Podcast: Small-ball has become the Lakers’ identity

With their 122-114 win over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers have now won four of their last five games, are inching closer to solidifying and having a full rotation they can be confident in, and finally seem to have captured some momentum.

The LeBron James at center experiment has proven to be more than a viable change-of-pace option, and become a sort of identity. It has helped spark what had been an otherwise stagnant offense and energized the fan base in the process. The team has also gotten positive contributions from multiple sources, including Malik Monk, who has been a revelation next to James and has made a strong case to remain a starter.

Although the team has not exactly beaten upper-echelon contenders during this recent stretch, the uptick in play and spirit is hard to ignore. And given the fact that they struggled earlier this season with such teams, we’re considering this winning streak progress.

All of which brings us to today’s episode.

On this edition of Talk-O-Tuesday, hosts Alex Padilla and Alex Regla recapped the Lakers victory over the Kings and the late game heroics from James and Monk. The combination has always made sense, but Monk especially has been a crucial development for this up-and-down season

Later, the duo discussed Dwight Howard’s role going forward on a team shifting toward small ball, and touch on the improved play team-wide.

You can listen to the full episode below, and to make sure you never miss a show, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts.

And for a short-form recap pod, check out Lakers Lowdown, in which Anthony Irwin recaps the previous day’s news and gets you ready for the day ahead in LakerLand, every weekday morning on the Silver Screen & Roll Podcast feed.