Los Angeles Lakers Started Slow But Now On A Two-Game Winning Streak

By: Melo Williams 

The Los Angeles Lakers started the season 0-5 but have since defeated the Denver Nuggets and the New Orleans Pelicans and is now 2-5. Can the Lakers two game-win streak be a sign of things to come for the Purple and Gold?

Though the Lakers needed overtime to get past the Pelicans 120-117 on Wednesday a lot of good can be taken away from the Lakers two-game winning streak.

Moving Russell Westbrook to the bench has been key and potentially could save the team’s season from being a total disaster.

Bringing Westbrook off the bench always loomed as a possibility ever since Darvin Ham was named head coach of the Lakers. Ham threw the idea out early on he may explore the idea of bringing Russell Westbrook off the bench. Darvin Ham made the lineup change after Westbrook missed a game with a hamstring injury.

Through his first three games of the season, as a starter, Russell Westbrook averaged 10.3 points and 4.3 assists while downing 38.5 percent of his twos 10-26 and 8.3 percent of his threes (1-of-12). The Lakers were outscored by a total of 16 in his 86 minutes, and the starting unit was a minus-8.8 points per 100 possessions, with an offensive rating of 75.

In the three games, Westbrook has come off the bench, he’s averaging 16.3 points and 6.7 assists while converting 51.9 percent of his twos 14-27 and 33.3 percent of his threes (4-of-12). The Lakers, meanwhile, have outscored opponents by a total of 22 during his 90 minutes.

Westbrook has found nice chemistry with the wing trio of Lonnie Walker IV, Austin Reaves, and Troy Brown Jr.

Three games into his new role Russ has Lakers coach Darvin Ham excited about his play in his new transitioned role. After the win against the Pelicans, Ham told reporters “Russ had a helluva night.”
“In the last three games, he’s been phenomenal. One of my goals selfishly is to get him in the conversation for the sixth man of the year at some point, and why not start now? We were dragging in the mud early in the game, and he came in and gave us a huge, huge boost. So his fingerprints were definitely all over this game in a positive, productive manner.”

It’s a small sample size for sure but bringing Russ off the bench has been a positive for not only Russ but for the Lakers as a team.

It’s been a positive for Russ besides his stats when it comes to character seeing how professional he has been dealing with coming off the bench. It’s not an easy thing to do, to go from being a superstar starting to a reduced role as a sixth man.

All positive signs for the Lakers it may work out after all now that L.A. may have potentially found a way of optimizing Westbrook letting Russ be Russ.

Offensively is where the Lakers are struggling badly even with LeBron James playing in all seven games and having a good year. Anthony Davis has been playing with a back injury that has appeared to make his movements and reactions a tad bit slower. The Lakers were relying on Kevin Nunn to step in and spark the offense, however, he’s been a complete dud and has played himself out of the rotation. Shooting and three-point shooting has been the Lakers main problems offensively so far this season.

• Field Goal %

28th

43.2 FG%

• 3-point %

30th

26.7 3P%

• Points Scored

28th

107 PPG

• Total Rebounds

4th

47.9 RPG

Defensively the Los Angeles Lakers have been playing great. Through 8 games the Lakers have been one of the best defensive teams in the league, even during the five-game losing streak.

It’s no surprise though the Lakers are a good defensive team, their coach is Darvin Ham. Ham learned under Mike Brown and Mike Budenholzer, who is from the Gregg Popovich coaching tree and who was responsible for those Spurs elite defenses during the run of the championships that made the Spurs one of the best NBA dynasties of all time. So Ham knows a thing or two about defense. It’s his specialty.

The Darvin Ham defensive philosophy approach is working. The Lakers are first in steals per 100 possessions and 11th in blocks per 100 possessions. Opponents are turning the ball over on 18.7 percent of their possessions against the Lakers, the highest mark in the league. The Lakers is also allowing the fewest points in the paint per 100 possessions and the ninth-fewest second-chance points per 100 possessions.

Ham has been pleased with the Lakers results early on while acknowledging the team as a whole isn’t satisfied with a second-place finish.

Ham recently said there’s room for improvement though. He told reporters “I think guys have stepped up to the challenge. Our three principles – contain, contest and control – and I’ve been totally thrilled with the way we’ve tried to contain the ball, and keep the ball in front of us. The way we’ve contested, not just on the ball or chasing over the top of pick and rolls, but multiple contests – even guys who have shifted off the ball getting a hand up there. And then our shifts in activity, still gotta see room for improvement as well on the defensive glass. “I just like our activity. I think we’re (two in defensive rating). I would like for us to be No. 1. So we have goals that we want to work toward of being the best defensive team in the league.”

It’s going to be interesting to see just how long the Lakers can ride the momentum of Russell Westbrook playing the sixth-man role and how long will their defense remain one of the best in the league. If all this remains positive and the Lakers can start knocking down shots or bring in a player or two that can, this Lakers team will be very competitive again.

The Lakers next three games are the Jazz, Cavaliers, and the Jazz. The first two is home Friday night versus the Utah Jazz and Sunday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. On Monday in Utah.