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Three Biggest Standouts From Lakers’ First Five Games This Season
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- Three Biggest Standouts From Lakers’ First Five Games This Season
Looking for standouts on a team that's 4-1 is not too difficult.
However, with the Los Angeles Lakers adding several new faces to their roster in the post-LeBron James rebuild this offseason, it's impressive how quickly head coach JJ Redick and his staff have been able to get everyone to gel.
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Here are the three biggest standouts from the first five games of the season:
Sandro Mamukelashvili
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"Mamu", as the Lakers like to call him, has been a revelation off the bench.
Upon signing the four-year, $52 million deal with the franchise, there were questions about how the forward would be utilized in Los Angeles. Is he a starting power forward? Is he a backup center?
Well, through five games, we know that he is a little bit of everything.
Averaging 24.2 minutes per game, Mamukelashvili has mostly featured as a stretch four. However, it's difficult to nitpick many weaknesses in his game.
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He is very comfortable as a ball-handler and has a sharp eye for a pass as a secondary playmaker. He's a strong rebounder and a reliable shooter — fitting perfectly as a complementary piece.
The 6-foot-9 big man is averaging 10.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, shooting 35.7 percent from three-point range — 51.4 percent from the field. He can spot up shoot, put the ball on the floor, and cut.
Mamukelashvili posted 13 points, eight rebounds, three assists, one block, and two steals last time out in the Lakers' 103-87 win against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday — sans Luka Doncic — proving his worth as an all-around contributor even when the team is shorthanded.
Ziaire Williams
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Williams is one of the Lakers' two veteran minimum offseason acquisitions who earned a starting role to begin the regular season.
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He signed a one-year, $2.8 million contract, and that, up to this point, has proven to be a steal for the Purple and Gold.
Redick slotted Williams into his starting lineup despite the 6-foot-9 wing missing all but two preseason games due to a foot injury. Williams impressed in training camp, and Redick has always been a fan of his game over the years.
The former No. 10 overall Draft pick (2021) is averaging 11.3 points per game, shooting 46.7 percent from beyond the arc.
He gains an edge by being able to guard virtually every position on the floor, and he has developed into an extremely reliable shooter of late — the definition of 3-and-D.
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Williams has played in four of five games and is averaging 1.5 steals. He sat out the second half of the Lakers' back-to-back against the Clippers (injury management) but is expected to be back on Friday in Golden State.
Matisse Thybulle
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The Lakers acquired Thybulle on a one-year, $3.2 million veteran minimum deal, and he rounded out Redick's starting five going into the campaign.
The Lakers really wanted to surround their Big 3 of Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Walker Kessler with willing and capable defenders, and Thybulle epitomizes that. Along with Williams, they emerged as the ultimate complements to the trio.
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The 6-foot-5 guard has been used more as a wing so far due to his defensive prowess. Above that, Redick and the rest of the Lakers have been raving about Thybulle as a person and teammate.
On the court, he is off to a tremendous start, shooting 50 percent from three and averaging 9.4 points per game on limited attempts (6.2 FGA). He's also notching 1.6 steals and just under a block per game, giving the Lakers exactly what they've been needing and then some.
A bonus: Thybulle and Williams holding up as starters allowed Redick to keep fellow newcomers Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton as second-unit mainstays, providing the Lakers with a really well-balanced rotation.
Thybulle has scored in double figures in three of five games, including a season-high 15 points — and four three-pointers (4-for-5) — in the win against the Clippers on Wednesday.
