Los Angeles Lakers showed three strengths that will lead to a title
By Jason Reed
2. The Lakers have championship-caliber depth
The depth that the Los Angeles Lakers have heading into this season has not gotten the credit it has deserved. Partly because of people inheritely not liking the Lakers and partly due to the team’s lack of success, the players that the Lakers have added alongside LeBron and Davis have not received their proper dues.
We saw some of those players in action on Saturday with some notable standouts that played better than anticipated, showing that on any given night it could be any one of the Lakers’ several role players that step up.
The biggest standout in terms of expectations was Troy Daniels, who trailed only Anthony Davis and LeBron James in points scored. Daniels scored 14 points in 25 minutes, making six of his 11 attempts off the bench.
JaVale McGee had the solid game that has become typical of him: a double-double in which he scored 10 and snagged 13 rebounds in only 17 minutes of action.
Dwight Howard had a near double-double with nine points and nine boards, although he had some head-scratching moments in this game and both Danny Green and Avery Bradley played good defense, albeit the scoring was not all there.
Alex Caruso even had a good game, dropping 10 points with six assists, three boards and two steals in 20 minutes of action. Caruso’s +17 was second only to Daniels.
On any given night one of these guys, if not multiple, is going to step up alongside the superstar duo, which is a huge asset in competing for a title.