Lonnie Walker IV looks like the Los Angeles Lakers’ third star

In a disappointing 103-97 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, one Los Angeles Lakers player absolutely shined.

Lonnie Walker IV dropped 26 points on 42% shooting. The 23-year-old also contributed on the defensive side of the ball with some tough and gritty defense, including two steals.

In an ugly game where other players played extremely disappointing, Walker made his case of being the “third star” in LA.

Why Lonnie Walker IV looks like the Los Angeles Lakers’ third star

In a game where Russell Westbrook put up a stinker, the Lakers needed someone besides LeBron James and Anthony Davis to score the basketball. Lonnie Walker IV stepped up to the challenge and looked great doing it.

He was the teams leading scorer and gave the Clippers problems all night. He played at an incredible pace and was a fierce finisher at the rim. One of the most impressive plays of the night came on an alley-oop from Austin Reaves to find Walker IV for the easy two.

Most of his buckets came from the paint, putting his inside scoring abilities on full display. The 6’4″ guard finished at the rim in a variety of different ways. Watching him finish with grace and finesse on one possession and power and strength on the next possession was super entertaining.

Lakers fans saw precisely why their team spent the non-taxpayer MLE on Walker. The team will look for Walker to be a solid contributor moving forward in the season. Whether or not he drops twenty-point game in and game out remains to be seen.

However, If the former San Antonio Spur can continue to play tough defense and provide another source of scoring, he could be the Lakers’ third star. The only downside to Walker’s performance and abilities is three-point shooting.

Like the rest of the Lakers roster, Walker cannot shoot three-pointers effectively. On Thursday he shot an ugly 2/9 from downtown after a 0/3 showing on opening night. He will need to continue to work on his three-pointer if he wants to help this team win ball games.

Charles Barkley destroys Rob Pelinka after Lakers’ sad loss to Clippers

Rob Pelinka has not run a tight ship on the Los Angeles Lakers and Charles Barkley is letting him have it after another national embarrassment.

Nonetheless, it was still a breath of fresh air to see a Los Angeles Lakers role player take over and perform at a high level. Walker IV will look to capitalize off this great performance on Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers.