The Los Angeles Lakers are back at .500 on the season after their win over the Bulls on Thursday set them back on the right track of the win column. LeBron James and D’Angelo Russell combined for 54 points while Anthony Davis finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds in the 141-132 win.
With a game against the Warriors tomorrow, there isn’t much time to celebrate this victory. The Lakers, who are 10th in the West, still have a long way to go in the standings and are currently on pace to be the final play-in team in the West. After a particularly brutal stretch of play, there was some real concern that the season was lost for the Lakers but good health and a resurgence from D’Angelo Russell are giving the franchise a much-needed push to keep their seasons alive. As for the fans, it’s no surprise that they had a lot to say after the final buzzer but the vibes were overall pretty good after 17 points from Jarred Vanderbilt and 29 points from D’Lo.
After the game, debate was raging among Lakers Nation about what this year’s ultimate potential is for the group. After their run to the West Finals last year, there was strong confidence in them to win the title in 2024. Today, the odds don’t seem as likely for a Lakers championship run but there was still plenty of buzz about how far they can go as presently constructed.
LeBron James has been on another tear recently, averaging over 25 points and 7 assists to help the Lakers to 4-1 over their last 5 games. He continues to prove himself as one of the best players in the world despite being nearly 40 years old.Perhaps the best part about this game was the continued dominance of D’Angelo Russell, who has been on fire amid a flurry of trade rumors surrounding his name. He has been hitting hit shots lately and he was hitting them again tonight in a team-high 38 minutes of play.
For some fans, their recent success is enough to convince them that the Lakers need no trades this season and that they should keep their core intact with Russell, Reaves, and Jarred Vanderbilt. They could certainly do a lot worse than them based on how they’ve played recently…Only time will tell what comes next for the Lakers but there is still a lot of season left to be played and they could easily make a run here down the stretch to climb back into the top 6.
As the Lakers start showing signs of life here halfway through the season, it’s added another layer of complication to any potential trades. For a guy like D’Angelo Russell especially, his value has increased drastically over the past few weeks and his rejuvenated play has the front office rethinking their attempts to trade him. Even so, the Lakers could benefit from bringing in a guy like Alex Caruso, DeMar DeRozan, or Denounte Murray from the Atalanta Hawks.
This season, with LeBron James turning 39 years old, the Lakers do not have time to wait for a contending team to form. They need to be contenders right away to take advantage of this last push from LeBron James. Fortunately, the players are finally starting to wake up again after an ugly stretch of play but only time will tell if they can find any upgrade on the market this year that makes them significantly better.
