It has begun. The Age of Luka is upon us. The great thing about this transition is that the Lakers were already one of the hottest team in hoops right now. Maybe THE hottest team. So they’re not expecting Luka to ride in like The Riders of Rohan and save the day. Rather he has the luxury of working his way slowly back into game shape and with the ASB giving the staff to take a 1-2 game sample size back to the film room and some post ASB practices we’re looking at potentially dynamite second part of the season. It’s the beginning of a new age, my friends.
- The true star of the team shined, again….the defense. The lakers have slowly but surely built themselves into an elite defensive squad this season. Even after losing Max Christie it feels like we didn’t miss a beat on D with DFS being absolutely instrumental coupled with the return of Jarred Vanderbilt. It’s not all these two , however, the entire team has bought into and is executing a much more precise and physical defensive set of schemes. Gone are the soft hedges on the screener and we’re seeing bodies pass each other more fluidly on the switch. Gone is one the stop shop of “switch everything” but rather a hybrid man/switch (depending on the situation) and we’re seeing guys calling out coverages. This is what an elite defense does on the reg. To see us find this level is truly heartening because it doesn’t just bode well for the regular season but the playoffs, as well.
- LeBron playing like a young man. After he took that charge, which ended up knocking him out of the game (and possibly the next one, too) you could see how pumped the team was. To see the oldest player in the game today step in and take that charge…when you’re up big…is an emboldening maneuver. It may have cost LeBron a good night’s sleep but the inspiration it provides the squad is invaluable. In general LeBron has been playing at a pretty incredible level since we hit mid-January and it’s coincided with the best Laker basketball we’ve seen all season long. While not an All Defense candidate he is moving and communicating on D and that’s enough. His offense is still elite so when he puts forth some effort on the other end you’re instantly reminded of just how far LeBron can still take a team when his body lets him.
- The Vanderbilt/DFS effect. DFS played 26 minutes, Vanderbilt played 17. between the two of them they managed the pedestrian stat line of 4 points, 6 rebounds (none offensive), 2 assists, 2 steals (both DFS) and a turnover (Vando). They didn’t make a three pointer in 4 tries between them and shot 1-7. They were a combined +17 (+13 for DFS and +4 for JV). I bring this up to illustrate how a player can choose to impact winning without putting the ball in the basket or even filling the stat sheet. These 2 are helping stabilize the Laker bench as defensive unit and allowing Gabe Vincent and whomever is playing with them from the starting 5 to shine while they grind and defend. Hard. They deflect, they push, shove, grab and scrape for position. They are vital cogs in the Lakers winning machine. I don’t care what the stat line says, the W/L record speaks for itself. Vando hasn’t lost since he came back, by the way. 8-0 with Vando.
- Reaves and Rui still balling. It’s worth noting how well both Rui and Reaves played last night because after we traded AD they both have been going off. If you were worried about some slippage due to new faces and acclimating the games of everyone they put that to rest fairly quickly. Reaves looks like a borderline All Star. Rui should be in the three point shooting contest. Both guys have come up absolutely huge since the calendar turned over to 2025 and it’s been awesome to watch.
- Oh yeah, Luka. 14 minutes and all of it knocking rust off and just getting back on the court. He shot poorly but still has the elite vision and audacity to make ridiculous passes. He connected with Hayes for dunks, got to the line a bit, shot some 3’s-made 1, and looked a lot like a guy who hadn’t played in a couple of months. It was amazing to see Dirk at the game, makes me wonder how much that will happen and if we can maybe bring Dirk into the fold lol.