Lonnie Walker IV had quite a season with the Los Angeles Lakers. After taking on a starting role for most of the regular season, the 6-foot-4 shooting guard saw himself completely fall out of the rotation following LA's flurry of NBA trade deadline moves. In spite of the demotion, however, Walker stayed ready, and all his hard work came to fruition in an unforgettable NBA Playoffs performance against the Golden State Warriors in the second round.
After not even getting off the bench in Game 1 against Stephen Curry and the Dubs, Walker took advantage of the minutes that he was handed with in Games 2 and 3. Come Game 4, Lonnie was primed for a breakout performance, and that's exactly what he did. He led the Lakers to a massive win over the defending champs after dropping 15 points in the fourth quarter of that pivotal contest. Thanks to that heroic effort, Walker made his mark on Lakers fans, who are hoping to see him back on the roster next season.
Walker, however, will see his contract come to an end this summer. He's going to be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason and at this point, his future with the Lakers is anything but guaranteed. For his part, however, the 24-year-old has come out with a bold promise of what we can expect from him moving forward — be it in LA or otherwise:
“The best is yet to come,” Walker said, via Lakers beat reporter Michael Corvo of ClutchPoints. “… I think I got what it takes to be something in this league.”
Walker also noted that this season was a “very defining moment of his career” and that he felt like he achieved important growth on and off the court. Based on what we saw from him this year, it's hard not to agree with his statements here.
At the end of the day, Lonnie Walker IV has done well enough to earn a substantial contract offer this summer. Whether or not he ends up remaining in LA, however, remains to be seen.
Follow Us
Subscribe