L.A. Lakers: Ramon Sessions Has Brought Confidence, Flow and Energy to Offense

Lakers fans have plenty to smile about these days. After a tumultuous and discombobulated start to the season, it seems like all of the team's problems have been solved for now.

There is a sense of renewed happiness and an anticipation for greatness on the court and in the locker room. Kobe Bryant was all smiles in the fourth quarter, and he was joking around with teammates. 

And all of this is because of one guy: Ramon Sessions, who has facilitated the job for the team and brought flow, rhythm, and energy to an offense that was anemic at times earlier this season.

When asked how the offense is like with Sessions bringing the pick-and-roll into play, Andrew Bynum simply responded, "It's so fun!"

The mood is light in the locker room after months of more questions than answers. Who was going to stop all those elite point guards in the NBA? Who was going to help facilitate the offense for the Lakers other than Kobe? Were they ever going to win on the road? Were Andrew and Pau going to be traded?

Sessions' arrival and the Lakers recent stretch where they've won 10 of their last 14 has put all of those questions to rest. 

Just by watching a game, one can see how much more rhythm there is in the offense. The ball is constantly moving, players are getting better looks, and the team has hit the century mark for the third time with Sessions in the lineup.

Even before Sessions came, the Lakers were already heating up. They were realizing that by feeding Andrew Bynum and letting him dominate the paint; they would score more and it was showing. The Lakers have scored at least 97 points in their last 10 games. 

That being said, they still needed a spark at point guard. Sessions has been that jolt and it has energized the team. The Lakers are beaming with confidence at the moment and the rest of the NBA should be concerned.

Prior to Sessions' arrival, the offense was an absolute mess. They would hold the ball too long and end up taking ill-fated shots. Because of that, they were last place in three-point shooting at one point. 

The following table shows how much the Lakers have improved in terms of three-point shooting ever since Sessions joined the team:

Opponent	3PT Made	3PT Attempt	3PT PCT
MIN	10	22	45.5%
UTAH	2	13	15.4%
HOU	6	16	37.5%
DAL	9	18	50%
PORT	6	19	31.6%
Before Sessions	225	739	30.4%
With Sessions	33	88	37.5%

The improvement has been massive. This is because Sessions is facilitating everyone else's job and it's allowing for better three-point looks. The team is no longer jacking up threes when they don't need to be taking them.

Sessions also has the ability to make players around him better. One guy who has really thrived playing alongside Ramon is Matt Barnes.

His production has nearly doubled since Sessions joined the team. He's turned into a valuable catalyst off the bench on both sides of the ball. The following table exemplifies Barnes' impact ever since Sessions became a Laker.

Matt Barnes Production	PPG	RPG	APG	BLK	FG%	3PT%
Before Sessions	6.9	4.6	1.4	.7	44.3%	27.4%
With Sessions	11.4	6.2	3.0	1.2	47.8%	42.9%

Most of Barnes' stats have doubled. If this continues, the Lakers are going to be an even more difficult team to play against.

This bodes well for the team because this means there will be less pressure on the big three to perform. They can now afford poor shooting nights from Kobe or games when Pau's mid-range game is off.

The team has become exciting to watch, too, as Lakers fans have become accustomed to seeing multiple alley-oops on a nightly basis to Andrew Bynum. Opposing teams can't find a way to stop it. It seems like the name "Lob City" should be a label for the Lakers, not the Clippers.

We mentioned above that Bynum was heating up in March even before Sessions came, but now that Ramon is here to provide flow in the offense, it's only going to make Andrew even better.

His numbers may jolt to Dwight Howard levels, leaving Laker fans to scratch their heads and wonder why they coveted the Orlando center so badly when they have their own gem in L.A.

Finally, the best part about all of this is that Mike Brown feels like the team "can get a lot better than they are now, which is exciting." (Via Mike Trudell's Twitter)

Sessions has improved in each game he's played. He's getting used to playing with his new teammates and developing chemistry. Today was the first time he recorded 10 assists with the Lakers and it marks just the third time all season where a Laker hit double-digits in assists. 

Derek Fisher and Pau Gasol were the other two to do it back in January on two separate occasions. While it's kind of sad that the Lakers have found trouble dropping dimes all season long, the fact that Sessions did it tonight and the team expects him to do it more often is a prospect worth getting excited about.

With Sessions, the Lakers found balance. They can win in different ways now. Kobe can take over and drop 40. They can pound it in to Gasol and Bynum and work the paint. They can win with their stingy defense. 

And now they can win by using Sessions to distribute and create. Sessions also makes the three aforementioned methods of winning ballgames easier because of his versatility. 

Just when we all thought the Lakers' season was buried when David Stern nixed the Chris Paul trade, here we are looking at a chance to see the Lakers win their 17th title.