The Los Angeles Lakers continue to climb the Western Conference standings as we get closer to playoffs. With their energy and effort as a team, they currently are sitting at 41-25 as the fifth seed. They are just one game back of the second and fourth seeds. In a tight race to the finish of the regular season, the Lakers will need to continue to strive despite their current injuries. This year’s Lakers team has played extremely well when the team is fully healthy.
Unfortunately, right now they are missing Rui Hachimura and LeBron James. Hachimura is dealing with recovery from a left knee injury, while James is still recovering from a groin strain. With hopes of getting these two back on the floor in the following weeks, the Lakers’ energy and effort as a team are a big reason for them staying afloat.
The Lakers Impactful Energy & Effort as a Team
Role Players Deserve Their Flowers
The Lakers role players have been the unsung heroes throughout this season. All of them bring a level of energy and effort that is contagious to the rest of the team. They all bring a phenomenal play of defense and offense. Impressively, the Lakers have the league’s best defense over the past two months. When you have a core and are surrounded by successful role players, the team is destined to blossom and have success. Especially in the current state of the NBA, we’ve seen how not just two All-Star players can weather the storm and be a contender.
Whether it’s Gabe Vincent’s comeback after a slow start to the season, Jarred Vanderbilt being a defensive menace, Dalton Knecht blazing from 3, or the energy they have got from Dorian Finney-Smith, all of these players have been key to LA’s success. Additionally, Jaxson Hayes has stepped up tremendously in replacement of losing Anthony Davis. Even someone like Jordan Goodwin, who signed with the Lakers earlier this season on a two-way contract, has been outstanding. All of the guys who aren’t padding the stat sheet show, game in and out, that they’re an impactful set of players.
JJ Redick On Team’s Effort
JJ Redick and the Lakers had just wrapped up a road trip they’d probably rather forget. They lost all four games with a roster that lacked several of their key star players. On Sunday, the Lakers returned home and got a much-needed 107-96 win over the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers continue to show a high level of energy night in and night out. This is a testament to the success this team is having this year.
After the game, head coach JJ Redick could not hold back, showing his praise and appreciation for the team’s performance.
“It is very abnormal for a team to come back from an East Coast trip and that next game, a day after the trip, come out with more energy than the other team and play harder than the other team. On top of that, we had a back-to-back and we lost a crushing game on Friday night. Our locker room, it was dispiriting to lose that game. It was disheartening and for our guys to come back with an early start and be the harder-playing team from the beginning, that, to me, says everything about our group.”
Redick is spot on with these quotes, it’s impressive for a team to come off a road trip with this type of energy, especially with several players injured. This level of energy is a testament to Redick’s leadership, he is arguably a top-three candidate for the Coach of the Year award. As the playoffs approach the Lakers’ energy and defense will serve them well,
Photo credit: © Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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