Lakers News: Expert Convinced New LA Starters Can Make Playoff Noise After Chicago Win
In his latest "10 Things" column, Zach Lowe of ESPN had a rave review for your Los Angeles Lakers' new starting five of point guard D'Angelo, shooting guard Austin Reaves, small forward LeBron James, power forward Jarred Vanderbilt, and center Anthony Davis, in their first major tandem minutes during the team's 121-110 win over the Chicago Bulls Wednesday.
Lowe highlighted the relative ease of the team's offensive fit, with some patented LeBron James/Anthony Davis pick-and-roll actions (something that was limited by their staggered minutes when James came off the bench Sunday for no good reason), good playmaking and catch-and-shoot work from D-Lo, Reaves filling the gaps, Vanderbilt staying out of the way when he wasn't rolling to the rim. Troy Brown Jr. or Rui Hachimura could be decent substitutes if Vanderbilt's lack of shooting proves problematic in the playoffs.
Additionally, Lowe made a point to mention the team's defensive acumen with its starting frontcourt triumvirate of James, Vanderbilt and Davis, which has registered a plus-49 across 69 minutes together.
Lowe notes that Davis can be fully engaged when he can serve as a tertiary ball-handler. He was a high school point guard, after all, and one of the elements that makes his game so special is his ability to make plays.
At 38-38, the ninth-seeded Lakers will face off against the 39-38 Minnesota Timberwolves tonight, and as Lowe points out, LA still has a pretty easy path to possibly even nabbing the sixth seed in the Western Conference, and avoiding the play-in tournament altogether.
Given the health issues that have been plaguing the Lakers of late (James, Russell and Davis have all missed time recently), skipping any bonus contests en route to the playoffs would be idea..
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