The changes that revived LeBron James and the Lakers and have them today in the NBA West final

Before the All-Star game break and the trade deadline, it was difficult to imagine that the Los Angeles Lakers were going to be in the Western Conference Finals; however, months later that ‘impossible’ has become a reality.

After a frustrating first half, in which they flirted many times with the last place in the ‘Wild West’, today the yellow and purple have undergone a metamorphosis, which led them to eliminate (first) the second place in their conference, Memphis Grizzlies, and more recently, to the Golden State Warriors, who were looking to endorse their championship.

The factors of this angelic resurrection could be summarized in these points…

1- Successful movements on the change deadline date

From that moment on, coach Darvin Ham’s men offered a renewed image, even when LeBron James had to be absent due to injury.

The incorporations of Rui Hachimura, Lonnie Walker IV, Mo Bamba, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, D’Angelo Russell and Davon Reed, mainly, boosted the game of Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves and Dennis Schroder, which catapulted the players in the first place. Angelenos to the Play-In zone.

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2- Defensive improvement

The key to the awakening of the Lakers was defense. Since the closing of the market they registered the second best defensive average in the entire NBA (109.9), only surpassed by a few tenths by the Milwaukee Bucks (109.4). The contribution of Vanderbilt and Hachimura, as well as the excellent physical condition of Anthony Davis explain this improvement.

3- Know how to win without LeBron

The best example of the changes in the Lakers is not having James. Before the trades, the Lakers’ record without the “King” was 4-7, but after the moves it improved to 8-7, including a 7-5 record since the Akron native was injured on Feb. 28. .

Westbrook’s departure allowed, among other things, the arrival of a specialist from the goal in Malik Monk.

The triple was an aspect criticized for the yellow and purple before the changes, since they were the second team that had fewer hits than three per night; however, with Monk the quintet improved remarkably in this area.

In addition, Austin Reaves benefited from Russell’s trade to the LA Clippers, as he went from being a relief player to a player with more presence on the court and that was reflected in his three-point shots.

He started nearly 20 games averaging 12.5 points per night with the best efficient shooting percentage among the team’s non-interior players.

5- The resurgence of Loonie Walker IV

The former San Antonio Spurs has regained significant relevance in the playoffs and to go no further, he was the great architect of the Game 4 win against the Warriors. A kind of luxury ‘sixth man’ for coach Ham.

To reinforce the previous paragraph. Walker IV has 44 points in the playoffs (through Game 5), 39 of those 44 in the fourth quarter.

A player Ham can count on when he needs to win games.