5 former LA Lakers players who can take a shot at winning individual awards in the 2021-22 NBA Season
The LA Lakers are looking to win their second title in three seasons in the upcoming 2021-22 NBA campaign. They have made huge roster changes to make that happen in the offseason.
The Lakers acquired former MVP Russell Westbrook via trade while also managing to sign veteran free agents like Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard. In doing so, they once again had to part ways with rising young players like Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and Alex Caruso.
This isn't new for the franchise as they have gone down this road in their quest to add Anthony Davis to their squad in 2019. The move paid off as the LA Lakers won the 2020 NBA title in Davis' first season. They had to part ways with stars like Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart to make that deal happen, though.
One thing that has been common among the majority of the young players that have left the LA Lakers in the last few years is that they have flourished playing for other teams in the NBA. The likes of Lou Williams, Brandon Ingram, Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle have all won individual accolades since leaving LA.
Five former LA Lakers players, including a few mentioned above, could end up winning an award in the NBA next season too. In this article, let's take a look at the five players who have a great chance of winning individual awards this season.
#5 Montrezl Harrell
Montrezl Harrell had an underwhelming stint with the LA Lakers during the 2020-21 NBA season. A lot was expected of him, especially because he had won the Sixth Man of the Year award a season before.
He averaged 13.5 points per game, five points less than what he was averaging with the LA Clippers in the 2019-2020 NBA season. Harrell did not fit well within the Lakers setup. They did not have many shooters on their roster, which meant Harrell's presence on the floor would clog the restricted area for others to attack the rim.
Harrell wasn't as efficient on the defensive end, either, due to his smaller frame compared to other bigs in the league. He eventually fell out of the LA Lakers' rotation in the 2021 NBA Playoffs. Harrell will now be playing for the Washington Wizards after the Lakers packaged him in a deal to acquire Russell Westbrook.
Harrell will likely receive more playing time and opportunities as a sixth man. The Wizards struggled to find efficient scorers off the bench last season, which could see them use Harrell a lot more than the Lakers did. If the 6'8" center can find his form again, there is reason to believe that he could end up winning his second Sixth Man of the Year award in three seasons.
#4 Alex Caruso
If there is any player the LA Lakers fans were sad to see leaving this offseason, it was Alex Caruso. In his four seasons with the club, Caruso had become a fan favorite in Hollywood. His energy off the bench and the impact he had on the game on both ends of the floor played a huge role in the Lakers' championship-winning run in 2020.
Caruso's basketball intelligence was even applauded by 'King' LeBron James last season. Despite playing roughly 20 minutes per contest for the LA Lakers in the last two seasons, Caruso had a massive impact on the team's performance. He will now be playing for the Chicago Bulls, where he could receive more playing time than he did with the Lakeshow.
Caruso is likely to come off the bench to play rotation minutes for either Lonzo Ball or Zach LaVine. He could even feature in a three-guard lineup for the team. If that does happen, his scoring numbers could see a rise.
That could help him enter the conversation for the Sixth Man of the Year award next season.