5 takeaways from Lakers vs Pacers showdown in NBA In-Season Tournament Final
The LA Lakers are the inaugural in-season tournament champions. Darvin Ham's team overcame the impressive young Indiana Pacers 123-109 on the back of stellar performances from LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Austin Reaves also made a huge impact despite playing through cold symptoms.
Now that the in-season tournament has concluded, the Lakers will turn their attention to the rest of the regular-season and, more notably, the postseason that will follow.
However, before we focus on the future, there are some lessons we can take away from both the Lakers and Pacers' performances, both in the final and their overall in-season tournament performances.
5 takeaways from Lakers vs Pacers showdown in NBA In Season Tournament Finals
#5 LeBron James isn't aging
In both the in-season tournament semifinal and the final, LeBron James was one of the most dominant players on the floor.
LeBron is 38 but continues to prove that he's among the best players in the world. He's still an elite scorer, playmaker and rebounder and has shown he can up his defensive intensity when needed.
With LeBron on their roster, the Lakers cannot be ruled out from contending for an NBA championship in the coming months.
After all, we've all just witnessed another masterclass from "The King," which led to him being crowned as the in-season tournament MVP.
#4 The Pacers aren't far from being contenders
The Indiana Pacers aren't too far away from being a contending roster.
Rick Carlisle's team plays a fast-paced and exciting brand of basketball. However, they're tough to guard in the half-court and have shot-makers all over the floor.
Indiana is only one or two smart trade moves away from being a postseason contender. Factor in the undoubted internal development that's still to take place within the Pacers roster, and there should be no question that they're a team on the rise.
#3 Austin Reaves could be a Laker for life
Austin Reaves had his own version of "the flu game" when he faced the Pacers.
He ended up having an impressive performance that impacted the game on both sides of the court. Reaves produced a statline of 28 points, 3.0 assists and 2/0 rebounds, shooting 60% from the field.
As an undrafted talent who has cemented himself as one of the Lakers' most important players, there's a case to be made for Reaves spending his entire career with the Purple and Gold.
After all, Reaves has become a fan-favorite and never fails to perform when the pressure is on. He embodies everything the Lakers want from their role players.
#2 Tyrese Haliburton is a future superstar
His personality, on-court production, flashy style of play. and willingness to celebrate his teammate's success, Tyrese Haliburton has everything a player needs to scale the NBA and become a superstar.
He's already an All-Star, and based on his production, this season, he could quickly prove himself as an All-NBA talent.
As the Pacers continue to improve in the coming years, Haliburton will undoubtedly start making a case for himself being in the superstar discussion.
His performances throughout Indiana's run to the in-season tournament final is just a precursor of what's to come.
#1 Anthony Davis could lead the LA Lakers to a championship
In a win-or-go-home game, the LA Lakers found a way to unlock Anthony Davis and get the best out of their star big man. Davis responded by dropping 41 points, grabbing 20 rebounds, dishing out 5.0 assists and blocking 4.0 shots.
If Davis can maintain that type of production throughout the postseason, and LeBron is healthy and ready to go, the Lakers will be a difficult opponent for any team to deal with throughout a seven-game series.
LeBron's greatness will ensure that the Lakers are competitive. However, Davis holds the keys to a potential championship this season.
Based on his performance against the Pacers, Davis will be a major swing factor but could finally start living up to the lofty expectations on his shoulders.