Is the Lakers supporting cast GOOD ENOUGH without LeBron? 👀 Windy applauds Anthony Davis | NBA Today

Is the Lakers supporting cast GOOD ENOUGH without LeBron? 👀 Windy applauds Anthony Davis | NBA Today

Kendrick Perkins yes I know you were waiting hoping to see a big man moment in this game and you got well it’s been a while first of all hello world since I’ve been in the studio and I came in here and I’m uncomfortable so the thing for the day is getting uncomfortable

Because it’s hot in here today Malica got his steaming so look last night Anthony Davis he he made the Milwaukee Bucks uncomfortable but he made Darin ham happy look at them stretching the floor and look at the timing of the game right here these are crucial three point

Shots for ad being the number one option while LeBron James is out being aggressive stretching the floor look how he’s stepping into Rhythm but you know the beautiful part about Anthony Davis is he plays both sides of the floor this was Kentucky Anthony Davis watch who he

Leaves Yannis an to Topo to help and blocks the shot to make sure that Damen Lillard doesn’t have an opportunity to in the game this was ad at his finals and guess what Malika ad turned into will Chamberlain last night dominating ninth career game with 30 points and 20

Rebounds third by most any player in the last 30 Seasons with Shaquille O’Neal and DeMarcus Cousins the company that he’s guarding did you see what he had 34 23 four blocks you talking about dominating and standing on business and he did that while racking up his minutes

Played as well so we will see who is available tonight against the Memphis Grizzlies on the second night of a backtack espf there he is it’s the official sports book of ESPN new users get $100 in bonus bets for making any sports book bet you can check out perk

Big man parlay exclusively in the ESPN BET app if you want to ride with perk or any of the other big men but it it wasn’t just the Lakers big men right Kendrick it was a true team effort here Austin Reeves D’Angelo Russell they were crucial the Lakers their starting back

Court each went for over 25 points 10 assists they’re the second Duo this season to do that for the Lakers to reach those totals in a game so here’s the deal the Lakers are now six and four right without LeBron James in the lineup that would actually Mark the first time

A Lebron team has a winning record without him in over a decade so if this Supporting Cast Brian continues to be this consistent can can they meet the expectations that we set going into the season I don’t think they’re good enough defensively to be the team that they

Were last year at least not yet but ad playing this way is just such a huge thing this is such a for ad we should celebrate him more I know perk just talked about him but a parade this was a this was a heavyweight fight against Giannis Giannis had a 29 Point triple

Double for ad to play this way and like I’m not just talking about the stats the stats were obviously awesome okay he is stretching the floor out of the paint eight three-pointers this is what Darin Ham’s been dreaming about getting to the line making clutch free throws and perk

On the defensive end you understand this he’s switching back and forth between hand Ling Giannis in the paint and guarding Dame Lillard on those move outs and switches and the pick and roll the amount of the load that he carried last night and leading them was great and one

Thing that’s happened for the Lakers the reason their eight games over 500 the reason they’re back within sight of the eight seed in addition to ad they’re making their threes since the All-Star break they’re the number two team in three-point percentage D’Angelo Russell has been hot Austin reav has been hot

Both of them had great shooting nights last night look Milwaukee has no excuse for losing this game that call at the end of the game was very frustrating 15 more free throws for the Lakers than the buck which is a common refrain now 100 now 435 more free throws for Lakers

Opponents and the Lakers this year the Lakers have more than their opponents that’s a frustration every single night for teams but you can’t blow a 19-point lead at home right and the Lakers made the plays which you need to do that and it was their guards and AD that made it

Happen we’ve seen the Lakers beat the Milwaukee Bucks this season before but because of the deficit in the fourth quarter and no LeBron James this felt like their most improbable win of the Season particularly to start off this stretch that is all too important for them but let’s just set the playoffs

Aside for one second because you said it the eighth seed potentially Within Reach here for the Lakers how high can can they go perk they could go pretty high but you remember the theme of the day is getting uncomfortable right but did you feel I turned on the no no we don’t have

To do that but we need to have an uncomfortable situ uncomfortable conversation right now look LeBron James one of the greatest players if not the greatest players to ever touch the down basketball okay we know this he’s 39 of n years old last night was one of the

Signature wins that I peeed that they had uh this season with three like you think about their signature wins the Milwaukee Bucks twice and the Boston Celtics both without LeBron James guess what time is it’s time to pass the torch it’s time for LeBron James to pass pass

The torch look at these numbers without LeBron James Anthony Davis is averaging 28 and 18 rebounds D’Angelo Russell almost 30 points seven rebounds and 11 assists Austin H him Reeves 26 points seven rebounds six assists six assists so we know that LeBron James is a mind of basketball right mind of the game

That’s what his podcast is called so with him sitting on the sideline he got to be observing and saying maybe it’s time for me to adjust when I come back maybe I might be holding these guys back just a little bit maybe I need to trust

Into these guys and pass the torch but it has to come from a genuine place it can’t come from a place of I’mma see what you could do and if you mess up here it is I told you so you have to continue to have to build the confidence

In these guys because what they’ve shown me in these three signature wins is that they’re capable of doing a lot more if allowed to especially when LeBron James comes back into the mix well they do have a great advantage that LeBron sat out last night and they have this game

Against Memphis tonight and LeBron should be able to go so after Anthony Davis more minutes is interesting I think the sample size a little small but the fact so now LeBron has to swing into action which I’m he’s very capable of and he’s got to try to carry him tonight

Because if they back up that incredible win with a loss in Memphis tonight they’re kind of where we all thought they’d were we thought they’d be one and one in these games and I think LeBron probably knew he was going to have to sit out one of them and he he picked the

Bucks gave to sit out because he thought he needed to have more for Memphis so that’s what they’re going to do and so he’s got an opportunity to S of pay it back for those guys who put in huge huge minutes last night but but let me ask

You a question let me ask both of you guys a question y’all don’t y’all didn’t see a different Anthony Davis last night even when he was stepping into those three-point shots it was almost to the point of him saying this is my team like you could you could kind of feel the

Energy of him saying this is my team and and look there’s no knock on LeBron LeBron is 39 years old well but that’s what at the beginning of the season when LeBron James said that to en Bolden ad he wanted this type he said that two seasons ago Malika but has he really

Hold on but hold on tell out has he really genuinely passed the torch like seriously watch watching him play with ad’s got to want like they’ve been begging ad to take shots like this they’ve been begging him to shoot the ball from we heard I don’t think LeBron

Would love it if ad was was getting to the line this much was taking this many outside shots and I think it’s you’re saying pass the torch the torch has been passed ad is the ad is the Lakers best player I’m talking about to all three of

Them no Wendy why are we I don’t think I don’t think Russell two months ago that the conversation around D’Angelo Russell was whether or not should even be on this team or should be training it was fairly he wasn’t playing well he’s played much better since February but it

Was a topic of conversation and guess who were putting the what is that the the time ticker or clock on emoji on the Instagram it was LeBron James so but but but what I’m saying is is this right I’m watching this team last night and that team was playing with great joy they

Were playing together the ball wasn’t stagnant yeah and they were down 19 in the fourth that came back and won it don’t matter it don’t matter what you do how you do it wasn’t it wasn’t a wonderful night in in Milwaukee it was it took an extreme situation so I I

Don’t think you should draw any conclusions from it what you mean Wendy some of the stats that they had in that game literally hadn’t been done since the 60s but they done it Okay

Brian Windhorst and Kendrick Perkins join Malika Andrews on NBA Today to discuss if the Los Angeles Lakers are good enough to compete without LeBron James.

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