With the NBA Restart on the horizon, we are going to take stock of who is on the Los Angeles Lakers, what they did, or didn’t do this season, and what to look for as the Lakers look to march towards their 17th championship banner in the most unprecedented circumstances in NBA history.

JaVale McGee

JaVale McGee’s role hasn’t been a very sexy one or that big, but it has been crucially important to the identity of the Lakers. And after seeing his minutes and stats go way down after a solid season last year, he could have complained that Dwight Howard and Anthony Davis were cutting into his individual stats.

While LeBron James rightfully deserves credit for setting a serious tone for the Lakers this year but there may be no better example of how the Lakers have approached this season than the dynamic at the center position with McGee and Dwight Howard. Early in the season, way back in November, McGee told the Lakers media that he was much more concerned with ‘winning’ rather than playing time.

With McGee having been a part of two championship teams with the Golden State Warriors, followed by a year where he put up some of his best statistical marks with the Lakers that ended in missing the playoffs, McGee setting the tone vocally and with the way he carried himself helped set the tone for this Lakers team.

McGee taking a step back, being a two-time champion, makes it easier to sell a cut in minutes to someone like Kyle Kuzma. McGee gets known more often for his past Shaqtin’ A Fool appearances, but McGee absolutely deserves credit for his approach to the season and how that set a tone for the Lakers to have a successful season.

McGee was also pretty consistently available for the Lakers this season, playing in 61 of the Lakers 63 games. He shot over 64% on 2-point shots this year, which is the second-best mark of his career. So even though he hasn’t seen the same minutes, he has been even more efficient in his time on the court. McGee’s dunking ability has also been key in the Lakers being one of the most prolific teams in terms of lob passes.

While McGee’s Bubble videos might get more headlines than his play, his presence on this Lakers team has been key in setting them on their path for this season, as well as getting everyone on the team to understand that individual sacrifice is necessary to be a championship contender.

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