The Lakers are 11-8 after falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder at home on Friday but still occupy the sixth seed in the west. While the Western Conference is as stacked as ever with great teams, the Lake Show has positioned themselves to make a run for a top-six seed in the west, which would leave them out of the play-in tournament.
LeBron Raymone James Sr. is going to turn 40 years old on Dec. 30, yet he’s still putting up all-NBA numbers. He’s third in the league in assists per game, averaging 9.1 per contest, with 22.3 points per game. While his turnovers are up this year at 4.0 per game, he also has the highest basketball IQ on the planet, which should allow his turnovers to decline as the season matures.
While playing a big role on the Lakers, LeBron has also taken a backseat this year in terms of productivity. It’s his co-star, Anthony Davis, who has become the Lakers “1A” in terms of offensive efficiency. He’s averaging 28.4 points per game on 55% shooting from the floor. His efficiency has allowed the Lakers to rank sixth in the league in points per 100 possessions, and his dominance inside the paint has allowed for increased space for the snipers on the outside.
Dalton Knecht is one of the players who has enjoyed the freedom head coach JJ Redick gives him to stroke it from beyond the arc. He’s been a vital pick-up for the Lakers, as he’s shooting 44% from downtown and averaging 2.5 makes a game. He can be the key ingredient that gets the Lakers in the top six of the west, and further open up the offense.
One thing that has been consistent throughout LeBron’s career is that he loves to play with shooters. Dating back to his time in Miami, he had the luxury of kicking the ball out to Shane Battier and Ray Allen. In his second stint with Cleveland, he could whip it outside to Kyrie Irving and Kyle Korver. The Lakers haven’t had this much shooting since their championship season in 2020, and it’s helped their offense flourish tremendously.
It also doesn’t hurt that LeBron is shooting 38.8% from three in year 22, which would be his third-highest shooting percentage from downtown in his career. Becoming a more efficient shooter has allowed LeBron to elongate his career — he doesn’t take as much physical punishment compared to when he attacks the paint.
The main issues the Lakers have faced this season have been in their defense. They currently rank 24 in defensive efficiency, allowing 113.6 points per 100 possessions. This is something JJ Redick and his staff have to clea n up before the push for the playoffs begins in the new calendar year. It’ll take time for the team to gel with their new head coach, but Redick has proven to be a solid hire for the Lakers after firing Darvin Ham.
Redick is trying to win a championship as a first-year head coach. While it seems like a long shot, he still has an MVP candidate in Anthony Davis and the greatest player of all time on his team.
