It's been hard to find the right moment to genuinely evaluate the Los Angeles Lakers in the Post-Russ-Trade Era.

In poker parlance, last season's Lakers checked questions about their team's ceiling on a daily basis, citing a combination of roster churn, injuries/COVID issues, and a corresponding lack of cohesion. When the sailing didn't smooth by March, the veteran-laden group functionally threw in the towel.

About a quarter into the 2022-23 campaign, the present quality of the team is a tad clearer but the future remains murky. These Lakers (8-12) are younger and healthier. Following another summer of change, the Lakers have exhibited legitimate chemistry — a credit to Darvin Ham. They beat bad teams and lose to good ones. Trades still loom.

We can confidently make a few observations. The Lakers are not going to be elite at three-point shooting or rebounding (they may end up OK in the former). They can be electric in transition and field a top-10 defense when dialed in. Ham is the right man for the job and commands immense respect in the locker room, which has allowed him to run Russell Westbrook with the second unit — a season-saving move. The Lakers are not title contenders, but they are better than last season.

“We’re just more and more on a string,” LeBron James said after a recent win over the San Antonio Spurs. “I think we continue to learn each other. … We’re a new group with a new system and a new coaching staff and trying to implement things on the fly. .. I think over the last couple weeks, we’ve continued to learn one another, continue to play some good ball, share the ball and it’s definitely worked in our favor.”

Despite a litany of remaining questions and unsolved problems, we more or less have an idea of what this Lakers team is. Let's overreact.

3 Lakers overreactions early in 2022-23 season

The Lakers should not trade Westbrook

All things considered, Westbrook has been a bright spot.

It's not always pretty. He's shooting under 40% from the field and turns the ball over about as often as ever. He still kills them with untimely decision-making, often causing players and Ham to implicitly lament his mistakes postgame. He gets irked when sitting in crunchtime, yet continues to play his worst basketball in critical moments (the Lakers crunchtime failures have cost them a handful of contests, and Westbrook's halfcourt execution and poor fit alongside LeBron and AD is an obvious culprit).

“We can’t be in situations where we’re throwing the ball and everyone is standing and we’re dribbling out the clock, dribbling out the clock,” Ham said after a recent loss. “Now we’re waiting on someone to go one-on-one vs. the world. That’s tough. That’s a huge responsibility to have to score in those situations.”

Yet, between his scaled-back usage, increased production, and better vibes, Westbrook has been a net positive since embracing his QB2 role (Ham referred to the second unit as “Russell and the Westbrooks”). He's averaging 15.9 points, 7.7 assists and 4.9 rebounds since his “realignment.” He's a worthy candidate for Sixth Man of the Year — a stated goal of Ham's.

In a stunning turn of events, Westbrook has become among the least of the Lakers' problems. As long as he's helping on the court and not hurting off of it, dealing him looks increasingly fruitless.

The Lakers will make a trade soon, if for nothing else than to appease LeBron/Klutch. They're understandably reluctant to spend both 2027 and 2029 first-rounders unless they get a star in return. Los Angeles can make a playoff push, but their smoothest route back into contention will manifest next summer when another first-rounder can be dealt and their cap sheet clears up … if they hang onto Russ until then.

 

Instead, the Lakers should prioritize a smaller deal, e.g. pairing one or both of their midlevel contracts — Kendrick Nunn ($6M) or Patrick Beverley ($13M) — with a pick to nab shooting and/or size on the wing.

Nunn has been abysmal and has become the odd man out in a crowded backcourt. But, he's still young and talented enough to hold value. Beverley, 34, has been a zero offensively, but he brings strong perimeter defense, grit and leadership that could appeal to a veteran team.

AD is, officially, the Lakers' best player

LeBron has produced an unmatched run as the best player on 19-straight NBA teams. We may never see that again. But, the King's reign has ended. Jason Momoa has come calling.

For the fourth season of his five in Los Angeles, LeBron, 37, has suffered numerous ailments. There's already been foot soreness, a groin strain, and a tweaked ankle.

When healthy, James hasn't been as dominant as we've grown accustomed to. His shooting efficiency is way down (.552 TS%). He has six games of 21 points or fewer. He doesn't live at the free-throw line anymore. He's missed 10 of 16 FGAs in “clutch” situations, per the LA Times.

He's still great, obviously, and can take over in short spurts (see: his scintillating 39-point showing in San Antonio). But, he simply doesn't impact winning on a two-way basis to the degree he did for two decades.

LeBron's slight decline has opened the door for Davis to — finally! — become the Lakers' top guy. He's been a top-10 player so far and would be in the MVP discussion if the Lakers had a better record. He's gobbling up everything on defense — often playing centerfield in Ham's system as the lone big in smaller lineups (Los Angeles is seventh in Defense Rating largely thanks to AD).

He's averaging his most points (26.3) since 2017-18 and the most rebounds (12.7) of his career. He's been monstrous around the rim — contesting shots, snagging boards, throwing down jams. He leads the Lakers in Win Shares (3.4) by twice as many as the next guy (Austin Reaves, 1.7)

This is a profoundly welcome development. LeBron, Ham, the front office, and Lakers fans have been imploring AD to take the reins since the bubble. AD, himself, demanded the darn ball before the season. Ham has repeatedly labeled him the “focal point” of the team, and recently called him their “epicenter.”

“AD will be AD,” LeBron said Monday. “And we’ll figure it out around him. I’ll figure it out. I’m OK with that. And I can do that. But we got to get the ball, keep the ball in AD’s hands.”

Davis just needs to eliminate recurring stretches like Monday's fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers, when he barely touched the ball as the Lakers imploded.

The Lakers' present — and possibly future — will be decided in December

Los Angeles opened the 2022-23 season losing 10 of 12 games against a tough schedule. They've since rattled off six wins in eight games, with each W coming against subpar competition and two Ls to playoff-caliber squads. This is no coincidence. (They've also benefited from scheduling quirks that awarded them five days off in between home games and matched them up with five straight opponents, at home, the day after that team faced the Los Angeles Clippers.)

The Lakers will begin a 12-day, six-game road trip on Friday that includes dates with the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors, and Washington Wizards. They'll face the Denver Nuggets, Wizards again, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, and Dallas Mavericks (among other teams) by Christmas. In 30 days, they'll play 16 times, 12 on the road, three back-t0-backs, and travel nearly 10,000 miles, per Silver Screen & Roll.

If the Lakers hold their own this month, they could find themselves in the thick of the play-in race amid a goofy Western Conference. If they struggle to hang, they'll be forced to make hard determinations about their 2022-23 prospects and the best path forward — for the rest of this season and beyond.