Lakers-Nuggets: L.A. Bench to Be Tested

So far so good.  The Lakers’ bench, which had problems all last season including the playoffs, seems to be returning to their 2007-2008 form.

Two years ago, it was the clutch play of the “Bench Mob,” as they called themselves, which drove the Lakers to a spot in the NBA Title Series against the Boston Celtics.

Last season, however, their output really fizzled, and the regulars had to carry the brunt of the load. Even though the Lakers won the NBA Title, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom were logging close to 40 minutes per game.

Currently, the Lakers are 5-1 in the preseason, and the bench’s contribution has improved quite a bit.  Although they have allowed double-digit leads to nearly shrink away, the Lakers’ subs have held off their opponents in the last quarter of their games.

It was against the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings, but still the bench has had to play with guys who will not be on the Lakers’ roster come the season opener.

The next two nights, however, will be quite different. The Lakers must go back-to-back with the Denver Nuggets, the team they played for the Western Conference Title last season.

I expect the Lakers’ bench to see a lot of action as Pau Gasol and Luke Walton are just coming back from injuries and will probably see very limited playing time.

So far, Jordan Farmar, who was at best spotty last season, leads the bench with an average of nine points and 4.7 assists in 19.5 minutes per game. Shannon Brown is right behind him averaging eight points in 20 minutes. 

Josh Powell, who has been getting a lot of work at forward with Gasol and Walton out, has averaged 6.5 points and nearly four rebounds in 18.5 minutes.  

Sasha Vujacic, who completely fell off the map last year, has started to make an appearance once again with 5.8 points in a little over 12 minutes. 

Last season general manager Mitch Kupchak traded Vladamir Radmanovic to Charlotte for forward Adam Morrison and backup guard Shannon Brown. Morrison was supposed to be the key player in the trade for the Lakers. 

Morrison appeared in just eight games and averaged a meager 1.3 points. Instead, it was Shannon Brown who was the one player to come off the bench and ignite his teammates and the crowd in the final 18 games of the season and in the playoffs.

But this preseason Morrison is starting to come around averaging 4.8 points in 17.5 minutes. He had a high of 14 points against the Clippers the other night at Staples Center. Granted, it’s not much, but it’s a whole lot better than what we saw from Morrison last season.

But tonight and tomorrow night are the real tests.  The way they perform against the Denver Nuggets will go a long way in determining whether the Bench Mob has returned or if they are just a plain old mob taking up space on the bench.