Quarter Season Review

In my introductory post, I wrote about my worry that this newest incarnation of a Lakers superteam would lack fun. The 2003-2004 Kobe/Shaq/Payton/Malone was a marathon of dysfunction that ended in a five game “sweep” in the NBA Finals. The 2012-2013 Lakers were even worse, a collection of mismatched Hall of Famers that’s served as a blueprint for what not to do. These teams were near-championship quality, but they were often a slog to watch. They were the opposite of the young Lakers teams of the last few years, teams that were never in serious contention for an 8th seed, but were comprised of young, talented players waiting for a breakout. If you didn’t find that fun to watch, then you don’t like basketball. So my main concern was this: Could the 2019-2020 Lakers find the perfect balance of contending for a championship while fielding easy-to-root for ballers playing an exciting brand of Lakers basketball?

Yup. In a mahor way. My big question for creating this project — that the 2019-2020 Lakers would rekindle my the joy I got out of the Lakers — was quickly answered. And, obviously, I couldn’t be happier. As I write this, the Lakers are 17-3.

Let’s start with the dynamic duo of Anthony Davis and LeBron James. Davis is everything as advertised. I can’t really call him a generational talent since this generation also has players like Giannis and Embiid. But The Brow is a true freak of nature with the speed and size to simultaneously guard point guards on the switch and to dominate defending big men in the paint. I can’t imagine him not resigning with the Lakers after this year, especially given LeBron’s resurgent play after his disastrous season last year. Speaking of freaks of nature, I would be shocked if we don’t find out in a decade that LeBron was at the forefront of an HGH era in the 2010s NBA. It’s not just that he’s finding a new role as a facilitator who’s currently leading the league in assists. He’s also driving to the paint and unleashing furious dunks like a much younger man. When Kobe was at this point in his long career, he would drive to the bucket on fast breaks, with the crowd rising to his feet, their voices raised… only to then witness one of history’s most ferocious dunkers lay it in. Not LeBron. The #WashedKing has some of the healthy brand of spite in his back pocket.

But this team wouldn’t be as dominant if it wasn’t for The Other Guys. Starters Danny Green and Avery Bradley are as expected: A 40%+ three point shooter and a lockdown defense point guard, respectively. At center, the big man Javale McGee knows his role is small but vital: Clean-up. But the marquee name at center has unexpectedly been his back-up: Dwight Howard, the cast-off only signed because Demarcus Cousins went down with a season ending injury.

Dwight’s renaissance has been an incredible thing to witness. Like Flea, I’m one of thousands of Laker fans who owe Superman an apology. Along with Kyle Kuzma, he’s the key to the Lakers sturdy bench that initially gave me worries in the months before I knew what Coach Frank Vogel’s rotations would look like (more on him later). Many commentators thought Kuzma would play a ball-handling role this season, but since he’s come back from his summer injury, he’s mostly been a stellar catch-and-shoot weapon for the team. Even Alex Caruso, who could easily be lumped into the category of Goofy Looking White Guy Fan Favorite, is breaking through as a championship contending team’s back-up point guard. Which is impressive on a team with a resurgent Rajon Rondo and no real starting point guard.

Then there’s Coach Vogel. His reputation in Indiana, where he provided the Lebron-led Miami Heat’s only real adversary for the Eastern Conference crown, was purely on defense. And he’s delivered in L.A., where a locked-in LeBron has the rest of the team buying into the Lakers as a tough-in-the-paint team. That’s not something that’s been said about the Lakers in years, even during the championship-contending seasons featuring all-time great big men like Shaq. But where Vogel has really shined is the rotations. Teams have been flummoxed so far by a team that rarely features LeBron and AD on the bench together for any lengthy period of time. The Lakers don’t have a true starting point guard and they have too many big men (including centers who can’t shoot a three) in a league dominated by scoring point guards and smaller line-ups. But they’re currently the team with the best record in the league.

Which leads me to the final caveat: The weak schedule. Yes, the Lakers have had a pretty easy schedule since they opened the season by getting their asses handed to them by the Paul George-less Clippers. And while they’ve had some blowouts against flimsy squads like the Hawks and Wizards, many of their games have been close and featured double-digit comebacks. It’d be nice if LeBron didn’t have to be on the court those last 6 minutes, but the 2019-2020 Lakers are building to something beyond a championship contender. They’re building what can be a long-lasting core out of these castoffs, former greats, role-players, and superstars who are learning to trust each other more and more with each victory and (rare) loss. And I’m thrilled to be writing about the Lakers during their best season in a decade. 62 more games to go. 62 more recipes to cook.