LA LAKERS

So Lakers fans are incredibly reactionary. It comes with having the expectations of Championships for so long. But we need to take a step back, and stop saying trade XXX or XXX is a bust after every loss. Vegas had the win over/under at 24.5 before the season began, and 538 projects the Lakers to finish with 28 wins. Six players who look to be a big part of the Lakers core are under 24! Larry and Jordan are the two oldest and they seem closest to being "finished" products.

As for the minutes being distributed. I think it's pretty clear that Lou is playing so much because he is one of the most attractive trade assets the Lakers have. If he was only playing 15~ minutes a night, he wouldn't have the same value. And guess what? Russell still leads the team in shot attempts per game! I will be shocked if the Lakers roster is exactly the same post trade deadline. Expect to see Russell take on a larger minute load post-trade deadline, assuming he can stay healthy.

Julius is also a lightning rod on here. Half of the people think he needs to be traded/put on the bench. Half believe he has All-Star potential. Here's why I'm very positive on Randle, his unique ability to combine scoring, rebounding and passing. Randle currently averages 12.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. Do you know how many players in the NBA average 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists? 9: LeBron, Draymond, Giannis, Durant, Blake, DeMarcus, Jokic, Millsap and Randle. Jokic, Randle and Giannis are the only ones under 26 of those players. Finding players with this type of skill set is very rare. I don't know how good Randle will end up being, but the idea of trading a 22 year old who is in the company of those players is asinine.

Luke is also in his first season as being a head coach. He hasn't been perfect, but he has shown that he's got the team heading in the right direction. This was never going to be a year where the Lakers competed for a title. The hot start kind of threw the expectations for the team out of whack. But think about last season, we had a coach who publicly bashed his players, wouldn't let the young guys finish out games, and the team finished with the fewest victories in franchise history! The team already has more wins than last season. So try to RELAX and just enjoy watching the young kids develop.