The Lakers finally played Tarik Black Thursday against the Warriors to the delight of fans everywhere
Byron Scott has made questionable decisions all year, but the one that has seemingly caused fans the most frustration is the fact that Tarik Black sits on the bench while players like Brandon Bass and Roy Hibbert struggle immensely.
Claimed by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2014, Tarik Black became a fan favorite almost overnight. Hard working, athletic, respectful, it’s hard not to cheer for a player like that. So when Black was finally inserted into the game against the Golden State Warriors Thursday night, for the first time not in garbage time, fans everywhere celebrated.
Playing nine minutes in the first half, Black was immediately effective scoring six points on 3-of-5 shooting, including one nasty put back dunk. He also gobbled up five boards, three of which were offensive. Black was less productive in the second half, but the first half was enough to cement the argument for more playing time.
Nice pass by Russell to Black! https://t.co/bQfh1brx2B
— Trevor Lane (@Trevor_Lane) January 15, 2016
On top of cleaning up the boards, Black demonstrated early how he is the pick-and-roll man that D’Angelo Russell has been searching for. Different from the sloth-like Roy Hibbert or the inexperienced Larry Nance Jr. Black is poised as the roll man, with soft hands that allow him to catch a plethora of passes from lobs at the rim to quick pocket passes.
Additionally, he showed that he can use his athleticism and strength to score over the top of bigger defenders. Unlike Julius Randle, who is still young, Black seems to have developed some touch around the rim which is an added bonus.
Julius doesn't even set screens. He just runs to the general area of where a screen should be set, then immediately "slips" it
— Jacob Rude (@JacobRude) January 15, 2016
His jumper still needs work, but if given the time, Black could be the perfect small ball center for the young Lakers. Another thing that must be mentioned is that Black seems to be one of the only Lakers that knows how to set an effective screen.
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Though Tarik Black and Brandon Bass share very similar skill sets, Bass is actually six years his senior. Needless to say, seeing that winning games has since been moved to the back burner, giving Black the time to grow and develop seems like a foolproof plan for the Purple and Gold.
One thing that must be noted is that Byron Scott also finally played the lineup fans have been dying to see play together, one that is assumed to be the Lakers core of the future.
Using D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson in the back court and Anthony Brown, Julius Randle and Tarik Black/Larry Nance Jr in the backcourt, it seems that Byron Scott could finally be figuring it out.
Kids update:
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) January 15, 2016
D-Lo: 12 pts, 2 ast
Randle: 6 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast
JC: 13 pts, 4 reb
Nance: 4 pts, 5 reb, 5 stl
Tarik (!!!): 6 pts, 6 reb
Scratch that, he still managed to play Kobe Bryant 25 minutes through three quarters despite having a bum Achilles.
Next: Five Biggest Mistakes From the First Half of the Season
Whether or not Scott keeps it up remains to be seen, but hopefully tonight was enough to show him that it is finally time to start fully embracing the Lakers youth initiative.