The Lakers’ Biggest Test is Staring Them Right in the Face
The Lakers’ journey this season has been bumpy to say the least. Injuries and COVID protocols have prevented them from showing their true potential. Add in the fact they lost some games they could have easily won, and you have a team that looks nowhere near where their fans want them to be (or where they want to be, either).
With the news that Anthony Davis will be sidelined for the next month with an MCL sprain, as well as the various Lakers coming in and out of Health and Safety Protocols, it is clear that the purple and gold have quite a mountain of adversity to climb in the coming weeks.
It is also clear that it will be up to Westbrook, LeBron, and the Lakers’ coaching staff to figure things out…and fast.
The main reason why I single out two members of the big three is that it is their responsibility to keep the team afloat in times like this. They have the tools and resumés to lead this team to an above .500 record at the end of January, so now it’s time to show it.
This is also the main reason the Lakers traded for Russ in the first place. They made a big bet and now have to play with the cards they’ve been dealt. Westbrook has been slowly getting back to his normal self (yes, even the bricklaying), as evidenced by his past four games.
For the most part, Russ has been a star in his role, which is the lead facilitator that takes the playmaking duties off of LeBron and part of the scoring duties off of Anthony Davis. However, with the Brow out for the next month and the King playing more at center (even though “[HE’S] THIRTY-SIX!!!”), Westbrook will simply have to remain aggressive and quit settling for threes unless they are actually needed.
Although he’s nearing thirty-seven and Father Time seems to be creeping up on him, LeBron has shown hardly any signs of slowing down. As mentioned previously, he has also taken on the role of “small-ball center”, with Frank Vogel recently choosing to use only one big man per game. He has also been playing as though he’s ten years younger, as seen with his last eight games.
Whatever the King is doing right now, he needs to keep it up for this next stretch. However, he and Westbrook are not alone, as the supporting cast and coaching staff will also need to carry their own weights heading into the new year.
Beginning with the supporting cast (or at least what’s left of them), they have not been fully healthy this year, and with the influx of players having to deal with COVID protocols, it makes the task of getting into a consistent rhythm even more challenging.
Isaiah Thomas was brought back to the Lakers (and to the NBA) on the hardship exception and scored 19 points in his return on Friday. He earned a starting spot last night against Chicago, and finished with 13 points, two rebounds, and an assist. Forward Trevor Ariza was cleared to play after having ankle surgery in the offseason; he buried a three pointer and racked up a rebound and two assists in his season debut last night. Rookie Chaundee Brown, brought up from the G League as part of his two-way contract, recorded the first points of his NBA career against Chicago as well.
The rest of the cast has been relatively mediocre as of late. The leading bench scorer last night was 37-year-old Carmelo Anthony. While it is great to see him get buckets, the Lakers’ coaching staff should not be relying on him to do all the heavy lifting off the bench, particularly at this stage in his career. Though the Lakers have also missed Malik Monk, Austin Reaves and Dwight Howard (and you can take a guess as to why), it should not be an excuse to coast when everyone on the team has a “next man up” mentality. It’s up to Wayne Ellington, Rajon Rondo, and *sighs heavily* DeAndre Jordan to be better than they are right now. Those players, among others, will be huge when it comes to non-Westbrook and non-LeBron minutes in the coming games.
Finally, the coming month will be the biggest test for the Lakers’ coaching staff. With Frank Vogel joining the list of inactive members of the league, David Fizdale has been given the keys to a purple and gold Porsche with an engine colder than the current LA weather. Fans knew it would take a while for this team to get into a groove, but they have grown impatient as the challenges and losses piled on. Fizdale has certainly been taking pages out of Vogel’s book, but the two-time head coach will need to call his own shots until the head coach is able to return. Vogel and Fiz will have to play the cards they’ve been dealt, and their decisions, along with those of the rest of the staff, will be critical in games during this four-to-six week stretch.
All in all, every member of the Lakers will need to step up their game. Losing Davis to an MCL sprain is not the end of the world, but it certainly makes things more strenuous for everyone involved. Westbrook and LeBron will need to carry the team, the bench players will need to star in their roles, and the coaching staff will need to make the right calls at the right times if LA wants to maintain their trajectory towards a top-five seed in the West.
