LSL Roundtable: End of Season Awards

Best Newcomer

Lopez – Nick Young aka Swaggy P. Young and the Lakers seem like a perfect fit. Swaggy will end the year with a career high in points per game and arguably had the best season of his entire career. If the Lakers had been a more competitive team, Young certainly would have gotten more attention for the 6th Man of the Year award. Hopefully the two sides will be able to work out a long term deal for Young, but after this season he might be getting some large offers elsewhere.

Hicks – Swaggy P all day. I’m still excited to see what he can do for a well constructed playoff roster next season. Young as a bench scorer deluxe for a top team would be lethal. I knew he was talented before he came to Los Angeles, but there was a lot of goofiness to him as well. I don’t see him as a distraction. As a young player on young teams that might have been different but for the Lakers he’s a welcome infusion of personality. His mid-range game is amongst the best in the league. From 17-19 feet his shot is practically a layup. You know what’s coming but it doesn’t matter. Does he defend? Eh. He tried more this year on that end and that’s enough for me.

Apr 2, 2014; Sacramento, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kent Bazemore (6) goes up for a layup against Sacramento Kings guard Ray McCallum (3) during the second quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Morales – Kent Bazemore. Athletic. Great first step. Can beat his man off the dribble. Good defender. Young talent that needs to develop but he has a definite future as a combo guard or a small forward.

Burden – For the sake of variety, I’ll drop Kent Bazemore into the mix, although the winner really should be Nick Young. His skills as a lockdown defender were a worthy addition to the crop in February but since then, the athletic dynamo has offered on the offensive end too! His explosiveness and athleticism certainly make him a contender to return next year for the Purple and Gold.

Rude – Watch me be unoriginal and uncreative and give this to Swaggy P. It was a shame we hardly got to see Young and Kobe Bryant together, but I certainly think that Swaggy deserves some recognition for 6th man of the year. How many other players in the league had TWO 40-point games off the bench this year? In a year where there weren’t many recognizable faces on the roster, Swaggy was by far the most popular and biggest fan favorite Laker.