With news that Steve Nash will miss his second consecutive game against the Grizzlies, Laker fans voted on who needs to step up in his absence. In the past two games without Nash, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol have been stepping up as the main facilitators for the Lakers.
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This morning we asked Lakers Nation who needs to step-up without Nash on the floor:
In the poll, 41 percent voted that Dwight Howard was the player that needed to step-up the most and in the past two games, he’s looked a lot better in the offense. Howard is averaging 24 points, 13.5 rebounds and three blocks and seems to be getting stronger every game.
Against the Grizzlies tonight, Howard will be relied upon heavily as he will go up against one of the NBA’s best centers, Marc Gasol. In his career against Memphis, Howard has put up decent numbers scoring 16.1 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
In second place, receiving 26.8 percent of the vote is appointed starting point guard Steve Blake. Blake has come on strong after an abdomen injury kept him out for the larger part of the season and he’s come through in games in which he’s started.
In his last two games, Blake is averaging 13 points and is making four three-pointers a game. While Blake won’t be initiating the offense as much, he will be relied upon to knock down open jump shots and make the right play when he has the ball.
It’s clear that the Lakers need an effort similar to how they played on Tuesday night. Memphis boasts one of the most punishing front courts in the NBA and Dwight will have to be up for the challenge.
Regardless of who was voted most important to step-up, with the Lakers season seemingly on the line every night, everyone needs to step up.
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