Certainly, there have been solid performances by some, and inconsistent performances by others on a night-to-night basis, but Steve Blake, Jodie Meeks, Nick Young, and Jordan Hill have discovered their respective roles and developed a consistency in them.
Each has a unique skill-set and on-court personality, which has equated to success in their respective roles.
Let’s take a look:
Steve Blake (The Blake Mamba): Quietly confident and deadly.
Objective: Run the show and knock downs threes.
- Points: 9.8
- Assists: 7.3
- eFG%: 52.4
- 3FG%: 46.4
- Minutes: 31.9
In six games as a starter alongside Steve Nash (at the shooting guard position), Steve Blake has averaged 9.5 points and 4.7 assists with an eFG% of 59.4 percent.
In six games starting as the point guard in Steve Nash’s absence, Blake has averaged 11.0 points and 9.8 assists with an eFG% of 46.4 percent.
As you can see, Blake has been successful in both roles, and has been a steadying force for the Lakers — even knocking down a game-winning shot against Houston earlier this month.
He’s truly become a leader on this Lakers team and is arguably the heart and soul of the squad in Kobe Bryant’s absence. He’s kept the show running — a la Steve Nash — while also maintaining a competitive edge and fearlessness that’s similar to Bryant’s.
Additionally, Blake isn’t just playing well for a backup point guard, but producing at an extremely efficient rate for any point guard in the league. For edification, Blake is currently eighth in the league in assists, and among the league leaders in three-point percentage as well.
Also shooting lights out from three is Jodie Meeks, who’s up next.
Jodie Meeks (M33k$): Stealth sniper with his finger always on the trigger.
Objective: Score at a high percentage, both inside and out.
- Points: 13.7
- eFG%: 66.7
- 3FG%: 49.2
- Minutes: 27.5
Jodie Meeks is currently the Lakers’ leading scorer and has been a pleasant surprise for Lakers fans this season. Last season, Meeks wasn’t very consistent offensively and was often a disaster waiting to happen on the fast break.
This season, however, Meeks has turned out to be the most consistent scorer for the Lakers and is knocking down shots at a clip we had all hoped for last season. He’s currently shooting 48.6 percent from 20-24 feet (which is where he takes the majority of his shots) and even converting on 74.1 percent of his attempts at the rim (which is where he takes the second-most number of his shots). Additionally, he’s shooting an incredible 50.0 percent from 25-29 feet — which is where he takes the third-most number of shots. Like Blake, Meeks is also among the league leaders in three-point percentage at 49.2.
“Mid-range” is not in Meeks’ vocabulary, but it doesn’t seem to be necessary at this point as he’s been delivering in various other ways for the Lakers this season.
Another Laker who is putting up numbers for the Lakers is Nick Young. Let’s take a look.
Next Page: Swaggy P and the Garbage Man
Nick Young (Swaggy P): Unwavering swagger in all arenas.
Objective: Provide a steady dose of scoring off the bench.
- Points: 13.0
- eFG%: 50.4
- 3FG%: 32.5
- Swag%: 100.0
- Minutes: 23.9
If there was any debate before, there certainly isn’t any more — Nick Young is better off the bench than he is as a starter.
In six games as a starter this season, Young averaged 9.5 points with an eFG% of 37.3 in 21.3 minutes.
In six games as the team’s premier Bench Mob scorer, Young has averaged 16.5 points with an eFG% of 59.5 in 26.1 minutes.
Similarly, Young averages a three-point percentage of just 23.5 as a starter, as opposed to 39.1 percent as the team’s Sixth Man.
Swaggy P is clearly more effective off the bench, earns more minutes in his post there, and plays freely as he knows the coaches’ main objective for him is to do what he does best — score the basketball.
Most people expected Young to be Kobe’s primary backup and provide scoring for the Lakers while Kobe rehabbed from an Achilles injury, but it didn’t quite work out at first. However, after a move to the bench, Young has become the player fans expected him to be prior to the season — and is now tied for second leading scorer on the team.
Young’s goal at the beginning of the season was to earn Sixth Man of the Year honors. If he can keep delivering the kind of numbers he’s been putting up off the bench, he’ll certainly make a run at it.
Now, let’s take a look at arguably the biggest impact player for the Lakers — Jordan Hill
Jordan Hill (The Garbage Man): One man’s brick is the Garbage Man’s brick…of gold.
Objective: Grab offensive rebounds, get tip-ins, finish at the rim, and make an impact.
- Points: 10.4
- Rebounds: 8.4
- ORB%: 18.1
- Minutes: 20.9
Prior to the season, I declared that Jordan Hill very well could be the Lakers’ X-Factor. However, Hill has been one of the Lakers’ most consistent players and had an impact on almost every game he’s played in.
Fans saw how impressive Hill looked in limited minutes (6.3 points and 6.6 rebounds with an ORB% of 19.4 in 16.1 minutes), and clamored for Hill to get more minutes.
Mike D’Antoni finally granted everyone’s wish and has started Hill for the past four games, with impressive results.
In four games as the Lakers’ starting power forward, Hill has put up an average of 18.8 points and pulled down 12.0 rebounds (4.0 offensive) in 30.7 minutes. His ORB% dipped slightly to 16.5, but he still remains atop the league in this category among players who’ve played more than four games this season.
Perhaps one area that’s been overlooked during the four-game stretch has been his free throw percentage, where he’s been extremely accurate at 89.5 percent as a starter.
The bottom line is that Jordan Hill is a relentless player who continues to improve and simply won’t settle. Even after he earned his starting spot, he’s avoided complacency thus far and has stepped up his level of play even more, game by game.
The departure of Dwight Howard has allowed Hill the opportunity to shine as a big man, and if he can somehow continue to put up numbers anywhere close to the 18.8 and 12.0 he’s averaging as a starter, well…I’ll allow you make your own remarks on that one.
Affectionately known as the Garbage Man by Lakers fans, Hill is doing a lot more than just cleaning up the offensive glass. He’s finishing pick-and-rolls, defending opponents tough, and knocking down free throws.
Next Page: The Final Buzzer
Some may wonder why I didn’t mention Pau Gasol, Wesley Johnson, Jordan Farmar, Chris Kaman, or Xavier Henry.
Well, here’s why.
Gasol is supposed to be the go-to player in Kobe’s absence, but hasn’t quite filled that role. However, he’s been playing a bit better as of late, and he’s seemingly letting the game come to him and his teammates, as opposed to forcing his offense. That’s great, as long as things are going well for the team, but he needs to assert himself if or when things aren’t going well for his teammates. Continued conditioning and Kobe’s return should definitely help his level of play and consistency.
As for Wesley Johnson, he’s been inconsistent so far. Some of it’s his fault, and some of it isn’t. His role hasn’t quite been clarified by the Lakers’ coaching staff, as he has been experimented as a wing player as well as a stretch four. Right now, he can bank on starting on the wing, so that should help his consistency a bit. He had a very solid game on both ends of the floor against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night, which is encouraging.
Jordan Farmar has also been inconsistent and his minutes didn’t necessarily increase upon Steve Nash’s injury. However, he was instrumental in the Lakers’ victory over the Pistons on Sunday, in limited minutes (13). The good news for Farmar is that he knows his role is to lead the Bench Mob, and at times he’s been the Bench Mob Boss. He should hopefully be able to become more consistent if given more consistent minutes.
Chris Kaman, I feel, has been very solid when on the court, but simply doesn’t have a defined role as of yet. His minutes vary on a nightly basis, and will probably continue to do so in the near future.
Xavier Henry is wildly inconsistent at the moment due to a number of factors, and I expect this to continue throughout the season as he’s a young player whose minutes will fluctuate. He’s certainly good for a highlight or two, though.
On a team filled with what most would consider to be role players, four Lakers have seemingly found their roles and thrived in them. Lineup changes, rotation alterations, and continued experimentation have all contributed to inconsistency this season, but at least four players have defined roles on this team and have found ways to consistently contribute in those roles.
Steve Blake, Jodie Meeks, Nick Young, and Jordan Hill have become players the Lakers can count on to deliver on a nightly basis.
Now, we just have to see if/how those players’ roles change at all upon Kobe Bryant’s return, and if they can sustain their high level of play.