As All-Star has finished, we head into the last quarter of the NBA regular season. The Los Angeles Lakers once again find themselves on the outside looking in, in regards to the playoff race in the Western Conference. However, this season, there is a different aura surrounding the Lakers.
The NBA trade deadline brought about many changes across the league, particularly in Los Angeles, where the Lakers cut ties with Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverly, and added Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell, Mo Bamba and Malik Beasley. So far, these new additions have nicely rounded out a Lakers roster that was due for some much-needed changes, as they were on their way to missing another postseason.
This new-look Lakers team headed into the All-Star break with a promising 18-point win over the New Orleans Pelicans, in which they received contributions from their dynamic duo, Lebron James and Anthony Davis, scoring 21 and 28 points respectively. D’Angelo Russell also chipped in 21 points, on three of five shooting from deep. Russell fills a much needed void for the Lakers when it comes to perimeter shooting, and will prove to be a valuable perimeter asset along with Austin Reaves, Dennis Schroder and Troy Brown.
D’Angelo Russell provides a different skillset to the Lakers with the loss of Russell Westbrook. Russell allows Los Angeles to space the floor, and will likely lead to more kick-out threes being converted, with the attention that Davis attracts in the paint. So far this season, “D-Lo” has averaged more points on fewer shots than Westbrook, and turns the ball over less often (2.67/game to Westbrook’s 3.5).
Less turnovers means more possessions for Lebron James, which is ultimately what the Lakers want. James is having another stellar year, averaging 30 points per game on 50.8% shooting from the field. If the Lakers’ record wasn’t so pedestrian, James would likely be in the conversation for his fifth MVP.
Scoring hasn’t been the issue for the Lakers, as they rank seventh in the league in that department (117 points per game). But they have struggled on the defensive end, giving up over 118 points per game, 26th in the league. Part of that may be due to a lack of rim protection in the paint with the extended absences of Anthony Davis over the course of the season. Davis has missed 24 games this year. Prior to their recent signings, the Lakers lacked size at the forward and center position.
Not only do the Lakers now have options on the perimeter, but they have also added defensive prowess in Vanderbilt and Bamba, which showed in their last game before the break. Bamba finished with three blocks and six rebounds against the Pelicans in just 16 minutes of play.
These two bigs will be crucial to the Lakers success down the stretch, especially if Davis misses more time.
The Lakers currently hold the 13th seed in the west, three spots out of the play-in tournament, and just two games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, who occupy the 10th seed.
Article written by Ben Kim of Walter Johnson HS
Photo courtesy of ESPN