Lakers Finally Acquire Shooters

Los Angeles has received a total of six new players to add to their roster now that the trades are in place. As the new athletes were welcomed, the Lakers said goodbye to memorable players as well.

The players added to L.A. are Rui Hachimura, Davon Reed, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, D’Angelo Russell, and Mo Bamba. Hachimura was an earlier trade who has already been a part of the starting five for the past few weeks, while Vanderbilt, Russell and Bamba recently played their first home game as official Lakers.

Hachimura was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers from the Washington Wizards where his power forward moves were visible. He has been positively impacting the Lakers games with his mid-range scoring and flexible defensive plays. In exchange for Hachimura, ex-Laker guard Kendrick Nunn was sent into a Washington jersey.

Reed, previously a shooting guard for the Nuggets, brought his skills to Los Angeles while sending former Laker Thomas Bryant to Denver. Reed averaged 2.3 points, and 1.6 rebounds in nine minutes per 35 games he played as a Nugget. He earned two points in his first game as a Laker.

Intertwined in the Reed/Bryant trade was also an exchange for Bamba and Patrick Beverly. Los Angeles attained center, Bamba and sent guard, Beverly, to the Orlando Magic. As the Lakers sent a former favorite away, Bamba entered L.A. territory with a splash in his first game against the Pelicans on Wednesday.

The Lakers final trades included Vanderbilt, Beasley and Russell who were a part of a three-team trade sending away former Laker, Russell Westbrook. Power forward, Vanderbilt, comes to Los Angeles from the Utah Jazz along with shooting guard, Beasley. Vanderbilt's first home game as a Laker was a success against the Pelicans. He was on the starting lineup with both Russell and Beasley and earned six points, four rebounds and two assists.

Beasley, shooting guard, will bring depth to the Lakers offense. He is averaging 10.8 points per game, a 38 three-point field goal percentage, and a 42.3 field goal percentage in his overall career. During his first home game in purple and gold, he earned eight points, three rebounds and two assists.

Russell was welcomed back to Los Angeles after leaving the purple and gold in 2017. He was brought to the Lakers from the Minnesota Timberwolves where he was a prominent player. The point guard impressed Crypto Arena with his offensive skills right out the gate as he earned 21 points, two rebounds and seven assists during his first home game Wednesday night. While leading the Lakers to victory, he screamed, “like I never left,” out into the crowd.

After a few fresh Laker players debuts, it seems like the team will be more well-rounded overall and be able to improve their offensive fight. As Los Angeles now has acquired skilled shooters, they head deeper into the season with an improved roster, experienced players, and additional help to assist Lebron James and Anthony Davis.