Los Angeles Lakers' Midseason Awards
The Los Angeles Lakers are a step beyond the halfway point of 2017-18, and they still look strikingly similar to recent iterations.
Their playoff drought seems likely to extend the franchise's record for futility. Their hopes for competing sooner than later are intrinsically tied to striking free-agency gold. Their offense often sputters, and their defense is predictably deteriorating.
However, these aren't the same Lakers of yesteryear. They're well-stocked with the type of prospects who can serve up (relatively) high levels of fresh air, invigoration and highlight plays capable of sparking viral fires.
They might perform like the recent L.A. squads, but they read more like the next chapter of Lakers basketball.
Enough time has passed, then, to reward this group with the accolades typically reserved for end-of-the-year reflections. So, we're handing out hypothetical hardware to the midseason recipients of the top five individual awards.
Most Improved Player: Julius Randle
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When the Lakers declined to extend Julius Randle in October, they ensured the fourth-year big would be overloaded with motivation. He not only had a new contract to earn, he also had the perceived slight of being labeled as expendable by the same organization that selected him seventh overall in 2014.
Tack on the fact he spent the summer getting into the best shape of his life, and he made the prospect of vast improvement highly probable.
So it's no surprise to see him running away with L.A.'s Most Improved Player award. Randle's stat sheet is littered with personal bests—20.7 points and 1.1 blocks per 36 minutes, 54.3 field-goal percentage, 59.1 true shooting percentage, 18.2 player efficiency rating.
And it's not just about the stats themselves, it's the way he's compiling them. He's been both a starter and a reserve, proving equally effective in either role. He has also manned the center spot more than ever, a setup that makes full use of his unique physical gifts and versatility.
"Randle has been a bit of a Swiss army knife for the Lakers this season," Silver Screen and Roll's Drew Garrison wrote. "...Whether he's filling in as a small-ball center, switching on to various positions defensively, or getting a chance to rumble as a bulldozer of a power forward, Randle's finding ways to impact the game."
This has been Randle at his best. While that doesn't guarantee he'll be a Laker beyond this season—or perhaps even for the campaign's duration—it does make him their highest climber through the first half of 2017-18.
Rookie of the Year: Lonzo Ball
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The Lakers have six better scorers than Lonzo Ball, including fellow freshman Kyle Kuzma. The Association has a whopping 222 players averaging 20-plus minutes and shooting better than the polarizing point guard's 35.6 field-goal percentage.
None of that changes the fact Ball is L.A.'s runaway winner for midseason Rookie of the Year, though. Expanding focus beyond the scoring and shooting columns makes it easy to see he's having a special debut.
Ball is on pace to average at least 10 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and 1.5 steals. The list of freshmen to previously post that line starts and stops with Magic Johnson. Forgetting experience, only nine players have ever completed campaigns with all of those averages. All nine players are/were All-Stars, and the group is responsible for 78 combined All-Star Game selections.
And despite what L.A.'s 15-28 record might infer, these aren't hollow numbers on a bad team.
Ball immensely helps the Lakers' bottom line. They're winless without him (0-7, 15-21 when he suits up) and worse on both ends when he's on the sideline. With him, they're posting a not-awful minus-1.2 net rating that would rank tied for 21st. Without him, that figure falls to minus-6.8 and the ranking tumbles to 29th.
"This is why I think if you asked anyone in our organization all year about Lonzo's shooting struggles, we'd tell you, 'He'll be fine,'" head coach Luke Walton said, per Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus. "We know how important he is to us with the way he plays ... the way he pushes the ball, the way he just hits whoever is open, every time, that's contagious."
That's award-winning impact, even if Kuzma's stat sheet looks superior from certain angles.
Sixth Man of the Year: Kyle Kuzma
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The only thing stopping Kyle Kuzma from collecting the season-long Sixth Man of the Year honors would be making too many starts to qualify. For now, though, he's just under that threshold having made more second-team appearances (22) than starts (20).
With Kuzma in the running, no conversation is needed about other candidates. (Sorry, Jordan Clarkson.)
The 22-year-old paces the entire team with 16.8 points per game, the sixth-highest mark among all players with 20 or fewer starts. He's also leading the Lakers in threes (84), ranked fourth in rebounds per game (6.4) and their third-best player in true shooting percentage (55.9).
"Everything about Kuzma's start on offense—from his production to his versatility—has looked convincing," Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman wrote. "He's fueling that success with sharp ball skills, footwork and shot-making ability."
Kuzma already has five outings of 25-plus points. Brandon Ingram is the only other Laker with more than two (also five).
Less than a year after being drafted 27th overall, Kuzma is showcasing nearly all of the elements craved in contemporary bigs. He can stretch defenses as a shooter, finish plays at the rim, wreak havoc in transition, create shots for himself or his teammates, defend multiple positions and make his presence felt on the glass.
Truth be told, he's only a sixth man by the technical definition. He's fourth on the team in average minutes and probably no lower than third in talent.
Defensive Player of the Year: Lonzo Ball
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If you're surprised by this selection, you're not alone.
Leading up to the draft, Ball's defense was billed as serviceable at best. Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman noted he "[has] looked easy to get past and screen, and he didn't always close out fully on shooters."
Mike Schmitz wrote for DraftExpress that Ball did enough "not to be a total non-contributor," but also "probably has neither the versatility or impact that his physical profile and steal/block output suggest."
Halfway through Ball's initial campaign, though, the numbers see him as L.A.'s top stopper.
Ball's 2.00 defensive real plus-minus not only puts him atop the Lakers, per ESPN.com, it has him tied for 38th overall and third among point guards (first among starting floor generals). He's also pacing purple-and-gold regulars in defensive rating (102.1), defensive field-goal differential (minus-4.6) and defensive rebounds (5.8, fourth among all guards).
"Zo is a pretty good darn defender himself, so he anticipates great, he gets deflections, he uses his length to challenge shots," Walton said, per Lonzo Wire's Josh Martin. "What he brings to the team and individually as a defender has been a big bonus for us."
Ball isn't the most talented defender on the roster. His backcourt mate, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, probably wears that label due to his intensity, on-ball pressure and ability to pester multiple positions.
Statistics speak loudly in these selections, though, and Ball's figures present the most compelling case.
Most Valuable Player: Lonzo Ball
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Just to clear up any confusion, no, these awards aren't sponsored by Big Baller Brand. It just so happens their marquee player has made more of an impact on the Lakers than anyone.
Ever watch L.A. without its lead guard? If not, you shouldn't. It's not just that the Lakers have dropped all seven games he's missed, it's that they've been outscored by 112 points in those contests. To put that another way, the average Lonzo-less game is a 16-point loss.
"We miss Lonzo for a multitude of different reasons," Larry Nance Jr. said during Ball's six-game absence with a sprained shoulder, per Garrison. "He's just that type of player, he affects the game in a lot of different ways."
Ball gives the Lakers their identity. Their pace with him (104.70) is even higher than their league-leading speed (103.75). Their normal assist percentage (57.9) sits just a tic above average (12th). Their rate with Ball in the game (60.0) is borderline elite (would be sixth).
Then, consider he leads them in assists (7.1), ranks second in rebounds (7.1) and steals (1.5) and even sits second among the regulars in blocks (0.9), and it's impossible to put anyone else in this spot. Even if Kuzma is more explosive, Brandon Ingram boasts more two-way potential and nearly the entire rotation scores more efficiently.
Ball was dubbed the new face of the franchise before taking the floor. Midway through his rookie run, he has only solidified that standing.
Unless otherwise indicated, all stats are from Basketball Reference or NBA.com.
Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @ZachBuckleyNBA.
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