For the last two years, the Los Angeles Lakers were mired in mediocrity, and it seemed like there were bad vibes emanating from the team.
But multiple deals just prior to the Feb. 9 trade deadline have changed all that.
Of the Lakers’ recent additions via trade, Malik Beasley may be the most exciting as far as some fans are concerned.
He may be a streaky and even an inconsistent shooter, but he’s a shooter nonetheless, and he can get about as hot as any other sniper in the NBA.
In four games with the Purple and Gold, he has shot 41.7 percent from 3-point range on 9.0 attempts a game, and in Thursday’s blowout win over the Golden State Warriors, he went 7-of-11 from downtown.
Beasley is the deadliest shooter anyone can remember the Lakers having in quite some time.
After they defeated the Warriors 124-111, he praised the energy surrounding the team (@ 2:32).
“I would describe it as great. Immaculate,” Beasley said when asked to describe the Lakers’ energy. “Even though we’re in a tough position right now, we see that as a challenge and we like challenges. And like I said before, we kind of made a statement tonight that we’re ready to make this playoff push and do what we got to do.”
Austin Reaves also loves the Lakers' new energy
On Thursday versus the Warriors, Austin Reaves had himself a night to remember, going a perfect 6-of-6 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line to finish with 17 points in just 19 minutes.
He has become a key role player and Swiss Army knife for Los Angeles this season, and he also praised the Lakers’ new attitude and makeup.
Via Lakers Nation:
“It’s a new energy with the new guys. Every one of them has brought something different to the team and like I said, the energy around the group is at an all-time high right now. I think the playstyle that we got from the trades fits what we needed. We needed a guy like Beas that can do what he did tonight on a nightly basis, Vando (Jarred Vanderbilt) plays super hard and we can rely on him to contribute in whatever way and he can figure it out at the end of games. It might not be scoring the ball, but it’s guarding, diving for loose balls, blocking shots. He’s someone that can figure out what he needs to do during games to help us. And then DLo (D’Angelo Russell) and Mo [Bamba] shooting it. It’s great.”
Despite all the struggles L.A. has dealt with in the last two years, it seems it is in a good place right now, as it has a much better roster than it has had during that period. As a result, making the playoffs seems very realistic right now.
