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Let's be honest. LeBron James hasn't been getting much help from his Los Angeles Lakers teammates for pretty much the entire season. The King has virtually been left to do it all by himself but despite his strong play, the Lakers are still on a downward spiral.
Be that as it may, LeBron recently revealed that there are three particular young players on the roster that have earned his trust, particularly when it comes to closing out games. As of right now, Malik Monk, Talen Horton-Tucker, and rookie Austin Reaves have all done enough to be on James' good side:
“Well, I mean, we’re on the floor for a reason in the fourth,” James said on Friday following the Lakers' 122-109 win over the Washington Wizards, via Jacob Rude of Silver Screen & Roll. “And I expect those guys to make plays. Because they’re on the floor. And I know what they’re capable of. I know what Malik is capable of, obviously I’ve been in the foxhole with THT, and Austin has proven himself. So it was great to see those guys make plays down the stretch, especially when the Wizards started doubling my pick and rolls or my ISOs and those guys continued to make plays. It was great to see that.”
Among the three, Malik Monk is perhaps the biggest revelation for the Lakers this season. The 24-year-old signed as a free agent last summer for just $1.8 million. Since then, he's been one of the few bright spots for LA, averaging 12.9 points on 46.5 percent shooting, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists, while also connecting on 2.2 triples per game on an efficient 39.8-percent clip. By the looks of it, Monk has proven that he's worth more than what he's earning right now, and he should be able to negotiate a bump in his salary in the coming offseason — be it with the Lakers or otherwise.
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Talen-Horton Tucker, on the other hand, hasn't exactly been able to live up to the lofty expectations the Lakers had on him when they signed him to a three-year extension last summer. The deal was worth $30.8 million and thus far, THT hasn't shown that he's worth all that money. While injuries have gotten in the way for Horton-Tucker this season, the harsh reality is that he hasn't been exceptional when healthy. The Lakers expected him to take a major leap this season, but the 21-year-old shooting guard just hasn't been able to live up to the hype just yet. The one thing he has going for him is that he was part of LA's 2019 championship run. In this respect, he's earned his stripes in LeBron's book.
As for Austin Reaves, the 23-year-old undrafted rookie out of Oklahoma has been quite the fairy tale story. From being an unknown kid who had no place in the roster, circumstances with the squad have allowed Reaves to make his mark on the Lakers. He's not exactly a superstar in the making, but the 6-foot-5 guard has been a steady contributor off the bench for head coach Frank Vogel. He's also emerged as a bit of a cult favorite among LA fans, with some even labeling him as the new Alex Caruso.
As LeBron James has pointed out here, there are indeed a number of bright spots on the Lakers roster. At the end of the day, we need to give credit where it is due. However, it is clear that none of these three players will serve as the solution for the Lakers' woeful campaign. As a matter of fact, we're not even sure if this trio will still be in Hollywood next season.
