After a chaotic trade deadline, a monotone All-Star Weekend and the shocking news that phenom Victor Wembanyama was shut down for the season because of deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, the NBA returned over the weekend for the final seven-week sprint to the end of the regular season.
There are plenty of storylines to digest -- from Luka Doncic's acclimation in Los Angeles to the playoff races in each conference to what, if anything, can be done about the league's two most disappointing teams, the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns.
As a result, we canvassed the league on the 10 most important questions for the stretch run, including where key postseason and award races could be headed.
But we start with the new-look Lakers and what executives said about their championship timeline.
