There is doubt in Hollywood, however, because a home-heavy schedule may have padded the Lakers’ record and they lack a productive bench. Like the Celtics, who have issues of health and depth, the Cavaliers, who are still trying to figure out whether Shaquille O’Neal is an asset, and Orlando, which has been maddeningly inconsistent, the Lakers have their detractors.

Their biggest opponent at this point is complacency. Los Angeles began the season with 17 of 21 games at home, a lot of them against also-rans. The Lakers’ most impressive win is probably a home victory over Atlanta in early November. They have yet to play Orlando, Boston, Portland, or San Antonio, and they have lost at Utah and Denver and at home to Dallas and Houston.

In their first real test against an elite team, they lost at home to Cleveland on Christmas Day by 15 points.

The Lakers still have three more East Coast trips, an eight-game trip, and 15 of their final 21 games are on the road.

“We’re taking the right steps at this point of the year, but you can’t be expecting to play your best basketball,’’ said Pau Gasol. “But it’s not right, either. We just want to continue to grow and continue to improve every single game and continue to get stronger and closer to your goal. We’re trying to take care of business every single game. We’re not trying to give games away.’’

The starting core never has been a concern, but the bench is mediocre at best. Lamar Odom, fresh off signing a five-year extension last summer, has been miserable, averaging nearly 3 points below his 2008-09 average and shooting 42 percent.

Jordan Farmar is shooting 41 percent; Derek Fisher (age 35) is at 40 percent; Sasha Vujacic has been reduced to just six minutes per game; and Luke Walton is injured again. The question for the Lakers is how long they can ride Kobe Bryant and assume he is going to play like Superman nightly. Bryant is playing with a fractured right index finger, and Tuesday against Oklahoma City he twisted his knee coming down from a rebound. Staples Center went silent until he shook it off and remained in the game.

Bryant will continue to play at his Hall of Fame level, but he needs help. Gasol, who signed a three-year extension last week, has exceeded expectations, as has Andrew Bynum. But their backs are going to get weary carrying the dead weight unless someone else responds.

Gasol said the early season has been a feeling-out process, and the Lakers’ experience and guile will aid their championship quest.

“We understand what a season is like,’’ he said. “We are all very aware of what we need to do to be at our best when the time comes. When it comes closer to the end of the season, you start looking at other teams, how their records are, how they are playing, and what you need to do.’’

Bryant has willed the Lakers into some victories, making buzzer-beating shots against Milwaukee and Miami. So far, this has been a fortunate season for the Lakers, who realize there are many obstacles ahead.

Bryant will lead the way, and there may not be anything that can stop him physically.

“Injuries don’t affect me,’’ he said. “I am not going to sit here and say, ‘I got a knee, I got a finger.’ I’m fine. I’m more than fine.

“You just don’t want to stay where you are right now. You’ve got to improve. If we don’t continue to improve, we won’t win. So we have to keep going.’’

Can Pruitt make the rebound?

Pruitt is the starting point guard for the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the Lakers’ affiliate in the National Basketball Developmental League. It’s the same Gabe Pruitt who was a second-round draft pick of the Celtics in 2007 and played 62 games for them over two seasons before being let go.

Pruitt received a training camp invite from the Knicks but was quickly released, and with his NBA opportunities barren, he decided to join the D-Fenders to play in front of his family and convince NBA scouts that he is ready for a return.

Pruitt had bolted Southern Cal a year early because of O.J. Mayo’s impending arrival and caught on with the Celtics as a 21-year-old. But in the NBA, some youngsters are unable to handle the pressure of performing, the instant wealth, and the lifestyle. Pruitt is two months younger than Rajon Rondo and the two became friends when Pruitt was drafted. But while Rondo adapted to the rigors of the NBA, Pruitt spent most of his time in the D-League, although he left Boston with a championship ring.

Playing in the D-League can be a humbling experience. There is little media coverage and the pay is minuscule compared with the NBA minimum.

“It is a humbling experience when you play at the Staples Center and there’s 10 people there,’’ said Pruitt. “It makes you work that much harder. I want to get back to the top - the fans, the signs, people coming in wearing your jerseys.

“This down here brings you down to Earth and humbles you because you may think time will pass you by.’’

Pruitt took a chance by leaving school early. Boston was a team loaded with veterans trying to win a title, and he played in just 15 games during his rookie season. His role expanded slightly last season, but a DUI incident following a February game against the Clippers prompted a two-game suspension from the team and soured his image in the organization.

He did appear in four playoff games last spring, but the Celtics waived Pruitt in July. He has the talent to play in the NBA but hasn’t consistently displayed it, and this league is not one for those who can’t produce frequently.

Doc Rivers’s system mandates that reserves produce in their brief appearances, and the Celtics coach has grown to depend on Eddie House, Brian Scalabrine, and Tony Allen. Pruitt never gained Rivers’s full trust.

“The difference is, I think I am a harder worker now,’’ he said after scoring 15 points in 47 minutes against Bakersfield. “I have a better understanding of what it takes to be a pro.

“In Boston, I was young and I was living that lifestyle of a young guy with all the stuff being handed to me, and now I’ve got to take a step back.

“I see it now: This is what I had. It can be taken away real quick, which it was for me, and coming back here, it really showed me and opened my eyes that this is a business and you can make moves at any time.’’

NBA teams can sign players to 10-day contracts as of Jan. 5, and Pruitt could be an asset for a team that needs a reserve point guard. But there is a long list of D-League guards thirsting to join the NBA, many of them seasoned players with more experience and perhaps more consistency than Pruitt.

Some players never escape. The D-League’s leading scorer is ex-Rice standout Morris Almond, a former first-round pick who has been released by three teams. Pruitt is going to have to show that he can run a team and handle the NBA lifestyle.

“I am still working my way in, not having played [much for] two years, really,’’ he said. “I need to get my legs back and get the feel for the game.

“That’s the one thing I really want to work on is being consistent. I would come off a good game [in Boston] and come back and no one would know I was there, so consistency is the one thing I am working on now.’’

Sometimes the NBA offers only one chance. Pruitt hopes that’s not the case for him.

“This right here was a humbling experience, to sit back and look at my career and see what I wanted to do,’’ he said. “It just didn’t work out.

“I talked with Danny Ainge and he loved me, and I felt that I need to move on and really find a way for myself. The guys were there for a couple of more years, and the position I played in was pretty set, so I kind of felt it was time for me to go and move on.

“I had the opportunity to stay in New York and play for New York and I felt that was a great opportunity for me but unfortunately it didn’t work out, so back to the drawing board and I am here at home.’’

Etc.

Gary Washburn can be reached at gwashburn@globe.com.