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Rebuilding the Lakers’ Starting Lineup With Two Key Trades at the Deadline!

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With superstars Russell Westbrook at the one, LeBron James at the four, and Anthony Davis at the five, the Los Angeles Lakers desperately need to find starters at the two and three who can space the floor and play elite defense.

The Lakers originally hoped Wayne Ellington might start at the two and Trevor Ariza at the three but both have been injured and have yet to play. There have also been concerns about Wayne’s defense and Trevor’s health. Right now, Vogel has settled on Avery Bradley and Kent Bazemore to start at the two and three with the Lakers’ three superstars. Whether they can hold onto those jobs when Ellington and Ariza get healthy is up for debate.

With three superstars who are not elite 3-point shooters and a defense first head coach like Vogel, the challenge facing the Lakers is to find starters at the two and three who are both elite defenders and long range shooters. Whether Vogel can find the right starters at the two and three with the shooting and defense to complement James, Davis, and Westbrook from the collection of aged shooters the Lakers signed as free agents is doubtful.

In the end, the Lakers need younger, more talented starters at the two and three than Bradley and Bazemore or Ellington and Ariza. Here are two key trades that would dramatically upgrade the Lakers’ starting lineup.

1. TRADE WITH BOSTON CELTICS FOR MARCUS SMART

With Boston’s early struggles and Marcus Smart’s dissatisfaction with his role, could the Lakers lure the Celtics to trade the 27-year old shooting guard for 20-year old Talen Horton-Tucker and 23-year old Malik Monk?

Giving up two promising young stars in their early 20’s would be a high price for an elite defender and average 3-point shooter like Smart but Horton-Tucker is still two years away and Monk too expensive for Lakers to re-sign. The Lakers are in full win-now mode with the Westbrook trade and adding Smart as a lockdown defender and starter at the two would enhance Los Angeles’ chances of winning another championship in the LeBron era.

As a member of the 2019 and 2020 NBA All-Defensive First Teams, Marcus Smart could be the perfect shooting guard for the Lakers considering his elite defense. He’s not a great 3-point shooter but is not afraid to let shots fly. Smart would give the Lakers the elite defensive stopper at guard they currently do not have. While Marcus only shot 34.7% from three the last three seasons, he did still average almost 5.5 3-point attempts per game

Tempting the Celtics to trade an elite defender like Smart would be costly. Offering a package of two budding young stars in Horton-Tucker and Monk should be enough to convince the Celtics to move Marcus Smart.

2. TRADE WITH ATLANTA HAWKS FOR CAM REDDISH

With the Atlanta Hawks hesitating to give Cam Reddish an extension, the door may be open for the Lakers to offer a straight up trade of combo guard Kendrick Nunn for 6′ 8,” 217 lb 4-year veteran small forward Cam Reddish.

Since the Lakers will likely not be able to re-sign Nunn, whom they signed with their $5 million MLE this offseason, flipping him for the bigger Reddish whom they would be able to re-sign would be a smart move going forward. The Lakers’ greatest weakness is a lack of wings who have the size to defend the bigger wing scorers in the league like Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Jayson Tatum, Brandon Ingram, Chris Middleton, and DeMar DeRozan.

Cam Reddish is the perfect defense first candidate to start at the three just as Marcus Smart is the perfect defense first candidate to start at the two. Both are elite defenders but high volume, low percentage 3-point shooters. Reddish has great potential defensively and if he continues to improve his 3-point shooting, he could become an invaluable starter on a championship Lakers team. For sure, he would give the Lakers an elite wing defender.

With the Hawks having issued expensive extensions to Trae Young, John Collins, Kevin Huerter, and Clint Capela, there’s a good chance the Lakers could trade Kendrick Nunn for Cam Reddish to be their starting three.

SMART AND REDDISH WOULD UPGRADE LAKERS STARTERS

Imagine a new lethal Lakers’ starting lineup for the second half of the season with Russell Westbrook at the one, Marcus Smart at the two, Cam Reddish at the three, LeBron James at the four, and Anthony Davis at the five.

Trading for Marcus Smart and Cam Reddish would give the Los Angeles Lakers a dramatic upgrade at starting shooting guard and small forward over Avery Bradley and Kent Bazemore or Wayne Ellington and Trevor Ariza. More importantly, the trade would only cost three young players, two of whom the Lakers would not be able to re-sign next summer, and allow them to keep Bradley, Bazemore, Ellington, and Ariza as valuable backups.

Having traded THT and Monk for Smart and Nunn for Reddish, the Lakers would then have 14 active players on their roster and one opening. Here is what their depth chart would look like for the second half of the season:

PG: WESTBROOK, Rondo, Reaves
SG: SMART, Ellington, Bradley
SF: REDDISH, Bazemore
PF: JAMES, Anthony, Ariza
CE: DAVIS, Howard, Jordan

Trading for Smart and Reddish dramatically upgraded the Lakers’ starting lineup, especially defensively. They essentially replaced two starting role players with two elite defenders better equipped to win a championship. The Lakers also replaced two key young players in Nunn and Monk whom they were sure to lose to free agency next summer with two tradeable young players who are better fits for what the Lakers need going forward.

Rob Pelinka knew the roster he gave Frank Vogel was a flawed roster that would have to be corrected at the trade deadline or buyout market. Right now, Smart and Reddish top the Lakers’ list of likely trade targets.

Mercurial Playmaker or Lethal 3-Point Shooter? How Lakers Can Have Both?

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The Lakers were confronted with pro basketball’s version of Sophies’ choice: the mercurial ‘difference-making playmaker’ or the lethal sharp shooter who took more threes than any player not named Steph Curry?

After negotiating with both the Sacramento Kings for Buddy Hield and the Washington Wizards for Russell Westbrook, the Lakers made a last minute decision to go with the mercurial playmaker over the lethal 3-point shooter. But there are whispers around the league the Lakers may have been simply setting the stage to expand the parameters of the Russell Westbrook trade to include other players and teams with a goal of still landing Buddy Hield.

In fact, you could argue giving up almost all of your trading chips for a max contract point guard who can’t shoot the three would be idiotic unless the Lakers had a plan to expand the trade to include Buddy Hield or a shooter.

WHY THE WESTBROOK TRADE COULD BE EXPANDED

Because the trade can’t be finalized until after the August 6 free agent moratorium begin, the Lakers still have time and opportunity to expand the trade to enable them to land both Russell Westbrook and Buddy Hield.

There’s a viable argument Rob Pelinka and Tommy Sheppard have agreed in advance to allow either team to expand the trade. Washington already has done this by trading the #22 pick in the draft to Indiana for Aaron Holiday. The obvious tell that this might be the case was the Wizards announcing to their fans that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was a keeper but Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell wouldn’t be part of the team’s roster on opening day.

Remember Kuzma and Harrell were the players the Sacramento Kings had tentatively agreed to accept in trade for prodigious 3-point shooter Buddy Hield. Coincidence or not, that opens the door for LA to expand the trade. The way this transaction is happening reminds me of how Pelinka, Griffin, and Sheppard managed the AD deal, which ended up being a three-team trade helping the Lakers could clear cap space to pursue Kawhi Leonard.

The Lakers have multiple options to try and expand the Russell Westbrook trade to include Buddy Hield. While accomplishing that will take some salary cap magic, it’s what multiple-team trades were designed to do.

CAN THE LAKERS AFFORD TO ACQURE BUDDY HIELD?

Aside from the logistic challenges acquiring Buddy, the question may be can the Lakers afford him? Everybody is assuming the Lakers are all-in on paying whatever they have to win since they traded for Russell Westbrook.

The problem is the total cost of going all-in could be prohibitive. Re-signing THT and Caruso, using the MLE, and paying Buddy Hield would result in $180 million in salary, $160 million in tax, and $340 million total payroll. Realistically, that’s way too much to pay in salary and taxes. The Lakers will have to chose between paying for a prodigious shooter like Buddy Hield or trustworthy role players like THT, Caruso, and a player for the MLE.

If the Lakers were to fill out the rest of their roster with minimum salary players, they would have $145.1 million in salaries and $13.7 million in taxes for a total payroll of $158.8 million, which would already exceed many teams. Adding Hield would cost $166.2 in salaries, $83.5 million in taxes, for a payroll of $249.7 million. Adding THT. Caruso, and MLE would cost $160.0 million in salaries and $57.8 million in taxes for a payroll of $217.8 million.

Ultimately, the Lakers may be forced to choose between adding a needed lethal shooter like Buddy Hield to give them the 3-point shooting they need or bringing back Horon-Tucker and Caruso and using the taxpayer MLE.

HOW DO LAKERS LAND RUSS AND BUDDY?

Once the Lakers accept that they have to choose between Hield and the Horton-Tucker, Caruso, and MLE trio of role players, they will have three pathways or options to expand the Westbrook trade to include Buddy.

These three options will depend upon Rob Pelinka and the Lakers being creative in finding teams willing to receive free agents like THT and Caruso in sign-and-trades that will hard cap the receiving team for the rest of season. Talen Horton-Tucker and Alex Caruso are projected to receive offers close to $10 million each so together they bring back $20 million per year in tradeable contracts the Lakers could use to expand the Westbrook trade.

The Lakers’s first option is to convince the Washington Wizards to accept a sign-and-trade for Dennis Schroder in lieu of Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell so the Lakers can send them to the Kings in return for Buddy Hield. The Lakers could offer to replace Kuzma and Harrell with THT and Caruso, two younger players who would be better fits on the the Wizards roster or worth more as trading chips in other deals to upgrade their roster.

The second option is for the Lakers to find a third team without cap space to sign Schroder in free agency but who are willing to sign-and-trade for him. Fortunately, there are a few teams in that situation who need a point guard. The key would be to swap Schroder for a player or pair of players whom the Kings would accept in trade for Hield or whom the Wizards would accept in lieu of Kuzma and Harrell in the deal for Russell Westbrook.

The Lakers’ third option is to find a team who’s interested in sign-and-trading for Horton-Tucker and Caruso and willing to give the Lakers one or two players they could flip to the Wizards in place of Kuzma and Harrell. This could be the Lakers most likely option to expanding the Westbrook trade to include Hield. Both Horton-Tucker and Caruso should be attractive sign-and-trade pieces for teams looking for defense or a potential future star.

Overall, the Lakers should be able to find a way to use Horton-Tucker and Caruso to expand the Russell Westbrook trade to include Buddy Hield and land both the mercurial playmaker and the lethal 3-point shooter.

Lakers Considering Going Small With LeBron at the Four & AD at the Five!

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If any Lakers news this offseason deserved a Woj Bomb, it was Mark Stein’s report that the Lakers covet a “difference-making playmaker who would allow James and Davis to spend more time at power forward and center.”

This is blockbuster news for the Lakersverse. If true, Stein’s report basically says the Lakers are considering abandoning what has been a two-year campaign to accommodate Anthony Davis’ preference not to play the five. While Davis’ best position is the five and the Lakers’ best lineups are with him at the five, Los Angeles finally appears to be ready to commit to James and Davis playing the 4 and 5 in both the regular season and the playoffs.

So why the change in strategy, a move that obviously has to have LeBron James’ and Anthony Davis’ approval as well as the Lakers’ front office and coaching staffs, and how will that impact the team’s offseason moves?

WHAT POSITIONS HAVE LEBRON AND AD BEEN PLAYING?

If Mark Stein’s report proves to be correct, moving LeBron James to the 4 and Anthony Davis to the 5 represents a dramatic and stunning strategic change in how the Lakers will utilize their two superstars next season.

In his three Lakers seasons, James has spent 43% of his regular season minutes and 46% of his playoff minutes at point guard with only 11% of his regular season minutes and 0% of playoff minutes at power forward.
Meanwhile, Davis has played 71% of his regular season minutes and 47% of his playoff minutes at power forward and just 29% of his regular season minutes and 53% of his playoff minutes as a Laker playing center.

The Lakers are now considering making a radical lineup change for the upcoming NBA season by having LeBron James move from point guard to power forward and Anthony Davis move from power forward to center.

WHAT’S BEHIND THE SUDDEN CHANGE IN STRATEGY?

After spending most of last regular season and playoffs actively avoiding LeBron at the four or AD at the five, what happened to suddenly cause the Lakers to decide to change course and embrace a James/Davis four/five?

The easiest explanation is the Lakers know they do not have the cap space or trading chips to transform the current roster to championship caliber so they smartly decided to take better advantage of the personnel they have. The James/Davis small ball lineup is clearly the Lakers best lineup. They just need to add an elite point guard so LeBron could move to the four and rethink how to prevent AD from getting injured so he can play the five.

The Lakers know small ball is the future of the league and moving LeBron to the four and AD to the five will optimize their superstars and make it easier for them to add the shooters and defenders they need to win the title.

HOW WILL THE CHANGE IMPACT LAKERS’ OFFSEASON?

The biggest challenge the Lakers will have converting to a James/Davis small ball lineup for next season is finding a ‘difference-making playmaker’ to replace LeBron James at point guard so he can move to power forward.

A starting lineup with LeBron at the four and AD at the five also opens up an opportunity for the Lakers to add a bigger 3&D wing player like PJ Tucker, who can shoot the corner three and defend high-scoring twos and threes. Tucker would be the perfect player for the Lakers to target as their starting three. Signing him would give the Lakers three starting front court players who could guard all five positions at all three levels of the court.

Finally, whom the Lakers start at shooting guard will depend on whom they acquire to start at the point. If they acquire a point guard who’s a volume deadeye 3-point shooter, then they might survive with THT at the two.

WHY WILL THE LAKERS SMALL BALL LINEUP BE BETTER?

By redeploying their two superstars, the Los Angeles Lakers found a path to rebuild their roster to championship caliber despite not having open cap space for free agents or trading chips to pull off mega deals for elite players.

Starting James at the four and Davis at the five not only takes advantage of the front court pairing the Lakers used to win their 17th NBA championship in last year’s bubble but opens up opportunities for more 3-point shooting. The Lakers have a better chance of finding an elite 3&D wing to start at the three alongside LeBron and AD at the four and five than finding a center to play alongside Davis that wouldn’t be played off the court in the playoffs.

By committing to the James/Davis front court that won the championship, the Lakers have given themselves a chance to roll out their best potential lineup with both of their superstars finally playing their ideal positions.

Lakers Players Building Championship Confidence Being Stars in Their Roles

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To say the Los Angeles Lakers have had a tough season is a understatement. The short offseason, compressed schedule, and major injuries to superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis and key role players have taken their toll.

Barring the Lakers winning their remaining two games and the Blazers losing their last game against the Nuggets on Sunday, the defending NBA champion Lakers will end the 2021 regular season in 7th place in the West. The NBA introduced a Play-In Tournament this season to determine the 7th and 8th seeds. The winner of the 7th vs. 8th place teams wins 7th seed while the loser plays the winner of 9th vs. 10th place teams for 8th seed.

The playoff path for the 7th seed Lakers to repeat as NBA champions this year is a gauntlet filled with major obstacles and road blocks. In fact, no team below 5th seed has ever won the championship in NBA playoff history. Despite all the injuries and losing 17 of the 29 games since LeBron James was injured in March, the Lakers are suddenly getting healthy and showing promising signs they may be capable of defending their championship.

The most promising signs have been the recent championship caliber play by LeBron’s supporting cast, including Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond, Talen Horton-Tucker, Kyle Kuzma, Alex Caruso, and Wesley Matthews. While championships in the NBA are won by superstars, basketball is still a team game and it’s often role players performing like stars in their roles that ultimately determines which team ends up winning the NBA championship.

So let’s look at the key members of LeBron James’ supporting cast who have performed like stars in their roles over the Lakers’ last few games and what their roles might be in these playoffs helping win the championship.

THE RETURN OF PLAYOFF ANTHONY DAVIS

Considering we don’t know for sure whether LeBron’s high ankle sprain has completely healed or not until he hits the court, Anthony Davis playing at the elite level of last year’s playoffs is the key to a Lakers’ championship.

In the last three games he’s played, Davis has averaged 32.7 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.3 blocks in 41.1 minutes per game, while shooting 45.2% from the field, 33.3% from three, and 78.4% from the line. Those stats compare favorably to last year’s playoff stats: 27.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.4 blocks in 46.6 minutes per game, while shooting 57.1% from the field, 38.3% from three, and 83.2% from the line.

Watching Anthony Davis finally shoot and defend at the same elite level he did during last year’s playoffs gives Lakers fans legitimate hope the purple and gold can still rally and run the gauntlet to repeat as NBA champions.

THE EMERGENCE OF ANDRE DRUMMOND

Signed as a free agent from the buyout market, Andre Drummond has struggled at times to find his role and comfort zone playing with the Lakers during the 19 games he’s played with LA with LeBron and AD injured.

With the return of Anthony Davis, Andre has finally started to figure things out, averaging 18.0 points, 14 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 28.6 minutes per game, shooting 62.5% from the field and 50.0% from the line. That is a dramatic improvement over his first 17 games when he averaged just 11.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.8 blocks in 24.3 minutes per game while shooting 52.0% from the field and 64.3% from the line.

The important of Drummond finally posting double-doubles like the 17.5 points and 13.5 rebounds per game he averaged for the Cavs this season cannot be overstated. The Lakers suddenly have a playoff starting center.

THE STAR POWER OF TALEN HORTON-TUCKER

After refusing to include Talen Horton-Tucker in a trade for Kyle Lowry, the Lakers finally started to see rewards for their faith in their 20-year old young star as THT has now elevated his play to include late game heroics.

His dramatic rebound and put back after a wild layup miss sealed the Lakers’ clutch win over the Nuggets and his 3-point dagger from the wing over childhood hero Derrick Rose clinched the Lakers’ win over the Knicks. With LeBron James, Dennis Schroder, and Alex Caruso out the last two games, THT has taken over the point and averaged aa 18-point, 10-assists double-double leading the Lakers to big wins over the Suns and Rockets.

With a 12-man rotation heading into the playoffs, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel is going to be challenged to find playing time for many of the role players on his bench but THT has shown he has to be part of that rotation.

MORE CONSISTENCY FROM KYLE KUZMA

More than any other role player on the Lakers, Kyle Kuzma is the team’s jack of all trades with his scoring, rebounding, playmaking, and defense, all of which at times leads to his posting inconsistent stats from game to game.

During his last 2 games, Kuzma has focused primarily on scoring with both James and Davis out, racking up games of 23 and 19 points in wins over the Knicks and Rockets, including a clutch game winning layup over Houston. Kyle averaged a team best 21.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.0 steal, and 0.5 blocks in 32.4 minutes per game over the last 2 games while shooting 58.6% from the field, 45.5% from three, and 50.0% from the line.

Kuzma will be one of the first players off the bench for Frank Vogel in the playoffs and will hopefully continue to provide the Lakers with more consistency from his shooting, rebounding, assisting, and defending.

MORE SCORING PUNCH FROM ALEX CARUSO

Alex Caruso is another Lakers player who’s benefited from having more playing time and responsibility with LeBron James and Anthony Davis out with injuries. Lately, Alex has responded with aggression on offense.

Before reinjuring himself 7 minutes into the last game, Caruso posted back-to-back games where he scored 17 and 18 points in games with Phoenix and Portland, by far his two biggest scoring games in the regular season. Over that 2-game stretch without LeBron and AD, Caruso averaged 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.5 steals in 33.5 minutes per game, while shooting 51.9% from the field, 60% from three, and 50.0% from the line.

While Alex is not a natural scorer, his looking more for his shot has to be another positive to add to his defense first resume. Caruso’s renewed aggressiveness is great news for an offensively challenged Lakers team.

VETERAN CLUTCH PLAY FROM WES MATTHEWS

Relegated to the bench a few weeks back when Frank Vogel tried to narrow his rotation, Wes Matthews displayed his savvy by staying ready and when given his chance showed he was still an elite defender and clutch player.

Wes’ clutch rebound and put back as time ran out enabled the Lakers to tie the Knicks and eventually win the game in overtime and his clutch steal sealed the team’s comeback win over the Rockets without Davis and James. Over the Lakers’ last five games, Matthews has averaged 6.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.4 blocks in 25.0 minutes per game while shooting 40.0% from the field, 38.1% from three, and 66.7% from the line.

The key for Matthews has been his defense, especially against bigger guards and wings. Over the last 5 games, Wes’ 105.6 defensive rating has been the 4th best on the team, often against the opposing team’s best scorers.

Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond, Talen Horton-Tucker, Kyle Kuzma, Alex Caruso, and Wesley Matthews have all been stars in their role as the Lakers have regrouped and learned to win without superstar LeBron James.

With just 2 games left in the regular season, the Lakers are now looking like the juggernaut the rest of the league expected before AD and LeBron fell to injury and the likely 7th seed nobody in the NBA wants to meet in playoffs. The silver lining to playing without Davis for 30+ games and without James for 20+ games is many of the Lakers role players have been able to learn how to make clutch plays and win games without their superstars.

Heading into the playoffs, having role players capable of being stars in their roles may be exactly what the Lakers need to make the long and improbable journey from Play-In Tournament and 7th seed to NBA champions.

Can ‘Bench Big Three’ of Trezz, Kuz, and THT Transform Lakers’ Season?

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In the wake of Anthony Davis’ injury, the Los Angeles Lakers might have discovered how to transform their season with the emergence of a ‘Bench Big Three’ of Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, and Talen Horton-Tucker.

In the first three games of the second half of the NBA season, Trezz, Kuz, and THT have combined to score 45.7 points, 15.0 rebounds, and 13.3 assists in 17.7 minutes per game as the Lakers swept their first 3 games. During this win streak, the Lakers posted the league’s 5th best offensive and defensive ratings and 2nd best net rating while missing their starting power forward and center in Davis and Gasol and best defender in Caruso.

Harrell led the way, leading the Lakers in scoring followed by James and then Kuzma and Horton-Tucker. The bench’s 64.3 points per game was league best while the decimated starters 59 points was worst in the league. Trezz averaged 23.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.3 blocks in 28.8 minutes; Kuz 19.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists in 28.1 minutes; and THT 13.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists in 23.8 minutes per game.

While the breakout performances from Harrell, Kuzma, and Horton-Tucker were not against elite competition, they reflected major strategic changes in the Lakers’ half-court offense that could transform the Lakers’ season. Basically, the Lakers replaced their iso-heavy half court offense with a pick-and-roll dominated, share-the-ball approach that unleashed Harrell as a roller, opened lanes for Horton-Tucker, and created open threes for Kuzma.

The heart of the change in the Lakers’ half-court offense was the renewed focus on Montrezl Harrell in pick-and-rolls, which is why he averaged 20 points per game and won 6MOY honors with the Clippers last season. Needing a boost in scoring from the bench with Davis, Gasol, and Caruso out, Frank Vogel turned to Harrell and Trezz delivered. It was a move the Lakers should have taken greater advantage of the first half of the season.

The 3-game result was better ball and player movement, a jump in team field goal percentage from a league 8th best 48.1% to a league best 55.2% and assists from a league 17th best 24.5 to a league 3rd best 31.0 per game. Just as importantly, the Lakers increased their league 25nd 35.1% 3-point shooting to a league 4th best 41.3% and their league 8th best 22.8 free throw attempts per game to a league best 30.7 free throws per game.

Leading the charge to get the Lakers’ ‘Next Man Up’ mentality working was team captain LeBron James, who averaged 21.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 11.0 assists in just 32 minutes per game over the 3-game winning streak. Compensating for Anthony Davis’ injury and taking advantage of Joel Embiid’s injury to regain leadership in the regular season MVP race, LeBron posted back-to-back triple-doubles leading the Lakers to the last two wins.

Damian Jones capably filled in for starting center Marc Gasol averaging 7.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks in 17.8 minutes while Markieff Morris added 9.0 points and 6.3 rebounds replacing the inured Anthony Davis. Jones is slowly showing the decision to give him a second 10-day contract was prescient as his 108.5 offensive rating, 98.3 defensive rating, and 10.2 net rating were among the best on the Lakers for the 3 games.

The big question, of course, is were these three games just an anomaly? After all, Kuz, Trezz, and THT only averaged 13.8, 11.5, and 7.2 points per game before the last 3 games when they averaged 23.0, 19.0, and 13.3. While it’s doubtful the Lakers’ ‘Bench Big Three’ is going to perform at this level going forward, there is definitely optimism that the Lakers may have discovered how to get their bench going, even without LeBron and AD.

The Lakers have 3 more games before the March 24th trade deadline, including an important rematch Sunday with the rising Phoenix Suns, who beat the Lakers in their first game this season and are second in the West. That will be the big test for the Lakers’ ‘Bench Big Three’ and is likely to be the last game before the trade deadline. If Trezz, Kuz, and THT are able to continue their torrid play, it’s likely they’ll still be wearing purple and gold.

In any event, the last three games have shown the Lakers a potential path towards not only surviving but also winning while Anthony Davis is out. That’s something that could transform the Lakers’ championship hopes.