Is it time to panic for these four NBA teams?

Losing streaks, injuries and suspensions can radically alter our perception of a team. Here are four teams that have dramatically underperformed, ranked on a panic meter scale of  “1” (worried) to “10” (full-blown hysteria).

All statistics and records through Tuesday.

Los Angeles Lakers (16-15) | Panic meter: 8

After a dominant run en route to winning the inaugural in-season tournament, the Los Angeles Lakers have fallen off hard, losing six of their next eight games, including a 126-115 Christmas day beatdown against the Boston Celtics.

“I don’t think we’re where we want to be to compete against the top teams until we continue to get better and better, continue to work our habits, ” forward LeBron James said per The Athletic’s Jovan Buha.

Over the last two weeks, the Lakers rank 24th in offense and 16th in defense per Cleaning the Glass, and their play on the court reflects that. The team simply cannot generate reliable offense down the stretch and a 118-111 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 21 — the last game James missed — showed the state of the team when he’s not on the floor.

On offense, D’Angelo Russell — brought in to be a secondary ball-handler and shot-creator — has struggled during this eight-game stretch, averaging a lowly 10 points and 29% from three.

The team is on the clock with James who turns 39 on Dec. 30 and Davis (30). Every year with a James-led team should be considered championship or bust and the roster as currently constructed is simply not capable of accomplishing that goal.

If the team continues its losing ways, then another trade deadline shakeup may be in the works.

Cleveland Cavaliers (17-13) | Panic meter: 4

Last season the Cleveland Cavaliers surpassed expectations, finishing with a 51-31 record, the fourth seed in the East and the best defense in the league. This season, the team has failed to meet expectations.

The team has been without key contributors Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, with the former suffering a fractured jaw against the Boston Celtics on Dec. 14, and the latter undergoing left knee surgery. Both are expected to miss multiple weeks.

“The only way we make this push is if we’re together on the floor. It doesn’t happen if it’s just one of us,” All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell said regarding Garland’s absence per The Athletic’s Joe Vardon.

Without Mobley and Garland, the Cavaliers are 4-1 this season, but the larger concern is the team’s defensive drop-off without Mobley. Per Statmuse, the Cavaliers have a 118 defensive rating without Mobley, which would put them in the bottom 10 of the league. 

This lies in stark contrast to the 112.8 defensive rating the team has when he’s on the floor, good for a top-ten spot.

Despite this season going sideways for the Cavaliers, the level of panic shouldn’t be very high. Garland (23) and Mobley (22) have yet to reach their prime and they still have a bonafide star entering his prime in Mitchell (27). 

The future is still looking bright for this team and even if they take a step back this season, they’ll be right back in the playoff hunt next season.

Golden State Warriors (15-15) | Panic meter: 6

This season for the Golden State Warriors has been one of the most trying in the Stephen Curry era. The Warriors are 10th in the West and have been without key contributor Draymond Green, who was suspended indefinitely by the league for striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face on Dec. 13.

Despite Green’s absence, the Warriors have managed to stay afloat with a 5-2 record since his suspension. Rookies Trayce Jackson-Davis and Brandin Podziemski have stepped up in a big way and Klay Thompson has started to round into shape, averaging 21.8 points on 43.6% shooting from three in his last five games