Welcome back to The Times’ Lakers newsletter, where we’re trying to star in our role.
With one of their major stars still sidelined, the Lakers have gotten headlining performances from the usual suspects. LeBron James and Luka Doncic each scored 30 or more points in the same game for just the third time as Lakers teammates against Memphis last Friday. Doncic followed up on Sunday with a near triple-double and James had 11 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers hold off the Grizzlies for a second consecutive game.
But the most significant performances last week came from the supporting cast.
Don’t forget No. 12
The way Rob Pelinka commemorated Jake LaRavia’s 27-point outburst against Minnesota in October warmed this print journalist’s heart.
After LaRavia made 10 of 11 shots to introduce himself to fans and Minnesota star Anthony Edwards, the Lakers’ general manager splashed a photo of LaRavia gazing out of a window on the front page of a faux newspaper and printed it on a black T-shirt.
The bold headline over the image read: “Who is Number 12?”
Two months after his breakout Lakers moment, LaRavia authored a long-awaited follow-up story. Starting in place of the injured Rui Hachimura, he scored 20 and 26 points in back-to-back games against Memphis.
LaRavia’s scoring punch against his first NBA team was the obvious headline grabber, but it shouldn’t overshadow the 24-year-old’s consistent contribution all season.
“It’s just the way he plays,” James said. “He plays hard, he defends, he rebounds. The scoring can go up, it can go down. But his consistency of how he plays keeps him on the floor.”
LaRavia has been the Lakers’ most consistent defender this season, coach JJ Redick said after Sunday’s game in which LaRavia was a game-high plus-15 in his 34 minutes and 30 seconds on the court. His defensive influence, averaging career-highs in rebounds (4.3), steals (1.3) and blocks (0.5), has exceeded expectations for the Lakers.
Redick knew he wanted to target the rangy 6-foot-7 forward because the Lakers were bottom-third in blocks (22nd, 4.5 per game), steals (22nd, 7.7 per game) and deflections (24th, 15.2) last year. Top wing defender Dorian Finney-Smith signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Houston Rockets.
Now LaRavia and fellow offseason addition Marcus Smart are tied for the team lead in deflections with 3.1 each per game.
LaRavia started his college career at Indiana State before transferring to Wake Forest, where he averaged 14.6 points per game as a junior. He was drafted 19th overall in 2022 and averaged 10.8 points in his second year. Looking back, LaRavia realizes that, at the time, he only wanted to be on the court for his offense. He admitted he wasn’t a very strong defender.
It wasn’t until last year that things “clicked,” LaRavia said. If he wanted to stay in the NBA, he would have to do more than score.
“There’s a lot of offensive talent in this league,” said LaRavia, who was shipped to Sacramento in a midseason trade last year. “I would say there’s not as much people that are willing to go out there every night and just play as hard as they can and provide energy and effort on the defensive side.”
The energy has transferred to offensive production, where LaRavia is thriving on what the Lakers call “effort offense.” He crashes for rebounds. He cuts to the basket. He runs the floor in transition. Those little things easily make up for LaRavia’s 32.7% shooting from three, the lowest percentage of his career.
The three-point shot is starting to click as well; LaRavia made seven of 16 threes in two games against the Grizzlies. He credited his work with assistant coach Beau Levesque for helping him get back to basics with his shot while maintaining confidence and focus.
“He has the words for me every time we come in here and shoot, but it’s more so just the consistent work that we put in,” LaRavia said. “He always says control the input … and the output is going to show for itself. And he also says stuff like, ‘Don’t be reactionary.’ I had a good game, but we don’t react off that. We continue to put in the same kind of work and just continue to play.”
LaRavia knows his front-page moment can be fleeting. Just when it looked as if he had arrived in early November with 20-point performances in two out of three games, LaRavia didn’t reach the mark again until last Friday.
More than two months after he first announced who No. 12 was, LaRavia is still introducing the league to parts of his game. A soaring one-handed dunk against Memphis last Friday got teammates jumping to their feet on the bench. After the game, James described LaRavia as “sneaky athletic.”
When asked about the description, LaRavia smiled.
“I’m a fan of ‘sneaky athletic,’” he said.
Next men up
Lakers guard Nick Smith Jr.
(Amanda Loman / Associated Press)
The Lakers have had all 14 of their standard contract players available for only two games this season. The revolving door of injuries has forced the Lakers to live out the “next man up” mantra.
Next up are Dalton Knecht and Nick Smith Jr., who are seeing more consistent playing time while Austin Reaves (calf) and Gabe Vincent (back) are sidelined.
Smith, who is playing on a two-way contract, delivered with 21 points in the Lakers’ win over the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 28, their first game without Reaves. The third-year guard’s instant offense was why the Lakers picked him up on the eve of training camp.
Conversely, Knecht is not being judged solely on whether he makes shots, Redick said. The Lakers simply need the sharp-shooting second-year forward to “play hard.”
“If you make a mistake, just get it on the next position,” Knecht said of what coaches are asking of him, “and just don’t repeat that mistake.”
Knecht flashed his potential in a hot start to his rookie season when he shot 46% from three in November 2024. But Knecht found himself on the trading block months later. He was briefly sent to Charlotte, only to U-turn when the trade was rescinded because of a failed physical.
This season, coaches told Knecht his opportunities on the floor would come down to his defense. He was playing regularly when the Lakers were still without James earlier this season, but he was largely relegated to garbage time after the superstar forward returned.
Jarred Vanderbilt’s standing on the team also changed drastically when James returned. The forward was out of the rotation completely for 10 games after James made his season debut on Nov. 18.
But the Lakers, in need of a defensive reset, turned to Vanderbilt again on Dec. 14. He has played in nine consecutive games, averaging 6.6 points and 5.8 rebounds with seven total steals. After his three-point shooting was a major liability on offense, Vanderbilt is shooting 11 for 25 (44%) from three since rejoining the rotation.
Vanderbilt’s resurgence has given Knecht an example to follow as he tries to solidify his standing in the league.
“Me and him had long talks about that,” Knecht said. “Making sure that both of us are ready for the rotation when the guys go down or just throw one of us in.”
On tap
Jan. 6 at Pelicans (8-29), 5 p.m. PST
The Pelicans have lost seven in a row. Zion Williamson (18.3 points, 5.9 rebounds) is back after missing both games against the Lakers earlier this season.
Jan. 7 at Spurs (25-10), 6:30 p.m. PST
After dominating the Lakers to end L.A.’s NBA Cup hopes in December, San Antonio announced itself as a title contender by beating Oklahoma City three consecutive times. Center Victor Wembanyama hyperextended his knee on Dec. 31 and missed two games, but could return in time to play the Lakers on Wednesday.
Jan. 9 vs. Bucks (16-20), 7:30 p.m. PST
Milwaukee has won five of its last seven. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s status with the team has been the biggest story line for the underwhelming Bucks, who are 11th in the Eastern Conference.
Status report
Gabe Vincent: lumbar back strain
Vincent is questionable for Tuesday’s game after missing eight games. He participated in a stay-ready game after practice last Saturday in his first on-court action since suffering the back injury.
Rui Hachimura: right calf strain
Hachimura will remain sidelined for at least the upcoming trip. He will stay in L.A. and could work with the G League affiliate South Bay Lakers. Hachimura has been out since Dec. 30.
Austin Reaves: left calf strain
Reaves won’t be reevaluated until at least Jan. 23.
Adou Thiero: right MCL sprain
The rookie forward will be sidelined for four weeks and won’t be reevaluated until the end of January.
Favorite thing I ate this week
Naan pizza with sausage, peppers and caramelized onions.
(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)
Don’t cancel me for this. But sometimes for a home cooking hack, I use Trader Joe’s frozen naan for the crust on a personal pizza. I spent a year or two trying to perfect my own pizza dough technique, and I made good progress, but during a busy season, I don’t have the patience — or foresight — to be fiddling around with any fresh dough for a pizza night.
I topped a piece of garlic naan with homemade tomato sauce, cheese, Italian sausage, red peppers and caramelized onions. Then I finished it with a drizzle of hot honey.
I can only hope I will still be allowed to enter Italy next month for the Winter Olympics despite this culinary transgression. Take this as the only thing I have to declare at customs.
In case you missed it
Why the Lakers locked back in on Deandre Ayton in their comeback win against Grizzlies
Lakers takeaways: Jake LaRavia sets the tone in starting lineup during win over Grizzlies
Lakers takeaways: Pistons dominate paint as Lakers close out a sub-.500 December
Lakers takeaways: Nick Smith Jr. shines in win over Kings with Austin Reaves sidelined
Until next time…
As always, pass along your thoughts to me at thucnhi.nguyen@latimes.com, and please consider subscribing if you like our work!