On Saturday, the Los Angeles Lakers put together their best performance in the 11 games since LeBron James joined Anthony Davis on the injury list, shocking the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center.

LA was even more short-handed than usual, playing without Kyle Kuzma (calf strain), Marc Gasol (hamstring), and Wes Matthews (Achilles soreness), in addition to James and Davis.

The extended injury report provided a primetime showcase for the Lakers' supporting cast, and the group scrapped and shined—especially its two newest members. Led by Andre Drummond, Ben McLemore, Dennis Schroder (for one half) and more hot shooting, LA maintained a first-half lead then went scorched earth on the way to a 126-101 rout.

Vogel called it “a complete team effort.” The victory moved the Lakers (33-20) to 5-6 without James and Davis and 2-1 on their five-game road swing (they'll face the New York Knicks on Monday and the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday).

The Lakers shot 19-of-34 from deep, compared with the Nets' 5-of-27 showing. A season-high eight Lakers scored in double-figures, while the team held the league's best offense to 43.8 percent shooting.

“That's the best win of the year,” Schroder said.

Of all the encouraging takeaways from the Lakers' showing, the impact of their two newest players may have been the most glaring.

In his third game in purple and gold, Drummond bullied Brooklyn's own high-profile buyout pick-up, LaMarcus Aldridge. Drummond posted 20 points and 11 rebounds, and, unlike Aldridge, he resembled an All-Star on a night when the Lakers didn't have any.

Drummond (6-foot-10) is one-inch shorter than Aldridge, so he used his heavier frame to body Aldridge off his spot, even hitting him with his signature “too small” gesture.

“It was a good basket by me,” Drummond said. “I’m not one to talk down on other players…it was the heat of the moment. That’s my signature that I do when I score on people and get an and-one, so nothing towards LaMarcus intentionally. It’s just what I do, no matter who is out there, it’s happening.

“He can be taller than me or not, I’m still going to say he’s smaller than me,” he stated.

Drummond became the first Laker since Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo to rack up 20-and-10 in 22 minutes or fewer.

“He can do that against opposing centers,” Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said. “He can beat them up with his physicality, on the post or on drives, on the offensive glass and then he can more than hold his own and guard his position defensively as well as all the pick-and-roll defensive coverages that we put him [in] as well. He’s a two-way player and it’s a great sign to see him stepping up as a leader the way he did tonight.”

Drummond isn't just acclimating—he's leading. After the ejections of Schroder and Kyrie Irving, Drummond summoned his new teammates into a huddle.

“Listen, we can’t play like this,” Drummond on what he told the group. “We can’t allow them to get momentum right now. We need to lock in defensively, not worry about the offense because you know you’re going to come out with a full head of steam, based off of the last play that just happened.”

From that point forward, the Lakers outscored the Nets, 59-39.

“It's great to see that type of leadership early on in his tenure here with the Lakers,” Vogel added. “We want our team to lead from every chair in the room. It's not just Bron and AD.”

Drummond was the star of the LakeShow in the first half, while the second-half onslaught was largely fueled by McLemore. In his second appearance for LA, the 28-year old showed precisely why he was brought aboard. After four early bricks, McLemore caught fire. He hit five threes in the second half on his way to 17 points, thwarting any chance of a Brooklyn comeback.

“Once I see one go in, it’s a wrap from there,” a confident McLemore said afterward. “Then I start making a few more and then I start rolling. It don’t take much for me to get hot, especially when I see one go in that was sweet. Then I’ve got guys that are backing me up, continuing to build my confidence within myself to go out there and continue to shoot.”

The Lakers need a catch-and-shoot specialist if Kentavious Caldwell-Pope isn't going to be that guy on a reliable basis. In downtown Brooklyn, McLemore displayed his value as a floor spacer and quick-fire artist, especially in short spurts.

“I think Ben is a quick learner,” Vogel said. “He’s a great shooter and he’s hearing ‘Hey, these are the shots you want me to take? Okay. I will definitely shoot those.’ What impressed me about Ben’s night the most is some of the bad pass threes he made (laughs). He made a three where he had to jump just to catch it and rose up — that’s a hard shot — and then he made another three where he had to reach down to his shoelaces and rise up, and he made that one.

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“He’s here for a reason, we’re excited to have him and what a great night for him tonight,” the Lakers coach continued.

“Over the course of my career, I worked on things like that with bad passes, workouts with bad passes to my foot, high passes, quick passes, whatever,” McLemore added.

Schroder, who is averaging 8.2 assists over the past nine games, loves McLemore's willingness to let it fly.  “McLemore, first off, we know that he's shooting. That's the reason why we got him. Helluva player. He can do more than just shooting, but that was big-time from him.”

On an evening when the Lakers hummed, it was fitting to see the two newest additions drive the car. Overall, the Lakers' buyout boys outscored the Nets' signings, Aldridge and Blake Griffin—who picked up three fouls and two points in 17 minutes—37-14.

If these two teams meet in the Finals, the star-power will be rich on both sides, and the on-court product will look dramatically different. But, if Drummond and McLemore continue to play as they did on Saturday, they may end up having a major influence on that series, if it happens.