Lakers go from bad to worse: Can they turn things around?
The Lakers have been on a freefall down the western conference standings since winning the In-Season Tournament in December losing 10 of their last 14 games. With the Lakers now the 10th seed in the West with a 18-19 record they find themselves searching for answers. Even more disappointing is the fact the Lakers record is so subpar despite Lebron James and Anthony Davis having healthy and overall excellent seasons individually.
The In-Season tournament disguised many of the struggles they have had all season but the Lakers weaknesses appear to be more prevalent now more than ever. Those weakness are primarily on the offensive end as their 24th ranked offensive rating is best shown through their lack of three point shooting. Another offensive issue that plagues them is their lack of a reliable scorer behind Lebron and Anthony Davis. Even more concerning is outside of their two stars their has been a glaring lack of consistency that shows up regardless of how many times rotations or lineups are switched. It remains to be seen what roster moves the Lakers would be able to make as various stars such as Zach Lavine and Pascal Siakam are rumored to be possible trade targets. With the Lakers winning just 1 of their 3 games on their five game homestand so far they now have a season on the brink with every win becoming even more crucial as the season goes on.
Birthday baller: Wembanyama shines against the Bucks on his 20th birthday
Highly touted #1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama showed us why he is such a unique talent unlike anything we have ever seen before in the NBA. On his 20th birthday he matched up with one of the best teams and players in the league in Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Many analysts wondered how Wembanyama would handle the physicality of the NBA especially players like Giannis. Wembanyama quickly quieted doubters by putting together a special performance especially for a rookie.
In just 26 minutes, Wembanyama scored 27 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and blocked 5 shots while putting together special highlight reels moves that are simply not done by a player of his size. Wembanyama's most special play came late in the game with the Spurs down by three as Giannis drove right into his chest to drive in for a game sealing dunk Wembanyama emphatically blocked the dunk attempt. Though the Spurs fell short 125-121 to the Bucks, Wembanyama not only showed why he is a rookie of the year candidate but why he is capable of being a very special player for years to come.
Hawks looking to trade pieces as their season is in disarray
Atlanta's pairing of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray appears to have ran its course as the Hawks are reportedly looking to move Murray and several other players as the Hawks struggles continue. The Hawks are currently outside of the playoff picture as the 12th seed in the Eastern conference with a 14-21 record. Dejounte Murray has played well in his seconds season with the Hawks averaging 20.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game but it unfortunately has not resulted in wins for Atlanta.
The Hawks desire is to build around Trae Young as their franchise star but their problems start on the defensive end which is not a big part of Trae's game. Atlanta has a high powered offense that ranks 6th in the NBA but they give up 123.7 points per game which ranks 28th in the NBA. A possible building block outside of Trae Young is third year forward Jalen Johnson who is a surefire most improved player candidate. After averaging just 5.6 points per game last season he is currently averaging 15.0 points per game and is still just 22 years. Though the Hawks rebuild will take time the first thing the front office will need to do is figure out the identity of the team and evaluate what pieces will work long term.
Game of the week- Nikola Jokic makes arguably the play of the season so far for the Nuggets on the road with three seconds left. Jokic hits a 40 foot buzzer beater to stun the Warriors who led by as much as 18 points with 7:24 left in the 4th. Jokic scores a game-high 34 points in the win.
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