Lakers the League’s Biggest Surprise
We’re a little under a quarter of the way through the 2016-17 NBA Season, and among the teams vying for a playoff spot in the league, the Los Angeles Lakers have been quite the surprise. Through 17 games, they’re 8-9—having only gone under .500 following a double header to the powerhouse Golden State Warriors. And while 8-9 isn’t exactly the bee’s knees, it’s still a big deal for a team that won a total of 17 games in 2015-16. With Kobe retiring, pundits thought this would be nothing more than a rebuilding year for the Lakers. And while they’re definitely rebuilding, they’re also playing decent basketball for such a young squad—decent enough that they’re only a game back from being in the playoff hunt.
So this is year 1 for the post-Kobe Lakers. For twenty years Bryant ran the team—the last five of which saw him playing like he was the only one out there. And sure, it was fun to watch. But there were young guys starving for some experience. Now, in the wake of his retirement, the Lakers have adopted a passing offense that actually spreads the ball around. Not to mention, minutes. And the best part is, it seems to be paying off. Through 17 games, nine players on the Lakers roster are averaging more than twenty minutes per game—so there’s no shortage of time for the young guys to get some solid experience. Plus, almost everyone on the roster is averaging at least one assist per game, with D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle leading the team with 4.8 and 3.9 assists respectively. Russell, a 6’5 lanky sophomore shooting guard with a quick release, is putting up 16.1 points game, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.31 steals per game. Also, last week he posted 32 points against the Brooklyn Nets in a tight win in New York. Not too shabby considering he’s been struggling a bit with injury.
Now, the big thing about the Lakers is this: without Kobe, they don’t have a key star on the court. You couldn’t point to a single name on the roster that screams STAR. But you can look the stat sheet up and down, and you’ll see one thing: the Baby Lakers, a team with an average age of 26, have depth. They’ve got depth. And they’ve got energy. Nine players playing 20+ minutes a game. That’s largely unheard of in this league.
But here’s the big issue: injuries loom heavy in the LA locker room. Three of their top players, Russell, Randle, and Nick Young are each struggling with their own physical problems. Just this past week, Russell received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his sore left knee, which is expected to sideline him for two to three weeks. Randle, who’s been dealing with a painful hip pointer, remains questionable heading into tomorrow’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, while Coach Walton expects Nick Young, who’s been recovering from a sprained toe, to play.
We’re about to witness the Lake Show’s biggest test of the season so far. After hosting the Hawks on Monday, Walton and Co. hit the road for four straight games against the Pelicans, Bulls, Raptors, and Grizzlies. The latter three are in playoff form right now, especially the Raptors who trail only the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference. Among this stretch of matchups, perhaps their best shot for a win comes in New Orleans against the Pelicans. Still, with Anthony Davis averaging 30 and 10, a double-double through 17 games, and not a true big man with the capacity to stop him on the Lakers roster, it might very well go the way of the Pelicans.
Then the Lakers return to the Staples Center to face the Jazz, before heading off to play the Rockets in Houston. With injuries causing uncertainty for LA, it’s hard to imagine them squeaking out more than a single win in the next seven games. That would push their consecutive loss streak to nine, with 11 in their last twelve games.
Then again, they’ve already surprised the league with their play thus far, so maybe they’ll be out to prove something to the naysayers. The choice is there’s, really. A young team like this is susceptible to folding under the pressure. And yet, no one expects them to play like the Warriors. It’s a small miracle that they’ve won almost half their games to this point. If they can band together, overcome injuries, and fight through every minute of this coming stretch, they might just emerge on the other side with a couple more wins hitched to their record, and a healthier squad facing down a much easier slew of matchups. Not to mention if they can fend off the Jazz at home and give the Pelicans some fits, they’ll still be straddling that elusive eighth playoff spot heading into the holidays. And if that’s not a morale booster for a team that no one expected to be in contention, I’m not sure what is.
