Lakers beat Knicks in best team game yet

The Lakers went to work in New York, using their youth to their advantage.

Finally, even though it may already be too late, the youth movement is catching back on in Los Angeles.

Following the struggles by the team recently, Luke Walton decided to use a different approach.

Depending on how you define progress, the Lakers are at least starting to move in the right direction.

With the double-digit victory, Los Angeles won their 18th game of the season. In Kobe Bryant’s final career season a year ago, they had to scratch and claw to get to 17.

Lou Williams led the team in scoring again, dropping 22 points in 25 minutes.

D’Angelo Russell, however, notably struggled. The second year point guard only had four points, not making his presence known in other ways.

Should this trend continue of Russell not being a factor, it’ll only cause more problems.

When on fire, Russell is no doubt one of the best players on the team. Outside of that, it was surprising to see the team thrive with him healthy but just not productive.

Rookie Brandon Ingram went 5-11 from the field with 14 points in 32 minutes of playing time. He has continued to be the small glimpse of hope for the young core when other players haven’t come through.

Being that it’s just his first year in the league, we should keep our expectations realistic.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t be optimistic about the near future.

Also earning his keep was fellow rookie Ivica Zubac. The recent draft pick by the Lakers had ten points and seven assists in 17 minutes.

Next up on their road trip is a game with the Pistons.

Next: Can Lakers Really Save Their Season?

It will be a physical game for the young core, but it’s a needed test to move forward.