Lakers News: Lonnie Walker IV Reflects On His Big Sunday Night
In the aftermath of your Los Angeles Lakers' 116-103 victory over the Brooklyn Nets last night, all the big headlines were awarded to All-Star big man Anthony Davis, who put forth a masterful 37-point, 18-rebound performance in willing L.A. to a W.
What fans may have overlooked amid all the (justified) AD hullabaloo is just how big a role starting shooting guard Lonnie Walker IV played in L.A.'s offense.
He was the club's second-leading scorer on the night. He scored 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting (4-of-5 from three-point land) and registered a +20 plus-minus on the night.
Walker discussed his approach to his role as a scorer for Los Angeles in postgame comments:
"Every time I touch the ball, I'm looking to be aggressive," Walker said of his approach to the game. "It's just time and place, understanding... [what makes] a good-to-great shot. So I'm just getting what the team gives me. If I'm open I take it. We kept running the pick and roll with AD. When you got someone with that level of talent, buckets come real easy because they're worried about AD more than anyone else. So I've just got to be ready to knock down shots."
Walker has been one of the few bright spots in the 3-10 Lakers' season. The 6'4" swingman out of the University of Miami was signed to the team's $6.5 million mid-level exception as a free agent this summer by team vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka.
Through 11 games, the 23-year-old swingman is averaging 16.5 points (on .472/.357/.813 shooting splits), 2.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game. He is actually L.A.'s third-leading scorer, behind only Davis and LeBron James. Walker has served as an enthusiastic defender, though he's not exactly a stopper, he is at least athletic and engaged on that end of the floor.
