The Los Angeles Lakers started the season on the wrong foot, and even though it took a while, Rob Pelinka made the right adjustments on time. Now, the Purple and Gold are back in the NBA playoffs.
They’ve been a completely different team since the NBA trade deadline, in which they parted with Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley to land the likes of D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, Rui Hachimura, Mo Bamba, and others.
Their turnaround to the season was so big that they finished 7th, which was far better than predicted. The Lakers got the job done in the Play-In and will now face the Grizzlies, a team that LeBron James proved to know a lot about.
LeBron James shows a lot of knowledge about the Grizzlies
“A really good team. Very well coached. Very well-balanced,” James said, via Lakers Nation. “Obviously, the head of the snake in Ja Morant. Another All-Star in Jaren Jackson, who was up on Defensive Player of the Year. His ability to block shots, but offensively he’s very dynamic as well.
“Tyus Jones off the bench has led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio like the last six years, so he complements them very well,” he continued. “Desmond Bane, I think in his third year, second or third year, but he plays like a veteran. His ability to shoot the ball from the three-point line. Also, his ability to attack in early transition.
“Dillon Brooks, an opportunity to go out there, you can’t disrespect him because he makes shots and Xavier Tillman has been playing good basketball. Obviously, he’s been well coached from his college days with Coach [Tom] Izzo to know and so on.
“They’ve got Luke Kennard who broke my scoring record in high school. He passed me in high school, and the reason why is he’s a laser from the three-point line. His ability to shoot the ball is uncanny. And they’ve got so many other guys off the bench you just can’t disrespect because they will make you pay.”
The Lakers will start their quest for a place in the Western Conference semifinals on Sunday, when they visit Memphis at 3 PM (ET). Needless to say, much of their playoff hopes rely on The King.