The Lakers were in a festive mood in the aftermath of their win against the Nuggets the other day, and with reason. It was their first in six contests, close to two weeks after they began their 2022-23 season. And so they celebrated in the locker room, giving each other hugs and exchanging high fives, even dousing head coach Darvin Ham with water.
They may not have claimed a title, but they could be forgiven for their exuberance. After all, they got over a hump that critics figured they would have difficulty negotiating for the foreseeable future.
Not that the Lakers can be assured of stringing together victories from here on. Even with seven of their next nine outings at the Staples Center, their schedule gives them little comfort. All of the opponents they will face have records better than theirs, and few, if any, can match the intrinsic unevenness of their roster. For all the goodwill their triumph engendered, they remain infirm and in need of a change — perhaps any change — in order to come remotely close to being competitive.
Unfortunately, that change doesn’t seem to be coming anytime soon, the entreaties of the Pacers’ Myles Turner notwithstanding.
The good news is that the Lakers appear to have found a workable formula that minimizes the negative impact of giving significant minutes to one-time Most Valuable Player Russell Westbrook. Given his poor fit with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, he found himself relegated to the role of sixth man, and, lo and behold, it looks to be suiting him to a T. The sample size is small, true, but the results are nonetheless encouraging; in the two games he has served as the head of the second unit, he has put up decent, if efficient, numbers.
The Lakers know they’re walking a tightrope all the same. The 17 banners on the rafters place pressure on them to deliver, and inexplicably heightened expectations come with the territory. Fans have been so spoiled by previous successes as to deem anything but a championship unacceptable. Under the circumstances, James and Company are doomed to fail. That said, there can be no giving up. Getting better with every set-to is a must, and they’ll take their wins any which way.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
