurs don’t have the same depth as the Thunder but still could go 10 or 11 deep regularly depending on the matchup.

Even with the context of Doncic being sidelined for all of the playoffs, the Lakers usually had seven or eight players who could be relied upon to contribute.

The Thunder and Spurs have their own unique advantages that’ve allowed them to be as deep as they are. 

Williams and Chet Holmgren are All-NBA players on the final seasons of their rookie-scale deals. 

Three of the Spurs’ top scorers during the playoffs (Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper) are also on rookie-scale contracts and will be for next season, too. 

One way for the Lakers to make progress closing the gap this offseason between them and the top conference teams is by adding quality depth to their roster. 

Rob Pelinka, Lakers president of basketball operations and general manager, addressed this need after his team’s season ended.

“If you look around the playoffs right now, depth is really important — athleticism and youth,” Pelinka said. “We have a lot of components of that on our roster, but we need to add to it.”

The athleticism and youth components were advantages the Spurs had, and took advantage of, against the Thunder. 

The Spurs averaged 10 more fast-break points than the Thunder during the Western Conference finals. 

Pace naturally slows during the playoffs, but being opportunistic with easier scoring opportunities was key for the Spurs.

Just as impressive, the Spurs held the Thunder to 7.2 fast-break points per game after OKC averaged 15 fast-break points in the second-round series against the Lakers, who averaged eight per game. 

Some of this goes back to the Spurs taking better care of the ball against the Thunder compared with the Lakers, which limited OKC’s transition opportunities. But the Spurs’ athleticism and youth made it easier for them to keep up with the Thunder.

These are the types of margins that gave the Spurs the edge over the Thunder.

And the same ones the Lakers need to improve on to have any shot of competing for a title in 2026-27.