Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton has felt utterly confident that his current roster has made great strides since his first season coaching the team, noting this same core could be battling for the playoffs next season.

The Lakers suffered some challenges with injuries to point guard Lonzo Ball, among others, ones which have proven an impediment to chase a playoff spot during this campaign.

“I think if things worked out and we were able to stay healthy with this group, we’d definitely be one of those teams competing (for a playoff spot),” Walton said prior to a 127-113 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to Bill Oram of The Orange County Register. “There’s 10 of them right now, we’d be on that list.”

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The Lakers now have 30 wins, a mark four better than last season's record with 16 games still remaining on the schedule — a sure-fire way to show this young team's vast improvement in a calendar year.

Yet the Lakers still sit 6.5 games behind the 10th spot in the Utah Jazz and the Denver Nuggets — two teams that find themselves out of the playoff picture despite being well over the .500 mark in a Western Conference race that has proved more competitive than ever.

A young core consisting of Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, and Ball could make wonders moving forward, though it's surely unlikely the organization follows through with Walton's vision, likely aiming to take a crack at signing some of the most coveted free agency stars this summer.