Malik Monk

While it’s only three games, there are signs the ageless LeBron James, the recently redeemed Russell Westbrook, and the young Los Angeles Lakers’ resurgent roster may have finally figured out how to win playing together.

The Lakers may have found a rhythm and strategy on offense and defense that’s not only working now but could be even better once Davis and Nunn return and replace Howard and Bradley in the starting lineup and rotation. Basically, the Lakers have surrounded superstars LeBron James and Russell Westbrook with bigger young wings like Stanley Johnson and Wenyen Gabriel and Swiss Army knife guards Austin Reaves and Malik Monk.

The combination of more size, youth, and energy has led to the Lakers playing the best basketball of the season over the last three games. Whether there is still time for the Lakers to turn around their season is the question. There are still doubts Anthony Davis and Kendrick Nunn will be able to recover from their respective injuries in time to become available for the remainder of the regular season, the play-in tournament, or the playoffs.

While it may be a case of too little too late, there are definitely signs LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, and the Los Angeles Lakers have finally started to figure out how to actually win playing together. Let’s look at those signs.

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The Never-Ending Greatness of LeBron James

There’s a reason why no NBA team wants to meet the Lakers in the playoffs and that fear starts with the never-ending greatness of LeBron James, who would be having his fifth MVP season if the Lakers had a winning record.

Now playing in his 19th NBA season, the 37-year old James is finally showing occasional hits from Father Time as his explosiveness sometimes wans and injuries appear to be happening more often and taking longer to heal. Averaging a league best 30.0 points with 8.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists in 37.1 minutes per game while shooting 52.3%/35.4%/75.8%, LeBron is playing like the best player on the planet with two 50-point games last week.

While it’s been a frustrating and injury plagued season, James has remained motivated due to achieving career benchmarks in playmaking and scoring and remains completely confident the Lakers can pull off a playoff run. Assuming LeBron’s knee injury doesn’t get worse, the Los Angeles Lakers know to a man they’re never out of the championship conversation as long as LeBron James and Anthony Davis remain healthy, rested, and engaged.

As long as the Los Angeles Lakers have a healthy LeBron James, they will always have a puncher’s chance to win any series. If the Lakers can load manage LeBron so he’s healthy and rested, they can still win another ring.

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The Miraculous Redemption of Russell Westbrook

After a disappointing year where the Lakers and Westbrook agreed to part ways at the end of the season, Russ pulled off a miraculous steal and game-tying three that led to a Lakers’ overtime upset of the Toronto Raptors.

As unlikely as it might be, Westbrook ‘plucking’ that game out of the loss column and ‘putting’ it into the win column was the kind of miracle that could turn a team’s entire season around. It was redemption for Westbrook. Russ has struggled playing with LeBron and AD as opponents mercilessly pack the paint to prevent Lakers’ superstars from attacking the rim. The lack of spacing has been a problem up until the Lakers’ last three games.

Averaging 21.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 9.7 assists in 37.7 minutes per game while shooting 53.2%/50.0%/66.7% the last three games, Russ finally figured out how to post and take advantage of defenders who sag off him. Russ posting up is the perfect counter fore paint packing by other teams and usually leads to Russ scoring or forcing the opponent to double, which opens up space for shooters to spot up and lanes for cutters to cut.

While the Lakers will still likely move on from Russ, his redemption and the new offensive strategy of posting him up to force teams to double and open up shots for cutters and shooters has given new life to Russ’ game.

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The Unlimited Potential of Anthony Davis

Less than a year and a half after helping LeBron win their 17th NBA championship, Anthony Davis has become the forgotten Laker superstar, nicknamed “Street Clothes” because of his propensity to get injured.

Integrating Anthony Davis should go a long way towards solving the Lakers size problems as well as defensive woes. Having their elite shot blocker who can guard all five positions back should quickly cure the Lakers’ defense. That’s why the progress the James and Westbrook have made is the silver lining in Anthony Davis getting injured. Not only did it give James and Westbrook time to jell but also Davis time to rest and get healthy,

Despite the frustration of this year’s injuries, the way Anthony Davis was playing before suffering the knee injury is incredibly encouraging for the Lakers as he was hitting shots from everywhere and playing great defense. The key for Davis when the Lakers won their championship in the bubble was the months off he head to rest and get healthy before the playoffs. Don’t look now but the Lakers may once again have a healthy, rested AD.

Anthony Davis had just 8 games to get ready for the playoffs in the bubble. If LeBron and Russ can figure out how to win without AD, then adding Davis for the playoffs will make the Lakers the team nobody wants to play.

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The Surprise Upside of the Young Lakers

The wild card as the Lakers finish this agonizing regular season is how the older proven veteran players who were expected to dominate the rotations lost their place to better, more energetic and versatile younger players.

Offensively, the Lakers have doubled down on small ball, gambling the elite playmaking of superstars LeBron James and Russell Westbrook surrounded by talented young players who constantly move their bodies and the ball. The result is an offensive chemistry and cohesiveness we have not seen before with this team that’s posted the second best offensive rating and second highest assists in the league in winning two of the last three games.

What the Lakers have discovered is a smart way to use ball and player movement to create scoring opportunities when opposing teams are able to successfully pack the paint against James, Davis, and Westbrook. Surrounding LeBron and Russ with young energetic players who can attack the rim on cuts or splash wide open threes when left alone has been a lethal counter to teams packing the paint to force Lakers to shoot jumpers.

The energy, effort, movement, and chemistry from young Lakers like Austin Reaves, Malik Monk, Stanley Johnson, and Wenyen Gabriel has given the team’s superstars the perfect cast of savvy, talented, energetic role players.

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The Lakers Amazing 18th NBA Championship?

How good could the Los Angeles Lakers be if LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook really figure out how to win playing together? Good enough to win their second NBA championship in the last four years.

Still missing superstar Davis and top summer recruit Nunn, the Los Angeles Lakers, led by the the ageless LeBron James and the rejuvenated Russell Westbrook, have finally started to figure out how to win games together. Russ is playing like a redeemed man who just woke up from a nightmare where his shot, handle, and brand had been badly damaged and sees an opportunity to launch a total redemption and revenge tour for the Lakers.

The resulting mix of elite veteran playmaking and energetic young talent and the resulting chemistry and cohesion has the Lakers finally looking like the team many thought they could be when the Westbrook trade happened. The players are starting to play on a string at both ends of the court, cobbling together 30-assist games, winning the rebounding and points in the paint battles, and playing their championship small-ball-on-steroids.

The Lakers will have to win two games in the Play-In to win the right to face the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs but there’s no question the Lakers will be the team nobody wants to meet in the NBA playoffs.

The Lakers will be under intense pressure to win games the rest of this season and transform their flawed roster into a deeper, more balanced and talented team this summer to convince LeBron James to sign an extension.

LeBron James will become eligible to sign a 2-year extension with the Lakers on August 4th. The Lakers need to do everything in their power before then to win enough games and improve their roster to get LeBron to re-sign. While the Lakers didn’t have the chips to make a big move at the trade deadline, they’ll be able to offer their 2027 and 2029 first round draft picks and Russell Westbrook’s $47 million contract will now be expiring.

There’s also been a rash of articles in the media and blogs about the Lakers wanting to distance themselves from Klutch Sports. While the organizations have many common goals, their motives have not always been fully aligned. Nevertheless, the partnership has resulted in the Lakers getting superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis and winning the team’s 17th NBA championship in the bubble, proof of the benefits of the Klutch alliance.

The Los Angeles Lakers/Klutch Sports alliance has been a huge edge for the Lakers over other NBA teams. While it can be an unwieldy partnership at times requiring compromise, it’s an advantage no other NBA team has. That’s not something you throw away or risk losing. Nothing wrong with wanting to renegotiate issues but keeping communications open and working to refine and make the partnership even better is smart.

So what do the Lakers have to do to convince LeBron James to sign a two-year extension to continue wearing the purple and gold? Here are the four key things the Lakers must accomplish to get LeBron to sign an extension:

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1. Mend Fences with Klutch Sports and Agree on Offseason Plan

Nobody knows who or how the Lakers front office makes decisions. Most observers see the team run by a cadre of four individuals: team governor Jeanie Buss, VPBO Rob Pelinka, and advisors Kurt and Linda Rambis.

What’s missing are the dominant voices the Lakers had when Jerry Buss was managing owner and Jerry West GM. Instead, Lakers now make decisions via mutual collaboration and consensus rather than decisive executive edict. One of the reasons the collaborative approach has worked for the Lakers has been their close alliance with Rich Paul and Klutch Sports, the agency that coincidentally represents both LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

From LeBron’s free agency signing to Anthony Davis forced trade, there’s a valid argument Rich Paul and, by extension LeBron James, have been the true general managers behind the L.A. Lakers’ 17th NBA championship. While there are situations where what’s best for the team and a player may not align, there’s no question signing LeBron James as a free agent and then forcing a trade for Anthony Davis were gifts to the Lakers by Klutch Sports.

Rob Pelinka and Rich Paul need to sit down together and get back on the same page because the LeBron James and Anthony Davis pairing is still the genius move that raised the bar and ceiling for both the Lakers and Klutch. They need to share intelligence and work together to figure out how best to resolve the Russell Westbrook situation, keep the players who have proven they belong, and how to upgrade the starting lineup and overall rotations.

The Lakers/Klutch Sports alliance has been a major success for both the NBA team and the player agency. The Lakers need to do what’s necessary to mend the fences and keep Klutch Sports as an exclusive weapon.

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2. Finish Regular Season Strong and Show Up Big in Playoffs

The Lakers have 24 games remaining in the regular season. They are currently 9th in the West with a 27–31 record. To compete for 6th seed and avoid the play-in, the Lakers need to win 75% of the rest of their games.

That would mean going 18–6 with a good chance neither Anthony Davis or Kendrick Nunn will be available until the last 6 to 12 games. Realistically, the Lakers will be hard pressed to avoid being in the play-in tournament. While participating in the play-in tourney would create a gauntlet the Lakers would have to survive to win the championship, the silver lining is they always have a chance with a healthy and motivated James and Davis.

The Lakers have finally elevated their play over the last few games, almost defeating the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco and coming from behind after losing Anthony Davis to injury to smack down the Utah Jazz. Hopefully, they’ll come back refreshed after the All-Star break ready to make a stretch run despite missing their superstar center. While they probably can’t go 18–6 over the last 24, the goal should be at least 15–9.

As for the playoffs, here’s where it gets interesting, if the Laker finish 7th or 8th, they can win the #7 or #8 seed. If the finish 9th or 10th, they can only win the #8 seed. Ideally, the Lakers want the #7 seed to face the Warriors. Because of matchups, the last team the Warriors want to play in the first round of the playoffs is the Lakers with healthy superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Lakers could upset Warriors and win first round battle.

Who knows, maybe the Lakers take down the Grizzlies in round two and the Suns to get to the Finals and we have a Hollywood ending to the story. Showing up in the playoffs, however, could be key to keeping LeBron.

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3. Bring Back Role Players Monk, Anthony, Reaves, Johnson, and Nunn

One of the underappreciated aspects of this season has been the emergence of five talented role players who should be part of the Lakers’ roster next season, hopefully providing some long needed continuity and consistency.

This season, the Lakers brought back just three players from the previous season: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Talen Horton-Tucker. The expected lack of continuity was exacerbated by injuries and poor lineups. Even if they trade Horton-Tucker, who’s not a great fit next, and Russ, the Lakers still have five quality role players in Malik Monk, Carmelo Anthony, Austin Reaves, Stanley .Johnson, and Kendrick Nunn.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis plus the five proven role players listed above would give the Lakers’ roster for next season seven returning players, which is almost half of the fifteen active players on their roster. The Lakers need to use Russ’ $47 million expiring contract and THT’s $10 million contract and their 2027 and 2029 first round draft picks to trade for three quality starters to complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Of the five role players, Malik Monk is the one the Lakers are most at risk of losing because the most they can offer him is the taxpayer $6.2 million MLE, while there could be teams willing to offer him the full $10 million MLE. Reaves is under contract, Nunn has a player option, Johnson a team option, and Anthony likely to want to run it back. So with luck, the Lakers might be able to keep the best of this year’s team for better continuity next season.

Bringing back players whom LeBron likes and respects is just as important as bringing in new players who solve needs that cost us wins. Monk, Anthony, Reaves, Johnson, and Nunn would give the Lakers a great bench.

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4. Trade for Third Superstar or Three Elite Two-Way Starters

The most important thing the Lakers can do to get LeBron to sign an extension this summer is trade Westbrook, THT, and their 2027 and 2029 first round draft picks for a third superstar or three quality starters.

How successful the Lakers are in trading Russ and his $47 million expiring contract, Horton-Tucker, and picks for that elusive third superstar —like Lillard or Beal — could determine whether LeBron stays or forces a trade. While it’s a long shot that the Lakers could turn Westbrook, Horton-Tucker, and two first round picks into a third superstar or three elite starters, there are fortunately pathways Pelinka can take to accomplish both goals.

Landing a legitimate third superstar to complement James and Davis would likely require a loyal superstar like Lillard or Beal requesting the Blazers or the Wizards to trade him to the Lakers, which is not very likely to happen. But trading for three potential starters who would be major upgrades over the current starters is something Rob could accomplish using Russ’ $47 million expiring contract and the Lakers’ two first round draft picks.

The key is the Lakers’ willingness to trade Russ’ expiring contract for two or three players with multiple-year deals. The Pacers, for example, might take Russ’ expiring contract to dump Brogdon’s and Hield‘s long-term contracts. While they would be getting Russ’ $47 million expiring contract, they would also be avoiding the over $100 million total salary owed to the other two. The real value of expiring contracts is helping other teams clear cap space.

Turning Westbrook, Horton-Tucker, and their 2027 and 2029 first round draft picks into three quality 3&D starters would be the kind of offseason Rob Pelinka needs to have to convince LeBron James to sign an extension.

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What this entire situation has come down to is a battle for positioning on what the end of the LeBron as a Laker era is going to look like. Will it end with the Lakers paying max salaries to a diminished superstar like Kobe? The win-now Lakers just don’t want the LeBron era to end like it did the two times he left Cleveland , where the team was left with zero cap space and too many overpaid veteran role players on long-term contracts.

In the end, its LeBron versus Jeanie in that Klutch want the Lakers to go all-in to win another championship, which today means trading draft picks, taking back long-term contracts, and be willing to pay mega luxury taxes. These are points Lakers’ media and fans have been screaming about for years. The rules of how you win in the NBA have changed and the Lakers need to recommit to doing whatever is needed to win championships.

Lakers need to mend fences with Klutch, finish season strong and have good run in the playoffs, bring back their five elite role players, and trade Russ’ expiring contract and picks for a third superstar or three starters.

That’s how the Los Angeles Lakers get LeBron James to sign an extension.

For a team that needs practices and superstars who need a chance to rest and recover, the All-Star break is Lakers’ last chance to make adjustments for the 24-game stretch run that starts vs. the Clippers February 25th.

If the Lakers have any hopes of transforming what has been a dismal season into a miraculous comeback in the playoffs, then they need to consider major strategic moves to transform the team over the remaining 24 games. The good news is there are major moves on and off the court the Lakers can make to become a much better team. The bad news is there isn’t much time to act and the Lakers have never been an organization to react with urgency.

Here are five strategic moves the Lakers should consider during the All-Star break to optimize their chances of winning 18 of their 24 remaining games to hopefully finish 46–37, which would give them a good shot at the #6 seed.

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1. Consider Firing Frank Vogel and Making Phil Handy Interim Coach

Timing is everything when it comes to changing coaches. The last thing the Lakers need to start this offseason is a lengthy coaching search that delays and derails the team’s plans to rebuild their roster to championship level.

There’s no scenario where Frank Vogel is anything but a lame duck coach when it comes to the Lakers. That’s why the smart move by the Lakers is to fire Vogel after Wednesday’s game and make Phil Handy the interim coach. Promoting Handy would give the Lakers the opportunity to test drive him for the rest of the season and open the door for the Lakers to rethink what’s important and how best to utilize the players they have on the roster to win.

The Lakers as a team need to use the rest of this season to decide exactly what kind of team they want to build, specifically whether they want to chase a third superstar like Dame this summer or better starters and bench. The Lakers also need their next head coach to share a vision of basketball that embraces analytics and the importance of 3-point shooting and versatility when building a roster or constructing lineups and rotations.

Changing coaches now will enable the Lakers to use the rest of the season and the performance under Handy to be in the best position to resolve the coaching issue by end of season so they can focus on upgrading their roster.

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2. Experiment with Starting Lineups Built Around LeBron and AD

After trading for Westbrook, the Lakers learned building winning lineups around three ball dominant superstars is not easy. Going forward, they need to experiment with starting lineups built around LeBron and AD.

The Lakers have struggled all season long to build lineups with all three superstars. The problem has been it was impossible to fit the elite 3-point shooting and perimeter defense the team needed in just two other starters. Building starting and closing lineups around just superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis becomes much easier because there are now three starters from which to get the needed shooting and defense.

For example, a Lakers’ starting lineup of Malik Monk, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Stanley Johnson, and Anthony Davis would be able to shoot the three and play solid defense. That’s a lineup the Lakers should test. Logistically, the Lakers could also tailor their starting and closing lineups based on the matchups against different opponents. They could even have big lineups with Howard starting at the five against certain NBA teams.

Strategically, the Lakers need to experiment with lineups built around James and Davis and without Westbrook so the team will not start every game by spotting the other team with an early double digit lead.

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3. Experiment with Russell Westbrook off the Bench as Sixth Man

The flip side of experimenting with two superstar starting lineups is the Lakers will get an opportunity to have Russ be their 6th man catalyst coming off the bench with Melo to wreak havoc against team’s second units.

Not unexpectedly, Russ’ numbers when playing without LeBron and AD are positive whereas his numbers with James and/or Davis have been negative. What’s great about Westbrook as a 6th man role is it allows Russ be Russ. Westbrook surrounded by shooters torching other teams’ second units could be a big part of the Lakers matchup strategy the rest of the year. Imagine Russell with elite 3-point shooters like Melo, Monk, and Ellington.

Nor am I saying Russell Westbrook never starts or closes a game. What I’m saying is the Lakers’ major problem all season long, partly due to injuries and Covid and partly due to poorly conceived and ineffective lineups. This is why the Lakers may need to change head coaches for change to work. Frank Vogel is likely not the best choice as coach to experiment with two superstar lineups without Russ and single superstar lineups with Russ.

The Lakers need to find the optimum situation where Westbrook can have the biggest impact for the Lakers. Part of that solution may be lineups with Russ as the lone superstar surrounded by multiple elite 3-point shooters.

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4. Ramp Up Playing Time and Responsibilities for Young Players

After standing pat at the trade deadline, the Lakers need to ramp up the playing time and role responsibilities of talented high-performing young players like Talen Horton-Tucker, Malik Monk, and Austin Reaves.

If the Lakers are going to have any chance of surprising teams and winning in the playoffs, they will need to count on even bigger contributions from this trio of young players, which means giving them more minutes and roles. While the Lakers will seek to bolster their roster with more size and defense from the buyout market, they should give Malik Monk and Austin Reaves starter and closer minutes to accelerate their development.

Beside Monk, Reaves, and Horton-Tucker, the Lakers should also give more minutes to Stanley Johnson in certain matchups and hopefully to Kendrick Nunn when he recovers from his lingering knee injury and is ready to play. Making sure the team’s younger players get minutes and roles to grow and become better is a strategic goal for the rest of the regular season. The Lakers need young players to grow their value as players and trading chips.

Ramping up the playing time and roles for Monk, Reaves, Horton-Tucker, Johnson, and Nunn is one way the Lakers can become a better team over the last 24 games of the regular season and peak heading into the playoffs.

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5. Offer Starting Roles to Recruit Players from Buyout Market

With the Lakers not improving themselves at the trade deadline, there will be pressure on Rob Pelinka to find upgrades via the buyout market, which could prove difficult as the Lakers are no longer among the favorites to win.

The one big advantage the Lakers may have over other NBA teams is they are able to offer a point guard like Goran Dragic or shooting guard like Gary Harris guaranteed starting roles the rest of the regular season and playoffs. Buyout free agents who will be looking for ways to impress teams and land a big new contracts could feel playing with LeBron James and Anthony Davis and starting for the Los Angeles Lakers was gold for their brand.

We know the Lakers successfully used this same exact strategy last season to entice Andre Drummond to sign with the Lakers after being bought out. Unfortunately, they’ll need to be careful not to make that mistake this time. Landing Dragic and/or Harris as starters would certainly be a long shot since both are rumored to be leaning towards the Mavs and Nuggets but an opportunity to showcase their game on the Lakers could be irresistible.

The Lakers should be aggressive in promising top buyout candidates like Goran Dragic and Gary Harris guaranteed starting roles and minutes to entice them to sign with the Lakers as free agents for the rest of the season.