The Lakers’ cruel 0-5 start to the season thankfully didn’t snowball into an 0-6 start. The team fought extremely hard against the Denver Nuggets and walked away with a big win that the team will hope to use as a launchpad for their comeback. They are still the 14th seed in the Western Conference right now, so a lot more work is yet to be done.
Even if there is work to be done ahead, that doesn’t mean the Lakers shouldn’t enjoy this win over the team led by the reigning 2-time league MVP in Nikola Jokic. Coach Darvin Ham openly told everyone that he is proud of his team after this win.
Darvin Ham: “Tonight we needed to prove something to ourselves … and I’m proud of how we responded”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 31, 2022
The road ahead for the Lakers is long, but this was a good win to get. The team now knows that they have the capability to beat the top teams in this league. Russell Westbrook on the bench is looking like a lethal contributor and has helped the Lakers alleviate playmaking struggles in the second lineup.
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The Lakers made the perfect move by sending Westbrook to the bench. Russ and Bron not having to share the court together has made the Lakers’ offense so much more fluid.
In addition, the Lakers have struggled to have playmakers and shot-creators off the bench every season that LeBron has been on the team. With Westbrook coming in with the second unit, the Lakers have two of the best playmakers of the past generation creating for the team.
While the shooters are still bad, getting good and open shots will give them a better chance of making their shots through the season. We saw that today, with the Lakers shooting over 40% from 3 on the night. Westbrook and LeBron in separate lineups as primary ball handlers and creators sounds incredible and the results so far have been solid.
