Players

Darius Soriano

2022-23 Season Summary:By nearly all statistical measures, D'Angelo Russell had one of, if not the best seasons of his eight-year NBA career. In 71 combined regular season games between the Timberwolves (54) and the Lakers (17), Russell averaged 17.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 6.2 assists to only 2.6 turnovers a night. And while these are not his peak averages in any given season for his career, never has Russell shot a higher percentage from any distance, boasting career bests in 3-point percentage (39.6%), 2-point percentage (55.5%), the field overall (48.4%), or the foul line (82.9%) while showing such a commitment to his defensive responsibilities in ways that contributed to winning. And while his playoff production offered a volatility that created uncertainty in his night-to-night role in Coach Ham's rotation (particularly vs. the Nuggets), Russell's contributions were crucial in the Lakers advancing to the Conference Finals, and his ability to be an offensive threat as an initiator, off-ball worker, shooter, and passer proved a fantastic fit in lineups with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Austin Reaves.

By The Numbers:38.8%: :Percentage of above-the-break three pointers Russell hit on the 103 attempts he shot after joining the Lakers. Russell's ability to hit those shots both as a release valve via catch-and-shoot attempts and off the dribble when creating his own shot adds immense value to a Lakers team that thrived on attacking the paint as much as they did.

+25.6: Net rating the Lakers had when Russell shared the floor with LeBron, AD, and Reaves in their 99 minutes of court time together in the regular season. In the playoffs, that number fell to +5.0 in 306 minutes, but both numbers show a positive influence on the game and an ability to win significant stretches of each game.

22.6%: Percentage of shots Russell took in the restricted area after joining the Lakers -- shots he hit at a 70.0% clip. For a player who is known so much as a jump shooter, and particularly one who relies on his mid-range shot for a lot of his offensive production, Russell proved to be someone who could get to and score in the paint at a good rate after coming to the Lakers. In the playoffs, however, those numbers dipped to 8.2% of his shot attempts with him connecting on 56.3% of those shots.

Moving Forward:At his season closing media availability, Rob Pelinka spoke of his desire to create continuity for next season, with the implication being his using this Conference Finals roster as a roadmap to build out next season's team. Russell, an unrestricted free agent this summer, will (of course) have a say in whether he returns to the team to build on all they accomplished post trade deadline and through the playoffs. Should he return, however, both parties could see the benefit of a continued partnership. From the Lakers' side, Russell's offensive fit as both an on and off-ball player works wonderfully in lineups with both team's superstar front court players in a complementary role who can also morph into a primary role for stretches. Russell, meanwhile, can find the best version of his own game, leveraging his great feel to slot next to talents who can both take on the primary shot creation role while being such natural finishers that allow Russell to shine as both a playmaker and passer too. There will be strides Russell could still take defensively as well, but his size and commitment to playing hard on that end will go a long way towards being a functional part of the team's overall scheme on that side of the ball.

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End of Season Interviews - D'Angelo Russell (5-23-23)

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D'Angelo Russell 2023 Lakers Player Capsule

Mike Trudell

2022-23 Season Summary:When Austin Reaves was on the basketball court, the Lakers were a better team. Period. We know the backstory: the hard-working kid from a small town in Arkansas was hardly recruited despite multiple state titles, then went undrafted after four years of college ball. Yet, after a promising rookie year for LAL, he posted a fantastic sophomore season that saw him make huge gains in multiple areas. After elevating himself from a two-way deal into a fully-guaranteed contract as a rookie (7.3 ppg,1.8 apg, 23.2 mpg), Reaves started his second season as the most impactful bench player on the roster, before ultimately earning a starting guard spot in March. His 13.0 ppg, 3.4 apg and 28.8 mpg don’t actually tell the story of his improvement when you consider his even-better playoff production against three very good teams (MEM, GSW, DEN): 16.9 ppg, 4.6 apg, 36.2 mpg with 4.4 rpg. Able to hold up defensively at multiple positions, on offense Reaves showed what the Lakers scouts noticed going back to his freshman year at Wichita State: Austin can carry a heavy load as a primary ballhandler, creating good shots either for himself or for teammates. It’s no stretch to say that, behind stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Reaves was the third-best player on the team for the duration of the 2022-23 campaign.

By The Numbers:1,004: More total minutes played by Reaves in his second season than his first; he played 1,418 in Year 1, and 1,843 (regular season) plus 579 (postseason) in Year 2. That’s up from 862 as a senior at Oklahoma.115.4: Offensive rating in the regular season, No. 2 on LAL behind only LeBron (115.6), min. 18 games.5.8: Net rating in the playoffs for Reaves, No. 1 on the team (minimum 6 mpg).

Moving Forward:The starting-caliber guard we saw late in the season, and especially in the postseason, should be the floor for the versatile perimeter player. Reaves is still just 24, and can be expected to make continued gains in several areas both on and off the floor. His shooting, passing and ballhandling are already strong, but there’s room to grow. Reaves converted 86.4 percent of his free throws, and it’s the attempts that really entice: he took 6.3 per game after the All-Star break, ranking 20th in the NBA. His 3-point shooting in the playoffs is something to be excited about, as well. Often times, increased volume leads to lower efficiency, but Reaves actually shot a better percentage from deep in the playoffs (44.3%) than in the regular season (39.8%), despite taking 5.5 relative to 3.4. Meanwhile, his playoff assists went up to 4.6 from 3.4, but his turnovers stayed about the same (1.5 to 1.6). Clearly, he can handle more usage without giving up efficiency. As a player with a very high basketball IQ that enables him to anticipate plays defensively, and a guy that’s always willing to put his body on the line, Reaves takes a lot of hits. As such, one area where he may be able to benefit is with increased strength and endurance built during an NBA offseason.

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End of Season Interviews - Austin Reaves (5-23-23)

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Austin Reaves 2023 Lakers Player Capsule

2022-23 Season Summary:In his 11th NBA campaign and the season in which he turned 30 years old, Anthony Davis spent the year reminding the NBA of the elite level of production he is capable of on both sides of the floor. Scoring 25.9 points per game, Davis posted his highest average since his first year in Los Angeles, while his 12.5 rebounds a game are the most of his career. Meanwhile, his defensive impact was as high as it’s ever been, anchoring the Lakers defense in both the regular season and the playoffs as the central figure opposing offenses needed to account for when building out their game plans for how they would try to score. And while a foot injury sidelined him for nearly six weeks in December and January, Davis managed to return to the lineup, providing stability through his leadership and raw production to help the Lakers climb out of their early season hole to reach the playoffs through the play-in game after clinching the 7th seed.

By The Numbers:56: Number of games AD played this season, leaving him two short of the 58 required to qualify for the NBA leaderboard in statistical categories. If Davis would have qualified, he would have finished 1st in rebounding (12.5) and 6th in blocked shots (2.0) per game.

8: Number of seasons that Davis, after doing it again in the 2022-23 campaign, has averaged at least 2.0 blocks, 1.1 steals, while committing 2.6 fouls per game or fewer. Davis tied Ben Wallace for the most such seasons in NBA history.

0: While playing in as many games as Stephen Curry and more minutes than Jaren Jackson Jr., and despite his clear dominance on both sides of the floor, Davis was not named to the All-Star team, any of the three All-NBA Teams, either of the two All-Defense Teams, or garner a single vote for Defensive Player of the Year. And while Davis will be the first to tell you such accolades are distant in importance to competing for and winning championships, Davis played to levels which could have easily earned him such recognition.

Moving Forward:Davis enters one of his most important offseasons since joining the Lakers four seasons ago, beginning a summer where his general health and the continued growth in his game cannot be taken for granted, and instead must be built upon to come back stronger and better next season. Even as LeBron James continues to defy father time by playing at elite levels through his 20th season, it is Davis who is in the middle of his prime, proving capable of being the best player on the floor, and carrying the team for extended stretches not just when James was unavailable but when they shared the floor together as well. Davis has an opportunity to take on even greater responsibility by becoming more a focal point on both ends of the floor, but to do so will require revisiting the importance of his jump shot on his offensive success and increased emphasis on individual shot creation -- as he has shown capable of doing in the past.

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Anthony Davis 2022-23 Season Highlights

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Anthony Davis 2023 Lakers Player Capsule

lalpsnowden

2022-23 Season Summary:At age 38, LeBron James completed the best 20th&nbsp;season in NBA history; in terms of raw statistical production (28.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 6.8 apg, 1.5 spg), there’s never been anybody close. Meanwhile, only one other player managed to even play in the postseason in Year 20: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Though a foot injury sidelined LeBron for a month late in the season, he remained the primary creator on offense for the Lakers, while still playing an important role defensively, particularly late in games. He secured a spot on the All-NBA Third Team, his 19th&nbsp;All-NBA honor, made his 19th&nbsp;All-Star game and played a critical role in L.A.’s trip to the Western Conference Finals, while becoming the game’s all-time leading scorer, and moving up to fourth on the all-time assist list.&nbsp;

By The Numbers:38,652: LeBron’s point total as he added a 265-point gap ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 38,387.

2,036:&nbsp;Difference in career playoff points for the all-time leader, LeBron (8,023) and Michael Jordan (5,987); LeBron’s 28.5 per game average ranks sixth, with MJ (33.4) atop that list.&nbsp;

26.4%:&nbsp;Percentage from 3-point range in the postseason, a career low for LeBron, and a number he’ll look to improve if his physically rigorous drives to the rim get increasingly difficult heading into Year 21.

Moving Forward:Like no player before him, LeBron has held Father Time at bay, and the primary question heading into his potential 21stseason will be to what degree he can continue to do so. Last season, there were a few expected dips in terms of nightly impact relative to the impossibly high personal standard he’s set throughout his career. For example, his first quarter defense in a January game may not match what it would be in a critical April game that would determine playoff seeding. Even so, last season, LeBron’s net rating prior to the trade deadline was 3.1, third on the team, despite L.A.’s overall struggles. After LAL acquired better-fitting teammates, that jumped to 12.1 in 10 games after the All-Star break. In the postseason, against three very good teams, his net rating was 0.6, in nearly 38.7 minutes per game. And so, if Father Time can chip away just a little bit physically, perhaps the roster L.A. puts around LeBron to support him can take on a bit more of the load in 2023-24. With the potential for much-improved continuity and talent on the roster around him, and well-earned trust in his offseason regimen to maximize himself, there’s good reason to believe LeBron can continue his productive and impactful play.

Players

D'Angelo Russell 2023 Lakers Player Capsule

Austin Reaves 2023 Lakers Player Capsule

Anthony Davis 2023 Lakers Player Capsule

Anthony Davis 2022-23 Season Highlights

LeBron James 2023 Lakers Player Capsule

LeBron James 2022-23 Season Highlights

End of Season Interviews - Max Christie (5-23-23)

End of Season Interviews - Mo Bamba (5-23-23)