Even though the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2023–24 regular season has been erratic, at least they have a successful foundation to fall back on: their 2023 post-All-Star break comeback, which propelled them into the Western Conference finals and out of the Play-In playoffs.
The 2022–23 Lakers had an uphill battle heading into the postseason as they started the All-Star break at 27–32. However, the Lakers won 16 of 23 games to end the regular season, propelled by a bustling trade deadline, Austin Reaves’s rise to prominence as a primary facilitator, and LeBron James’s earlier-than-expected recovery from a foot injury.
LeBron and Darvin Ham were not present at the team’s first practice following the All-Star break on Wednesday. According to Reaves, the Lakers can take advantage of their recent common past.
Although it’s a new season, Reaves told ClutchPoints that it’s important to remember where the team was at the end of the previous one, how we closed it off, and how we used that momentum to win the postseason.
With their pre-break groove, long-term cohesiveness, and the success of their previous season as a foundation, the Lakers remained dormant at the 2024 trade deadline. In the past eight games, they have won six of them. They have lost by 0.2 assists per game over the past five games to the Golden State Warriors, who are chasing them for the No. 9 seed and whom they will play on Thursday. The Warriors top the league in average assists.
The man who has sparked the Lakers’ offense more than anyone else, D’Angelo Russell, expressed his desire to “continue where we left off.”
Since returning to the starting lineup on January 13, DLo is averaging 23.4 points and 6.9 assists on 46% 3-point shooting. Since then, the Lakers are 11-5. On a.514/.460/.825 shooting split, Reaves is averaging 21.7 points and 6.8 assists.
Russell declared on Wednesday that the standings mean nothing to him. If he does look, he will see the steep odds the Lakers must overcome in order to claim the No. 6 spot, an internal objective that LeBron publicly discussed in Indianapolis. The Lakers (30-26) trail the six-seeded New Orleans Pelicans (31-22) by three games and the Dallas Mavericks (32-23) and Sacramento Kings (31-23) by three games with 26 games remaining in the season.
Russell, however, feels most confident in the Lakers because of their heads, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who are always available, rested, and focused.
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