When the Lakers have played well, it has been on the strength of terrific team basketball. That seems strange for a team with Kobe Bryant, but it’s true. Sure Bryant is still a dominant leading scorer for them – 28.8 points per game compared to second leading scorer Odom’s 16.6 – only Dwyane Wade of Miami leads his team in scoring by a wider margin. But compare 28.8 points per game on 20 shots to 35.4 on 27 shots last season and then throw in an extra assist each game and a near career best shooting percentage and you can see that Kobe is having the most efficient year of his career. Oh, and while it’s great to play team basketball for three quarters or so, it’s still the NBA, and having a guy who can take over in the fourth is a distinct advantage.
Meanwhile, Walton has had the proverbial ‘breakout’ season – one of the more remarkable in recent memory in fact. A fourth year pro after five years at Arizona, you almost never see this type of step up in a 26 year old. Averaging 33 minutes a game (compared to a previous career high of 19), he has of course increased in every statistical category, and most significantly is shooting 47.8% from the field and 40% on his threes, both well over his career averages. The Lakers mid-level free agent signee, Vladimir Radmanovic moved across the hall in large part because he felt he would be able to start for the Lakers but not for the Clippers, yet Walton has started every game he’s played. And as mentioned, it’s been his injury more than anything that seems to have derailed the team. A smart player and one of the best 6’8” passers in the NBA, Walton is tailor-made for the triangle. It took Phil Jackson a while to figure out that he needed him in there, but once he did (near the end of last season in fact), the Lakers started winning.
Odom was having his best season as a pro before a strained knee ligament sidelined him. Since his return he has been tentative. Whether that is due to lingering weakness in the knee, or Lamar’s long time tendency to fade in and out remains to be seen. As competitive as the team was during his absence, they have little hope of doing well in the playoffs without an aggressive Lamar to take some pressure of off number 24.
Point guard remains a major concern for the team. Smush Parker has talent, but his decision-making often makes you wonder if he belongs in the NBA (of course Detroit decided not so long ago that he didn’t). Jordan Farmar has done well in his rookie season, earning 16 minutes per game, but it’s hard to imagine him getting more run than that down the stretch or in the playoffs from rookie-phobic Phil.
The silver-lining of the big man injury epidemic has been the emergence of Andrew Bynum. Only 19 years old, and still the youngest player in the NBA, Bynum has played in all 54 games and started 37. We always knew he was big and long (I always have to snicker when I write that), but he’s also shown a terrific feel for the game. He’s shooting 54.7% from the field, and has shown off some nifty back to the basket moves that are increasingly rare in the NBA. He’s also a solid shot blocker. He may not be the heir to the Laker big man legacy of Mikan, Chamberlain, Jabbar (his mentor) and O’Neal... but then again, it’s no longer ridiculous to suggest that he may be.
The rest of the roster is littered with pleasant surprises. Ronny Turiaf has filled in admirably on the front line (a particularly pleasant surprise considering that he underwent open heart surgery in 2005) and Maurice Evans has been terrific (why would Detroit trade him for a second round pick?) Radmanovic, Brian Cook and Sasha Vujacic have been inconsistent, but taken as a group these guys have made the Lakers bench a strength when few thought that would be the case at the beginning of the season.
During the final 28 games, we’ll find out about the real Lakers – are they the team that was 26-13 after beating the Spurs on Jan. 17, or the team that is 4-11 since then? Walton is due back from his injury, so we’ll see if he was indeed the missing ingredient, or if the team simply overachieved in the first place. Certainly there are indications of multiple personality disorder – terrific against the best teams (7-5 against the Spurs, Mavs, Suns, Jazz and Rockets) but horrible against bad teams (0-2 against Charlotte – enough said).
Regardless, I think it’s safe to say that no one wants this team as their first round opponent in the playoffs. They’ve shown the ability to get up for and win big games, and they have the single most potent offensive weapon in the league.