The Los Angeles Lakers entered Sunday’s contest vs. the Memphis Grizzlies 0-2 on the 2021-22 season, 0-2 at the Staples Center, 0-8 including the preseason, and 0-12 since this ordeal. As much as they’ve preached patience, tensions boiled over in Friday’s frustrating loss to the Phoenix Suns.

In other words: the home matchup with the Grizz was an exorbitantly pressurized affair — and you could feel it in the building.

Ja Morant, except for one free throw, did everything he could. The burgeoning superstar was mind-blowingly electric and relentlessly unguardable all night. I couldn't resist including all of these:

The third-year guard posted 40 points and 10 assists, only to miss a potential game-tying freebie in the final seconds. Los Angeles escaped with a 121-118 win.

It may not have been perfect, but the Lakers sorely needed a feel-good W.

“Losing your first two home games didn't sit well with our group,” Lakers head coach Frank Vogel acknowledged afterward. He credited a “very, very productive film session” on Saturday that “cleaned a lot of things up.”

The Lakers still have plenty of adjustments to make and film to crunch. Sunday's win, though, was a reflection and result of multiple key offseason moves — perhaps the most encouraging development of all.

1) Shooting upgrades

The Lakers prioritized improving their three-point shooting over the summer. Despite zero combined appearances from Trevor Ariza, Talen Horton-Tucker, Wayne Ellington, and Kendrick Nunn so far due to injury, the efforts of Lakers vice president of basketball Rob Pelinka's look successful through three games, in that regard.

Los Angeles shot 16-of-30 from behind the arc on Sunday. For the season, they've made 46-0f-102 (about 45%). Newcomers Carmelo Anthony, Malik Monk, Kent Bazemore, Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, and Austin Reaves (more on them in a second) have combined to hit 29-of-57, nearly 51%.

Now, a bulk of the credit here goes to one of the three Lakers' incumbents: LeBron James. LeBron, who has steadily become a more impressive shooter — in quantity, quality, and smoothness — throughout his career, has started his 19th season red-hot from beyond the arc.

After a 4-of-9 night vs. Memphis, he's now 14-of-29 from deep this season. (Russell Westbrook is 1-of-11. Anthony Davis is 2-of-9.)

James is taking more long-distance shots than ever. If he continues to drain them, this could prove an effective strategy to both manage his body and help the Lakers' spacing.

2) Carmelo Anthony

Speaking of hot shooting, Anthony simultaneously validated his selection on the NBA 75 list and Pelinka's(/LeBron's) decision to bring the 37-year old aboard with a performance as deliciously vintage as a 1997 cabernet.

At the 3:22 mark of the third quarter, Melo hit his fourth triple of the night. It was his 16th point and moved him past Moses Malone for ninth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Give him his flowers.

The milestone came amid one of Anthony's finest post-prime outings. Melo finished with 28 points, shot 10-of-15 from the field and 6-of-8 from 3. (The Lakers went to him on the block for the potential dagger in the final moments, though Anthony missed the fadeaway.)

“He was outstanding tonight. Congrats to Melo — ninth all-time, that's unbelievable,” Vogel said. “He didn't crawl up to that milestone. He blew the doors off it … He's been a great culture fit for our group. Obviously, playing at a real high level on the floor. He's got a lot left in the tank. He's really going to help us this year.”

He was beyond a sparkplug. His offense came within the flow of the action, and he competed adequately on defense.

Through three games, Melo is averaging 17.7 points per game and has made 12-of-18 from 3. Start the Sixth Man of the Year campaign.

“Melo played his ass off,” Davis said.

 3) Austin Reaves, Malik Monk, Kent Bazemore

Vogel shortened the rotation on Sunday. Rondo was a DNP, while Bradley played two minutes. It worked.

After a stellar preseason, Reaves was a DNP on opening night. As the Lakers' sputtered vs. Phoenix on Friday, Vogel went to Reaves, who helped ignite a 4th quarter run and posted a team-high +17.

On Sunday, Reaves was on the floor in the first and fourth quarters. He was +7 in his first two minutes and drew the Morant assignment late in the game. Once again, he displayed a sophisticated feel — down to the location of his passes, his off-ball positioning, defensive aptitude, and more.

“I didn't expect to put Austin on Ja Morant,” Vogel said, “but it ended up that way. He was just playing well on both sides of ball. Did a good job competing. Every time his number's called he gets in there and plays well.”

The sample size is small, but Reaves has undeniably made the Lakers better when given the opportunity. Before the season, I predicted he would crack the rotation at some point. It's already happened. Check the lineup data:

Monk, too, was highly effective (+19, 12 points, four assists, 4-of-7 FG, 2-of-3 3-PT, two clutch free throws) in his 21 minutes off the bench.

“I love Monk's instincts for the game,” Vogel said. “His scoring instincts, using his athleticism defensively.” He credited Monk for getting up to speed on the Lakers' defensive scheme.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Lakers' LeBron James, D'Angelo Russell, and Rui Hachimura all angry, caption below: TIME TO SAY GOODBYE?

Jedd Pagaduan ·

Lakers, LeBron James, Nuggets, Bronny James, Deion Sanders

Jackson Stone ·

Lakers Anthony Davis and Darvin Ham after NBA Playoffs loss to Nuggets

Jay Postrado ·

“Both those guys were a huge part of the win.”

Vogel also said Bazemore has been “great for us” on both ends. He struggled more with Morant than Stephen Curry or Chris Paul, but his offense came in handy. Baze had 11 points on 3-of-3 shooting, including a massive triple down the stretch.

4) Finally, Russell Westbrook

Westbrook played his most impactful game in a Lakers uniform vs. Memphis.

His jumper and sloppiness remain an issue — he throws away possessions on predictable bricks and by losing control of the rock. He's never going to play a perfect game.

However, for the first time since joining his hometown team, Westbrook was far more good than bad — especially early on. Russ came out dishing, pushing the tempo and connecting with teammates on non-obvious looks. He had seven assists in the first quarter, and 10 by halftime.

Vogel wants the Lakers to push the pace, attack the paint first, and play inside-out basketball. Westbrook is spearheading that charge. The Lakers missed over 12 layups against Phoenix, which Westbrook lamented during his media availability on Saturday. He, and the team, was much better around the bucket on Sunday (though were still outscored in the paint for the third straight game).

More importantly, in their first taste of crunch-time, the 2021-22 Lakers executed nifty action featuring Westbrook as a screener in inverted pick and rolls with James. It led to more than one solid look.

Vogel said it's a tactic the Lakers “have been talking about a lot” and is “definitely a situation we like” when the other team has a lead guard who doesn't want to switch onto LeBron (who does?).

Ultimately, the Lakers' efforts to raise banner No. 18 will not come down to Westbrook's regular-season efficiency stats or how lineups are staggered from the mid-first to mid-fourth quarters. They will have to execute late in close playoff games with their three stars on the floor together. How the Lakers deploy Westbrook in these situations is the biggest schematic X-factor of the season.

Westbrook finished with 13 points, 13 assists, and seven rebounds. A long way to go, but noticeable progress.