The Los Angeles Lakers won't be hanging world championship banner No. 17 this NBA season.

The NBA playoffs are a distant memory, Kobe Bryant is out for the season, and huge roster changes are needed. Thankfully for the Lakers, they will have a lot of cap space opening up next year. When you break down the wins, losses and statistics, this could be the worst season in Lakers franchise history.

The Lakers are currently 16-45 through 61 games of play. That's a 26.2 win percentage.

The worst season in Lakers history (by win percentage) was the 1957-58 season when the club finished 19-53, a 26.4 win percentage. That Lakers team was still playing in Minneapolis at the time. Believe it or not, the Lakers actually made it to the NBA Finals the very next season, but lost to the Boston Celtics.

As for the worst Lakers team based in Los Angeles, last year's squad has that reputation. The 2013-14 Lakers went 27-55, recording the most losses ever in a season for any Lakers team.

The Lakers have 22 games remaining this season. If they lose at least 12 more games this season, they will break the franchise record for most losses in single year. As long as the Lakers win at least 21 games they will slightly overpass the 1957-58 squad in win percentage, To do that, they must at least go 5-16 in their final 21 games.

Not only have the Lakers suffered from poor play, but they haven't had luck on their side either. Future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant only played 35 games this season, and playing in the Western Conference doesn't help. The Lakers have to deal with top tier teams such as Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors.

Byron Scott and the Buss family know the Kobe era is coming to a close and they have to make moves soon. The Lakers probably won't ever be able to replace a player like Bryant, but they have to find their next superstar by draft or free agency. From the Wilt Chamberlain era, to Magic Johnson, to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal, the Lakers know how to find superstar talent.

The Lakers also have a big decision to make regarding their current roster. They may let point guard Jeremy Lin walk in free agency or re-sign him for another season. It will be extremely critical to see where the Lakers end up in the upcoming NBA draft.

At this point, the Lakers are just trying to avoid being on the wrong side of NBA history. Again, the two magic numbers for the Lakers right now are five and 11. With five wins, the Lakers avoid the worst win percentage in franchise history, and with 11 wins, the Lakers avoid the most losses in a single season.

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