NBA Coach Picks LeBron James, Lakers to Lose to Ja Morant, Grizzlies in 5 Games

At least one NBA coach is not sold on the Los Angeles Lakers' turnaround.

The anonymous coach not only picked the Lakers to lose their opening-round series, but for the Memphis Grizzlies to win in five games.

"The Grizzlies have too much firepower for the Lakers," the coach told The Athletic. "Ja Morant, I don't know if there's anyone on that Lakers team that can guard him. He's unguardable. And this is their time. This is what they've been waiting for all year long, the Grizzlies. … (The Lakers will win a game) only because of Anthony Davis. The Grizzlies are going to have a hard time, without Steven Adams, guarding Anthony Davis. We'll see which Anthony Davis shows up, too."

A scout and an executive who spoke to The Athletic both picked the Lakers, so not only is the coach going against the grain, he's doing so strongly.

FanDuel Sportsbook currently lists the Grizzlies as a -136 favorite to win the series overall, which is a markedly small gap between a No. 2 seed and a No. 7. By contrast, the Boston Celtics are a -1200 favorite over the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference's No. 2 vs. No. 7 series.

The Lakers were one of the NBA's hottest teams down the stretch, managing to navigate an extended LeBron James absence to stay alive in the playoff race and then lock down the No. 7 seed upon James' return.

The Grizzlies have been embroiled in controversy of late thanks in large part to the off-court issues of Ja Morant. The All-Star guard was suspended eight games last month for brandishing a firearm in a strip club while he was on Instagram Live.