After beating Atlanta on Monday night, the Lakers are now five games above .500, their best record in three years.
Their victories were led, as usual, by their all-star duo of Anthony Davis and LeBron James. Every player, no matter how good, still managed to exceed expectations.
AD has only missed four games all season and has been a dominant force on both ends of the court, averaging 25 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 3.6 assists. He is a legitimate candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.
LeBron continues to defy Father Time, posting historic numbers in his age-39 season: 25 points, eight assists and seven rebounds per game, while shooting a career-best 40.6 percent from three-point range.
However, this duo has been dynamic throughout the season. What fueled this turnaround was the play of the supporting players, specifically the increase in production this calendar year from the “Triple R”: D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura.
D’Angelo Russell
Some fans will never forgive D-Lo for his bad series against Denver in the Western Conference Finals last season. They called him “trash,” a choker and worse, and insisted that a winning ballclub couldn’t count on him. If they had succeeded, he would have been exchanged for a bag of popcorn.
Fortunately, the Lakers front office didn’t panic and stuck with Russell. Perhaps they understood that Russell is not a prototypical point guard. He doesn’t have the chance to take a lightning-fast first step and can’t jump very high. However, he compensates for these faults with a quick release on his excellent outside shot and with a first-rate vision of the field which allows him to deliver the ball to his opening teammates.
After an uneven few months to start the season, Russell emerged from the shadow of his two star teammates to propel the team to victory. For the season, he is averaging 18.1 points and 6.4 assists while shooting 42.4% from behind the arc, all excellent numbers for a “third banana.”
But since his return to the starting lineup on January 13, D-Lo has been nothing short of spectacular. Over the last 29 games, he has averaged 22.1 points and 6.8 assists while converting 45.3% of his three-point tries.
Russell scored in double figures in 27 of those 29 games in the starting lineup. He has made at least 2 three-pointers in 17 of the last 19. And he was magnificent in the Lakers’ recent win over Milwaukee, scoring 44 points while shooting 9-12 from deep.
Plus, he’s playing the best defense of his career, using his long arms to deflect passes and disrupt the opposition.
At 28 years old, D-Lo should be entering his prime. If he and the team can come to terms on a contract extension this summer, Laker fans will be the beneficiaries.
Austin Reaves
Expectations were high for this third-year goalie, especially after his performance in last season’s playoffs and for Team USA this summer. But it must be admitted that it got off to a slow start. Like Russell, he was removed from the starting lineup for a time.
As a Manu Ginobili-type sixth man, AR began to rediscover the magic that attracted so many fans last year. Overall, he’s averaging a respectable 15.8 points and 5.5 assists this season while shooting an above-average 37.7% success rate from beyond the arc.
But in the 35 games since returning to the starting lineup on Jan. 3, he’s been even better. Since then, Reaves is averaging 16.6 points and 6.0 assists while connecting on just under 40 percent of his long-range attempts. He’s scored in double figures in 17 straight games, 20 of his last 21 and 25 of his last 27.
Reaves had a breakout game against the Celtics last month, scoring 32 points while shooting 7-10 from deep and leading the team to an unexpected victory in Boston. He turns 26 in May and has publicly stated that he would like to remain a Laker for life. Fans can only hope that his wish is granted. For now, he is under contract for the next two seasons.
Rui Hachimura
He’s another player who had a stellar playoff run a year ago but got off to a slow start this season. He suffered a series of relatively minor injuries which no doubt contributed.
For the entire season, Hachimura is averaging 12.8 points while shooting 41.2% from beyond the arc and a career-high 53.1% overall. Those are great numbers for a guy who is fifth on the team in shot attempts.
But like the other two “Rs”, Rui has improved his game since becoming a starter on February 3. In the 19 games since, he’s averaged 15.3 points while shooting 43.5 percent from deep. He has scored in double figures in 13 of the last 16 games and has made three points in 12 of the last 14. And he made several decisive shots in the fourth quarter.
Hachimura, 6-foot-8, 230 pounds, sometimes guards the opposing center to allow Davis to protect the hoop as a defensive free safety. His effort cannot be criticized.
His biggest game came against Utah when we scored 36 points, burying 6 of his 8 three-pointers. He is the same age, 26, as Reaves and is also signed through 2026.
Other Lakers are contributing off the bench, including Jaxson Hayes, who is shooting an insane 70 percent from the field. The Taurus Prince remains a three-point threat (38.7%). Spencer Dinwiddie struggled on offense but was effective on defense, as was Cam Reddish. The possible return of Jarred Vanderbilt would also help on that side of the ball.
Fans can count on AD and LeBron to dazzle the rest of this season and into the playoffs. But if the “Triple R” also continue to shine and together average at least 50 points per game while playing good team defense, the Lakers are capable of beating any other team in the Western Conference. Yes, that even includes the two they had the most problems with, Denver and Sacramento.
Following. I turned my back. 17 people who turned their backs on the Lakers. dark
