Lakers Hot Takes 2 Months into 2022-23 NBA Season
Nearly two months have passed since the Los Angeles Lakers tipped off the 2022-23 NBA season with a double-digit loss to the Golden State Warriors—and four consecutive defeats after that.
Yet, for a campaign that has often appeared on the brink of destruction, the Purple and Gold have pieced together some encouraging stretches that make you think (or, at least, hope) that things can turn around for this team.
In the moment, it can be tough to read anything during this roller-coaster ride, but stepping back for a wide-angle snapshot of the squad allows for a few hot takes to come to light.
The Torch Has Been Passed
As soon as Anthony Davis joined forces with LeBron James in 2019, the pressing question was when would the former be ready to take the crown from the latter.
As Davis' injuries piled up and his three-point shooting percentage trended down, the question became if that transfer of power would ever take place. Now, in the fourth season of this powerhouse partnership, we finally have the answer: That time is now.
While James, in his 20th season, has perhaps finally started feeling the effects of aging, Davis has picked up the slack and then some while seizing control of this squad.
In fact, the 29-year-old might be authoring the best campaign of his career, matching his personal-best with 28.1 points and posting new highs of 59.3 percent shooting and a league-leading 12.4 rebounds per game.
This transition has been a critical turning point for the club, and now that it's in full force, the Lakers have a new leadership dynamic to carry them forward.
Now, the rest of the roster needs beefing up to really put L.A. into the championship race, but this passing of the torch was a massive step in that direction.
Austin Reaves Is Their 3rd-Best Player
Lonnie Walker IV is L.A.'s third-leading scorer with 15.7 points per game. Russell Westbrook paces the Purple and Gold with 7.5 assists. Patrick Beverley has held onto his starting spot amid a frigid shooting stretch with some of the stingiest defense around (83rd percentile in defensive estimated plus-minus, per DunksAndThrees.com).
Look beyond the box score, though, and you'll see Austin Reaves has rapidly ascended from undrafted rookie last season to the team's third-most important player this time around.
The 24-year-old the kind of do-it-all player who makes you want to talk in coachspeak, espousing on how he makes things happen and contributes winning plays. In more tangible terms, his minutes often coincide with the Lakers' best stretches.
Statistically speaking, Reaves moves their bottom line as well as anyone, trailing only Davis among the rotation regulars with a plus-6.2 net differential, per NBA.com.
It was one thing when he opened eyes with his hustle, intelligence and instincts. It's quite another when he's doing all of those things but also posting a pristine 51.1/37.6/90.8 shooting slash and coming through in crunch time.
Buying Big at Deadline Absolutely Makes Sense
The Lakers, as you may have heard a time or two million, have two future draft picks they're allowed to trade: 2027 and 2029.
Since before the season started, the debate has been whether it's good business to trade those picks without knowing how high the club's ceiling stretches and with the knowledge this team might bottom out by the time those picks actually change hands.
Well, with Davis reascending to top-five status and James still playing at a sky-high level, the justification to sacrifice those picks for short-term upgrades is clear.
Granted, the right player—or package of players—must become available for this to work. You don't trade two lightly protected (or unprotected) future picks for modest upgrades.
Should a star or a few near-stars shake loose, though, the front office should be ready to pounce. The Lakers have the top-shelf talent to make noise this postseason. They just need the right supporting cast to help make it happen.