The Los Angeles Lakers closed out the season on the road playing the Denver Nuggets. No stars played on either side and LeBron James did not travel with the team. He had another MRI on his foot that is unknown as of this writing.
Look, whether the Los Angeles Lakers won this game or not, it really doesn’t matter. They did not make the playoffs. They were a disappointment and this could easily be the biggest letdown in NBA history. Four top 75 players in NBA history (Five because Dwight Howard should be on the list!) on the same team and they could finish in front of the New Orleans Pelicans who started 1-12 and things got as bad as 3-16. They didn’t have Zion Williamson the entire season and were without Brandon Ingram for over 20 games.
It looks like we’re piling on right? Well, we are just keeping that same energy LeBron James basically threatened everyone with on Twitter about calling his team old. Well…Lake Show Life won’t hide and this article is not the one where we will start.
Thanks to TNT making the Lakers the first team to go fishing, we all decided to use this post-game report to wrap up the good, bad and the story of the Los Angeles Lakers now and in the offseason.
However…the Lakers after getting blown out of the building for three quarters scored 40 POINTS to send it to overtime! Austin Reaves…just…did Austin Reaves…things.
Austin Reaves steals it, goes behind his back twice and forces overtime 🤯 pic.twitter.com/XnOQ6ERb0v
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 11, 2022
The Los Angeles Lakers won…get this 146-141 in overtime with no LeBron James, no Anthony Davis, THT got hurt, no Russell Westbrook and this had to be one of the better games of the season to watch. This was about two players and we will end the analysis.
- Malik Monk had 41 points and 4 rebounds. He shot 14-25 from the field and knocked down seven shots from the land of the extra point.
- Man…this Austin Reaves dude dropped 31 points, had 16 rebounds (6 offensive!), 10 assists and 2 steals. He hit all 14 of his free throws and put the Nuggets away if overtime.
How did the Lake Show win? They hit an NBA high 42 free throws out of 47 attempts. Basically, they put points on the board in the final quarter when the clock wasn’t moving. Amazing concept when it is taken advantage of.
The Lakers finish the season at 33-49. Let’s get to the season analysis and the offseason.
The good from the Los Angeles Lakers’ season:
LeBron James scored a lot for his age!
Does this seem condescending? Yep. Because his season exposed a lot of issues with his overall game, leadership, lack of accountability and the ability to see the big picture. What’s even worse, it exposed how analytics, social media and media narratives can give him a free pass on why the Lakers missed the playoffs.
Sure, he will be the oldest player in NBA history to score 30 points in a season. Since the Lakers will do a remix of the roster if they can’t unload Russell Westbrook, he’ll do it again because AD more than likely will get injured again. So he’ll be in his 20th season at 38 years old scoring at a high rate with announcers screaming “Do you realize how old he is?”
All of this with the Lake Show being no closer to an NBA title than this year. The contenders this year will be better while the Lakers’ excuses will be more creative.
But if anyone can do it…it’s LeBron James!
Malik Monk was a beast this season!
This writer knew that Lik’ Lik’ would make an impact this season after watching him up close in Charlotte. Monk might have shined the light on a narrative that quote “LeBron needs” on the roster. Sure shooters are needed but all teams need those, this team needs players that can create their own shot. Malik finally got his opportunity to start when Frank Vogel was out battling COVID and parlayed it into a great financial situation for himself in the offseason. To the folks that really think he will get no more than $10 million after this game needs to stay off Twitter.
Austin Reaves shows that the Los Angeles Lakers scout team is the best in the business.
Think about the fact that Austin Reaves was not even drafted but he found himself in the starting lineup for a portion of the season. Sure Alex Caruso left and it hurt but the Lakers found a viable replacement at a mere portion of the price. He is one of the few players that the staff of Lake Show Life can’t accuse of dogging it on the floor this season which is really saying something. He played both ends of the floor and bailed the Lakers out in Dallas with a game-winning shot.
Now the question is will the front office add Austin Reaves in a package to get rid of Russell Westbrook or “Get another star to team with LeBron James”.
Talen Horton-Tucker got a master class on the responsibilities of an NBA player.
Sure, a bout with COVID and hand surgery hurt him big time this season, but he didn’t do himself any favors with his level of play when it came to being consistent. This is a wake-up call for THT and it’s a good thing. He now knows he needs 2,000 shots a day in the offseason. He knows he needs to watch film in preparation for next season. Most importantly he knows that the contract he signed means to work harder instead of relaxing and getting comfortable with the Klutch Sports umbrella.
This guy can play, but he found out the hard way that all NBA players can play. The measuring stick is the work ethic. Look for him to explode next year.
There will be another head coach next year for the Los Angeles Lakers!
The championship coaches were Jason Kidd, Lionel Hollins and Phil Handy. Don’t go to the comment section trying to debate this because the truth can’t be debated. These guys did the group work project and Frank Vogel turned it in with a smile and an apple for the teacher.
Now let’s get to the ugly side of the Los Angeles Lakers. It won’t be pretty!