How Good Could Lakers Be If LeBron, AD, & Russ Really Figure Things Out?
While it’s only three games, there are signs the ageless LeBron James, the recently redeemed Russell Westbrook, and the young Los Angeles Lakers’ resurgent roster may have finally figured out how to win playing together.
The Lakers may have found a rhythm and strategy on offense and defense that’s not only working now but could be even better once Davis and Nunn return and replace Howard and Bradley in the starting lineup and rotation. Basically, the Lakers have surrounded superstars LeBron James and Russell Westbrook with bigger young wings like Stanley Johnson and Wenyen Gabriel and dynamic Swiss Army knife guards Austin Reaves and Malik Monk.
The combination of more size, youth, and energy has led to the Lakers playing the best basketball of the season over the last three games. Whether there is still time for the Lakers to turn around their season is still the critical question. There are still questions whether Anthony Davis and Kendrick Nunn will be able to recover from their respective injuries in time to become available for the remainder of the regular season, the play-in tournament, or the playoffs.
While it may be a case of too little too late, there are definitely signs LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, and the Los Angeles Lakers have finally started to figure out how to actually win playing together. Let’s look at those signs.
The Never-Ending Greatness of LeBron James
There’s a reason why no NBA team wants to meet the Lakers in the playoffs and that fear starts with the never-ending greatness of LeBron James, who would be having his fifth MVP season if the Lakers had a winning record.
Now playing in his 19th NBA season, the 37-year old James is finally showing occasional hits from Father Time as his explosiveness sometimes wans and his injuries appear to be happening more often and taking more time to recover. Averaging a league best 30.0 points with 8.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists in 37.1 minutes per game while shooting 52.3%/35.4%/75.8%, LeBron is still playing like the best player on the planet with a pair of 50-point games last week.
While it’s been a frustrating and injury plagued season, James has remained motivated due to achieving career benchmarks in playmaking and scoring and remains completely confident the Lakers can pull off a big run in the playoffs. Assuming LeBron’s knee injury doesn’t get worse, the Los Angeles Lakers know to a man they’re never out of the championship conversation as long as LeBron James and Anthony Davis remain healthy, rested, and engaged.
As long as the Los Angeles Lakers have a healthy LeBron James, they will always have a puncher’s chance to win any series. If the Lakers can load manage LeBron so he’s healthy and rested, they can still win another ring.
The Miraculous Redemption of Russell Westbrook
After a disappointing year where the Lakers and Westbrook mutually agreed to part ways at the end of the season, Russ pulled off a miraculous steal and game-tying three that led to a Lakers’ overtime upset of the Toronto Raptors.
As unlikely as it might be, Westbrook ‘plucking’ that game out of the loss column and ‘putting’ it into the win column was the kind of miracle that could turn a team’s entire season around. It was redemption for Russell Westbrook. Russ has struggled playing with LeBron and AD as opponents mercilessly pack the paint to prevent the Lakers’ superstars from attacking the rim. The lack of spacing has been a major problem up until the Lakers’ last three games.
Averaging 21.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 9.7 assists in 37.7 minutes per game while shooting 53.2%/50.0%/66.7% over the last three games, Russ finally has figured out how to post and take advantage of defenders who sag off him. Russ posting up undermine the paint packing by other teams and usually leads to Russ scoring or forcing the opponent to double him, which opens up space for 3-point shooters to spot up and lanes for cutters to cut to the rim.
While the Lakers will still likely move on from Westbrook, there’s no question their new strategy of posting him up to take advantage of his playmaking and counter teams packing the paint has given new life to Westbrook as a Laker.
The Unlimited Potential of Anthony Davis
Less than a year and a half after helping LeBron lead his team to their 17th NBA championship, Anthony Davis has become the forgotten Laker superstar, given the nickname “Street Clothes” because of his propensity to get injured.
Integrating Anthony Davis should go a long way towards solving the Lakers size problems as well as defensive woes. Having their elite shot blocker who can guard all five positions back should immediately cure the Lakers’ defense. That’s why the progress the LeBron James and Russell Westbrook have made is the silver lining in Anthony Davis getting injured. Not only did it give James and Westbrook time to jell but also Davis time to rest and get healthy,
Despite the frustration of this year’s injuries, the way Anthony Davis was playing before suffering the knee injury is incredibly encouraging for the Lakers as he was hitting shots from everywhere and playing great defense. The key for Davis when the Lakers won their championship in the bubble was the several months off he head to rest and get healthy before the playoffs. Don’t look now but the Lakers may once again have a healthy, rested AD.
Anthony Davis had just 8 games to get ready for the playoffs in the bubble. If LeBron and Russ can figure out how to win without AD, then adding Davis for the playoffs is going to make the Lakers the team nobody wants to play.
The Surprise Upside of the Young Lakers
The wild card as the Lakers finish this agonizing regular season is how the older proven veteran players who were expected to dominate the rotations lost their place to better, more energetic and versatile younger players.
Offensively, the Lakers have doubled down on small ball, gambling the elite playmaking of superstars LeBron James and Russell Westbrook surrounded by talented young players who constantly move their bodies and the basketball. The result is an offensive chemistry and cohesiveness we have not seen before with this team that’s posted the second best offensive rating and second highest number of assists in the league in winning two of the last three games.
What the Lakers have found is a way to use smart ball and player movement to create opportunities to score when opposing teams are successfully able to pack the paint and prevent LeBron, AD, and Russ from attacking the rim. Surrounding LeBron and Russ with young energetic players who can attack the rim on backdoor cuts or splash wide open threes when left alone has been a lethal counter to teams packing the paint to force Lakers to shoot jumpers.
The energy, effort, movement, and chemistry from young Lakers like Austin Reaves, Malik Monk, Stanley Johnson, and Wenyen Gabriel has given the team’s superstars the perfect cast of savvy, talented, energetic role players.
The Lakers Amazing 18th NBA Championship?
How good could the Los Angeles Lakers be if LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook really figure out how to win games playing together? Good enough to win their second NBA championship in the last four years.
Still missing superstar Anthony Davis and top summer recruit Kendrick Nunn, the Los Angeles Lakers, led by the the ageless LeBron James and rejuvenated Russell Westbrook, have suddenly started to figure out how to win together. Russ is playing like a redeemed man who just woke up from a nightmare where his shot, handle, and brand had been badly damaged and sees a great opportunity to launch a total redemption and revenge tour for the Lakers.
The resulting mix of elite veteran playmaking and energetic young talent and the resulting chemistry and cohesion has the Lakers finally looking like the team many thought they could be when the trade for Russ was announced. The players are starting to play on a string at both ends of the court, stringing together 30-assist games, winning the rebounding and points in the paint battles, and playing the small-ball-on-steroids style that won a championship.
The Lakers will have to win two games in the Play-In Tournament to win the right to face the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs. There’s no question the Lakers will be the team nobody wants to meet in the playoffs.
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