Lakers who must desperately step up with Anthony Davis injured

By Jason Reed | Dec 19, 2022

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 13: Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts to Lonnie Walker IV #4 during the first half against the Boston Celtics at Crypto.com Arena on December 13, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) /

2. Lonnie Walker IV

Someone is going to have to step up and be the second scorer on this Lakers team without Anthony Davis. And as much as Russell Westbrook wants to be that guy, it should not be him. He is not nearly efficient enough and he best suits this team as the energy guy off the bench that gets his teammates going.

So while Westbrook might view this as an opportunity to play a bigger role and help his team win, it really isn’t. His role should not change on this team and we should see other players step up instead.

The main candidate is Lonnie Walker IV, who has been a surprising addition to this Lakers team. Signed with the Taxpayer’s Mid-Level Exception, Walker has been better than anyone could have expected for LA this season.

While he has had his ups and downs, Walker has shown at his best that he can be a dynamic shot-creator and scorer that can take over stretches of games. His three-point shooting needs work, but overall, when Walker is right he is really right.

He is the no. 1 candidate to take over as the second scorer on the Los Angeles Lakers. Nobody is going to step up and fill in AD’s production alone as it will be a team effort but Walker should be the one that sees his points per game jump the most while AD is out.

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