Don’t look now, but if the season were to end today, the Lakers would be the 10th seed and in the play-in in the West. A big turnaround considering they were 13th in the West with a 25-30 record before the Trade Deadline. They have been well above .500 since with most of their games they have been without star forward Lebron James and some without their co-star in center Anthony Davis. How did this happen? Well multiple things happened.
1: The deals before the Trade Deadline.
The Lakers were really busy before and during the Trade deadline, with 7 players leaving, being Matt Ryan via release, and Kendrick Nunn, Thomas Bryant, Damian Jones, Juan Toscando-Anderson, Russell Westbrook, and Patrick Beverley in trades, but in return brought back 6 key players in the Lakers run, in D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, Mohamed Bamba, Devon Reed, and Rui Hachimura. These players have been huge for L.A. as it gave them some actual role players.
2: Got actual 3pt shooters.
The Lakers were the worst team shooting threes at the beginning of the season due to lack of good shooters. Now they have 7 players shooting above 35%, being in D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Troy Brown Jr., Lonnie Walker IV, Mo Bamba, Austin Reaves, and Devon Reed. Before the deadline, they had 5 but also had multiple players shooting under 30 percent from three, which included Anthony Davis, and sometimes LeBron James. This improves the number of shots that actually go into the net. That helps your offense.
3: Have Lockdown Defense.
The Lakers have had the best defense in the NBA since the all-star break, thanks to lengthy players, some examples being Rui Hachimura, Anthony Davis, and Mo Bamba. All that length adds to extra defense, and fast players like D”Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley surely can pick your pocket. Because of that, the Lakers are locking it down on defense.
Due to these factors, the Lakers are back in business and ready to make a push if everyone stays healthy.