Lakers News: Luke Walton Credits Brook Lopez For Overcoming Challenges, Being ‘Unbelievable’ This Season
Brook Lopez, Lakers
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

As the Los Angeles lakers fought their way to a 122-112 overtime win over the San Antonio Spurs, veteran Brook Lopez found himself on the bench down the stretch along with other starters.

That had often been the case for Lopez earlier this season as he struggled with his new role. The month of March was a different story, however, as injuries as well as a renewed focus on his post game, saw Lopez’s minutes and production increase significantly.

The last couple of games have been a struggle again for Lopez, but head coach Luke Walton loves what he has gotten from his big man this season.

“He’s been unbelievable for us. He was hurt at the beginning of training camp, he was playing with a new team, new coach, new system,” Walton said.

“I think as he got more comfortable and knows what we’re looking for out of him, he’s one of the most skilled bigs in our game,” Walton added. “I think he’s just really found a nice comfort level, and he’s been playing unbelievable for us for about a month or month and a half.”

Lopez averaged 18.7 points in March while shooting 55.4 percent from the field in 31.2 minutes per game. It was by far his best stretch of play and showed that he still has plenty to offer.

There were some rough times for Lopez as he wasn’t playing the minutes he was used to. But Walton is happy that he never let that bleed into his game on the court, or his relationship with teammmates.

“Even times where he seemed to be frustrated, he never let it affect how he treated his teammates. And he wasn’t going out there, knowing he’s a free agent and shooting every time he touched it to try to get his points,” Walton said. “He stayed within the team and was the ultimate professional through the whole thing.”

It would have been easy for Lopez to just start looking out for himself and try to pad his stats. After all, like Walton noted, he is an unrestricted free agent this summer.

But he stayed focus on the team concept, which says a lot about Walton’s ability as a coach. Whether he remains with the Lakers beyond this year remains to be seen, but Walton believes he has been a positive this season.

WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCUSSION? CHECK OUT THE NEW LAKERSNATION FORUM CLUB

You May Also Like

Shaquille O’Neal: NBA Was ‘Soft’ During My Era, Current Era Is ‘Very Soft’

Four-time NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal was the most unstoppable force in the…

Magic Johnson Wants D’Angelo Russell To Follow In His Footsteps

Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson stole the show at the 13th annual Lakers All-Access event Sunday night…

Frank Vogel Explains Reasons Behind Lakers’ Offensive Woes Against Grizzlies

The Los Angeles Lakers’ winning streak came to an end after an off-shooting night in the 127-119 loss…

Lakers News: Charles Barkley Believes Magic Johnson Is Perfect Person To Tell LaVar Ball To Shut Up

The Los Angeles Lakers have the second overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, which appears to put them in prime position to select UCLA guard Lonzo Ball….