The Western Conference just underwent a power shift. 

Thunder star Jalen Williams will undergo surgery for a dislocated left ankle and fractured fibula, and Cason Wallace suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder that also requires surgery. 

It’s an unfortunate break for a Thunder team that’s widely considered a top championship contender. 

But it also means there could be more of an opening in the crowded Western Conference, which means the Lakers must go all in this season. 

Any trades they were considering? Their draft capital they have remaining? It’s time for them to empty the cupboard this season to fortify their roster around Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler. 

The Lakers could be championship contenders. 

It’s a very small sample size, but so far this season they’ve looked great. 

Doncic leads the NBA in scoring (34.3 points per game). Reaves is tied for eighth (26.7 points per game). The Lakers have the top-rated offense in the league (125.9).

They’re the only team with two top-10 scorers. Doncic and Reaves are the highest-scoring duo in the league (61 points per game). And Kessler is living up to the team’s high expectations as the defensive anchor and franchise center. 

But they still have some notable weaknesses. They’re thin behind Kessler. Their defensive rebounding is in the league cellar, and their perimeter defense needs improvement. The Lakers are ranked 19th on the defensive end (112.4).  

If the Lakers could shore up their holes, who’s to say they couldn’t compete with the NBA’s top teams? 

The Western Conference is loaded with talent. Victor Wembanyama wants to lead the Spurs back to the championship round. The Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball and Rudy Gobert could be dangerous. Kevin Durant and Fred VanVleet are on a mission to make the Rockets a real threat. 

As for the Thunder, they’re still loaded with talent and depth. They went 39-10 without Williams last season. They have two-time reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on their roster. But their injuries — coupled with their offseason moves, including trading Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe —  make them thinner on the wing and weaker on defense. 

That means the Lakers have an easier path against a team that has notoriously given them fits.

Last season, the Lakers went 0-4 against the Thunder, losing their regular-season games by an average of 29.3 points. The Thunder then swept the Lakers out of the second round of the playoffs. 

The Lakers are a different team this season.

LeBron James left in free agency. Doncic is the head of the snake. They added nine new players over the summer. But still, it’s no secret that the Thunder were their kryptonite — and likely still are this season.

But things have shifted a bit.

The unfortunate injuries to the Thunder make one of the Lakers’ greatest foes a little less daunting. It makes LA’s path to the top of the Western Conference a bit less difficult. 

The door is cracked. 

And the Lakers should use everything they have left in their arsenal to blow it open.