Lakers news: Finney-Smith debut, LeBron turns 40, Bronny update
It's New Year's Eve, and if there hasn't quite been reason to celebrate yet for the Los Angeles Lakers, there's at least been reason to be optimistic about what 2025 will bring. L.A. is on the upswing thanks to five wins in its last six games, and Sunday's trade for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton shows that the team is committed to making a push.
The last time the Lakers played on a holiday was ... well, less than a week ago, and in that Christmas Day game they won a thriller against the Golden State Warriors. Austin Reaves clinched the game with a last-second layup, but tonight's test will be even tougher, as the NBA-leading Cleveland Cavaliers are coming to town.
The Lakers last played the Cavs the night before Halloween, and that game ended up being a 134-110 beatdown to drop L.A. to 3-2. Getting revenge on LeBron James' former squad in front of the Crypto.com Arena crowd would be a great way to ring in the new year.
Even if the Lakers aren't able to beat the best team in the NBA, that won't derail the good news train from the tracks. Here's everything Lakers fans need to know to close out 2024.
Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton to debut against the Cavs tonight
The Lakers have been on a roll, and now they have reinforcements. Sunday's trade with the Nets sent D'Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second-round picks to Brooklyn, but in return it brought Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton to town.
Lakers fans are most excited for Finney-Smith, whose defense and perimeter shooting should be just what the doctor ordered on a team badly in need of both. Tonight's game will be L.A.'s first since making the trade, and the good news is that both Finney-Smith and Milton are expected to make their purple and gold debut.
Although it may take time for the new players to find their roles within the team, Finney-Smith's impact on the defensive end could be felt immediately, as the Cavs' backcourt duo of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland has been killing it all season. Jarred Vanderbilt still hasn't made his season debut, and he was supposed to be JJ Redick's second-best defensive weapon behind Anthony Davis. Now Finney-Smith can step in and give AD some help.
LeBron James hits 40
LeBron James finally turned 40 on Monday, which brings into sharp focus just how amazing his career has been. LeBron is still doing it all for the Lakers, as he's averaging 23.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 9.0 assists, and it seems like he's setting a new record every time he steps onto the court.
LeBron is questionable for the Cavs game after missing Saturday's win over the Kings with an illness, but whenever he does play next, he'll be the first 40-year-old in the league since Udonis Haslem hung it up last year. Haslem was 42 at the time of his retirement, but he hadn't been an on-court contributor for the Heat in years.
LeBron has tailed off according to the advanced metrics. The eye test, though, shows that he's still the most important player on the team next to Davis. The King recently said that he feels like he could play another five to seven years at a high level if he wanted to, though he also said, "I'm not going to do that."
Lakers fans have been kept in suspense about exactly what LeBron's retirement plans are. If he does change his mind about sticking around, it would take another six years for him to beat Nat Hickey of the Providence Steamrollers as the oldest player in NBA history. Hickey is a great trivia answer to remember, as he played in just two games as a player-coach back in 1948 at the age of 45, the only two games of his career.
If LeBron wanted to be the oldest player to lace them up in an NBA game that was, you know, an actual NBA player, he'd have to make it to the first game of the 2030 season to beat Kevin Willis' record.
Bronny James continues his quality G League play
Don't look now, but Bronny James is still making waves in the G League. The 20-year-old took a lot of heat to start the season for not appearing ready for the pros, but he's been coming on strong for weeks now with the South Bay Lakers.
South Bay played the Cleveland Charge in back-to-back road games last week, and again Bronny showed out by averaging 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. He also shot over 46 percent from beyond the three-point line, a must if he hopes to get back to L.A. and get some time in JJ Redick's rotation.
All in all, Bronny played in seven games for South Bay in December (that includes two games in the G League Showcase), and he averaged over 17 points per contest. Only once did he score less than 15.
Bronny is probably still a ways away from being an NBA contributor, but Lakers fans have to be encouraged by his continued development.