A few thoughts

Aloha,

This was a much needed win and the fact that it came against the Clippers, the hottest team in the league, made it special. This game demonstrated how the Lakers need to play to win. Both AD and LeBron played well but we didn’t need a super human, heroic effort from either to win. We got contributions from everyone. As currently constructed we are not contenders but we are better than we have been playing recently.

If AD isn’t the DPOY, I don’t know who is. He successfully guarded PG, Kawhi and Harden at different times. But we definitely have to do a better job on the boards when AD is guarding the perimeter because Zu killed us on the boards when AD did.

LeBron redeemed himself on defense last night. After a lackluster effort against JJJ in the last game, he was solid against Kawhi.

C Wood did a nice job subbing in for both AD and LeBron. He has played better the last few games. Hopefully he has turned the corner and will continue to contribute because we need him.

Not sure what to do about Cam. He plays terrific defense but seems to make a boneheaded play for each great play he makes. 5 turnovers in 20 minutes is unacceptable. And his forays into the paint do seem to have any plan at all once he gets there. He did hit a couple of 3’s which we needed.

Vando has quietly been playing himself back into shape and he was terrific on defense last night. I thought he and Wood had a great synergy last night that I hope to see moving forward.

After shaking off the rust, DLO had a nice 2nd half. He made some big shots and 6 assists but just having a point guard playing with LeBron was huge. I think it actually helped LeBron conserve some energy for defense. Speaking of defense DLO did a pretty good job on that end as well.

Max continues to contribute when given the opportunity. I actually wish he had gotten a few of Cam’s minutes.

This win looked like how the Lakers were supposed to look this year. Contribution up and down the line up. Injuries really hurt our ability to grow as a unit. Hopefully we can have a little more luck moving forward with that. Darvin had said he was going to start Rui until he got hurt. I hope he does. A starting unit of Austin, Prince, Rui, AD and LeBron would be solid. But more importantly if we can get healthy a 2nd until of DLO, Vando, Cam, Wood and Max will be really good. And who knows Vincent might even play someday: A lot of the top teams may have more stars starting but when you look at their benches, they are pretty thin. I don’t have a lot of hope for a big trade with all the buyers that will be out there. But if LeBron and AD hold up and we finally stay healthy, we will be a competitive teams