Lakers: Biggest Takeaways From the First 20 Games

With a month of 2016 Lakers basketball in the books, we take at the biggest takeaways from the first stretch of the season.

Luke Walton is a Game Changer

When Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak hired Luke Walton, much of Laker nation rejoiced. Walton, last year’s lauded assistant in Golden State, marked, if nothing else, a comically stark contrast to the brooding persona of Byron Scott.

Last season’s miseries were nearly synonymous with former coach Scott. His hard-nosed, authoritarian style was a disaster for this young roster and a change of pace was urgent entering the offseason. Luke Walton fit the perfectly, but few could have predicated this immediate of an impact.

Sitting at an even record of 10-10, the Lakers have shattered expectations so far, playing with an offensive potency miles ahead of last year’s squad. They’re currently among the top 10 in scoring, effective field goal percentage, true shooting percentage and offensive efficiency.

Last season, their offensive rating was ranked 29th in the league. As for the other three categories, dead last, and that just scratches the surface of the the Lakers have improved on that end.

Whatever the 36-year-old coach is selling, his players are buying it, and there’s now camaraderie among players that just didn’t exist in previous years. Players are leaning on each other, and unlike last season, they’re still standing.

Tarik Black shared these sentiments after Sunday’s win over the Hawks.

“We give ourselves up for each other,” Black said. “We sacrifice for each other. You can see it on the court: open man gets the shot. We play defense for each other. You can see it on our team: We smile together, we laugh together. Man, we love each other in this locker room.”

The positive culture that Walton has brought over from his time with the Warriors is resonating. The team is playing hard, sharing the ball, and most importantly, winning. Even D’Angelo Russell are coexisting.

That’s quite the first impression.