Los Angeles Lakers fans know LeBron James can't take them to championship heights by himself. The young corps needed to step up alongside James. Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Kyle Kuzma all entered the season with major expectations, but Josh Hart is proving to be the most valuable Laker to play alongside James.
It's not that the rest of the young Lakers are playing poorly — they're not. Kuzma is averaging 20-plus points per game, Lonzo Ball is shooting the ball better than he ever has, and Ingram has barely had a chance to play due to his suspension. But what Josh Hart is doing for LeBron James has been vital.
Knocking down the three
The Lakers need to surround LeBron with guys who can knock down open threes. So far, Josh Hart has done that better than anyone on the Lakers and he's doing it about as well as anyone in the NBA. Hart is taking 5.8 three-pointers per game and he's converting on 45 percent of those attempts.
Lonzo Ball is shooting 41 percent from three on 5.4 attempts per game, but Hart's likely to remain the more consistent shooter of the two. Ball looks like a different shooter this season and his confidence is soaring, but a cold streak is still a possibility for the young point guard.
Seizing an opportunity
The Lakers were off to a 0-3 start and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was struggling mightily in the starting lineup. He was only scoring 4.7 points per game on 27 percent shooting from the floor and 17 percent from deep. That's hardly the kind of production you need out of your starting shooting guard.
Enter Josh Hart. The feisty two guard entered the starting lineup after three games and the Lakers have won both games with Hart in the starting lineup. In his best game of the season, he came off the bench, but in that overtime loss to San Antonio, he proved he deserved a bigger role in the rotation.
Hart is outplaying Caldwell-Pope early in the season, but he also stepped up for Luke Walton in a big way after his rotation was shortened by suspensions. He was Rajon Rondo for three games and Brandon Ingram is still sidelined for one more game. Walton needed someone to step up and fill the void. Hart did exactly that.
Final thoughts
The summer was a dream for the Lakers. Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka wooed the best player on the planet and the franchise received a new shot of life. But after a rocky start to the year, Lakers nation was ready to panic. LeBron James has calmly led his squad to two straight victories — the second coming against the previously undefeated Denver Nuggets.
But James could not have secured two soothing victories by himself. The Lakers are getting strong contributions from a number of different places, but Josh Hart is the guy that is making it work for Los Angeles. Not many would have pegged Hart to be the most valuable Laker outside of LeBron this season, but early on, he's making a strong case.
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