The Los Angeles Lakers have shown signs of finally coming together and putting on impressive performances. The likes of D’Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt have come on strong as support to the superstar duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and the Lakers have seen success because of it.
That was certainly the case in the Lakers’ victory over the Chicago Bulls, a dominant win in which they led by double-digits at the half and never let the lead go. James, fresh off being named an All-Star starter for the 20th consecutive year, finished with 25 points and 12 assists in the victory.
Certain things seem to be clicking for the Lakers and LeBron still feels they need more time to keep building on this, but he is happy that head coach Darvin Ham’s lineups and rotations have been consistent as of late.
“I don’t know. I mean, we got to play more games and continue to log the minutes,” James said after the win. “Good thing Coach Ham did is just said, ‘Listen is the lineup that we sticking with and we’re gonna go with that.’ Rotation has been good.
“Our starting lineup has been consistent over the last few games. And we have a lot of playmaking and a lot of shot-making in that first unit, and then we got guys to come off the bench and know their roles and come in and play at a high level.”
Russell, Austin Reaves and Taurean Prince with LeBron and Davis has worked, especially on the offensive end. The offense has been much improved with the ball moving around extremely well and the Lakers making more open shots.
Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura and Max Christie give the Lakers versatility on the wing off the bench while Christian Wood adds size and shooting. And like LeBron said, everyone knows their roles and what is expected of them which makes it easier to perform.
Obviously injuries made things much more difficult for Ham, but he seems to have finally settled on the right combination of players and now the Lakers can truly lock in together.
Lakers’ LeBron James ‘humbled’ at 20th consecutive All-Star starter selection
Prior to the Lakers’ win over the Bulls, the starters for the 2024 All-Star Game were announced and for the 20th consecutive season, LeBron James will be starting. LeBron admitted to being humbled and blessed at the accomplishment.
“Well, first of all, like I said in the postgame interview. I said, first of all, give credit and a lot of respect to my fans who’ve been along with me throughout this whole 21-year journey and vote me in as an All-Star starter for the 20th consecutive time,” James said. “Just very humbled, I’m very blessed to be able to do what I love to do. And I just try to give back to the game that has given me over two decades.”
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