On the one hand, the Lakers entered the final minute with a real chance to win in three of the four games they lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Denver Nuggets. On the other... they lost all of them. And while you could argue it means the gap between Denver and LA isn't as big as 4-0 might indicate, there's still definitely a gap.

How big?

The NBA Finals, which kicked off Thursday, might provide a clue. Both to how the Lakers stack up against the Nuggets, but where they might fit in that next tier of contenders, and how crowded that group might be.

One thing that will help close the gap next year? Internal improvement. Assuming the Lakers bring back the expected group of players, a lot of attention will be given to the relative youth of the supporting cast. Generally, young players are talked about as having "upside." Often, teams have a couple prospects that they hope will become franchise cornerstones, and even elite NBA players. The Lakers don't have that level of prospect, but how much better can Austin Reaves get? How about Rui Hachimura? What about Max Christie?

For the Lakers, if a guy like Christie can become a reliable, game in/game out rotation player for the regular season next year - even for 10-15 minutes a night - that's like acquiring an extra free agent, or pulling off a trade.

The Lakers will certainly look to get better by dangling players like Mo Bamba, Malik Beasley and D'Angelo Russell (in sign-and-trade scenarios). How appealing will those options be, though? So while they've remade their depth, getting significantly better could be tough. Unless, of course, that improvement happens internally.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: What could the Finals teach us about the Lakers?

SEGMENT 2: Which young player on the Lakers has the most upside?

SEGMENT 3: Why internal improvement could be tremendously valuable for LA... and how context really matters.

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