Old Faces, New Places: Former Lakers Participating in Playoffs

Gabriel Lee
8 Min Read

As I was enjoying game three of the Andrew Bynum’s coming out party, two things came to mind. For starters, are Laker fans more concerned when Bynum goes down and grabs his knee or when Kobe injures anything? It’s only a debate as those who have watched the Lakers for long enough know that Bryant will overcome any injury that’s not life threatening, while Bynum has to be handled with care.

This Laker-Hornet series is especially entertaining to watch because of the matchups between former Lakers and current Lakers. New Orleans’ roster boasts not one but two former Lakers. Sometimes I’m not sure who to cheer for.

When Ariza chases Kobe around or when DJ is denying Pau position, I wonder how many times they’ve done this in practice.

Jarrett Jack, the Hornets’ point guard, told ESPN Los Angeles that Trevor and DJ are helping the Hornets grasp the fundamentals of the triangle offense. The two have also been a valuable source of advice in regards to the Lakers’ tendencies.

After the Hornets’ surprising game one victory, DJ was oozing with confidence.

“We didn’t come in here to steal one game. We came here to win two games,” said Mbenga. “We’re a good team. We want to win this series and we think we’re going to win this series.”

Following the game three victory, I was sifting through the rosters of the other 15 playoff teams to find what other former Lakers are still playing meaningful basketball. Here’s what I discovered.

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Lee joined Lakers Nation in 2011 as a staff writer and attended Ryerson University in Toronto for journalism. To read more of Gabe's work for Lakers Nation click here. Follow Gabe on Twitter @therealgaber.