In his eighteenth NBA season, former NBA champion Tyson Chandler, walked into Staples Center sporting a Los Angeles fitted baseball cap as he suited up for the first time in his hometown for the home team, the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I love this city the way they love me,” Chandler said. “When you’re homegrown from here, going to high school and all of that…and now you represent the jersey that everybody has been cheering for their entire life, you kind of become one. I’ve been on the other side and played the villain now it’s great to be on this side and actually repping.”
Chandler arrived in Los Angeles after a six hour drive from Phoenix just one day prior to his Lakers’ debut against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Though he had not practiced for five days, Chandler shined in his first game as a Laker. He had a few late game tip outs that led to three offensive rebounds for the Lakers in crunch time. Chandler contributed two points and nine rebounds, but it is his intangibles that make him such a great fit for the Lakers.
“The best thing about it when you add a veteran like that who’s experienced a lot, they’re able to pick up on things very fast,” said LeBron James who led the Lakers with a double-double, 24 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. “The way D-Rose [Derrick Rose] was shooting the ball towards the end, we needed every last one of those offensive rebounds. It allowed us to win the game.”
#Lakers vs. #Timberwolves postgame report with sound from Tyson Chandler, LeBron James, Josh Hart and more 🎥 pic.twitter.com/eszjb8LvSW
— Lauren Jones (@LoJoMedia) November 8, 2018
The Dominguez High School product has accumulated a host of defensive awards over his seasoned career. Among them defensive player of the year, which the Lakers are hoping can help solve their not-so-secret struggles on that side of the ball. Chandler was immediately a vocal leader in team huddles throughout the game, especially directed towards the Lakers’ young core according to James.
Lakers’ coach Luke Walton asked Magic Johnson during their fiery meeting to add depth at the center position. His ask was answered with Chandler who backed up the Lakers’ starting center, JaVale McGee.
“Having observed our roster for the first 10 games of this young season, one of the areas that Earvin and I discussed with Luke that we desired to upgrade is interior defense and rebounding,” Lakers’ general manager Rob Pelinka said in a statement.
James described the combination of Chandler and McGee as a “one, two punch” as McGee has had a remarkable start to the season averaging 14.5 points, seven rebounds and three blocks per game. The only concern the Lakers will have to watch for with Chandler is the wear and tear of an eighteen year career and how that can affect a player’s health as the season moves forward.
Overall the Lakers played a balanced game offensively and made some key defensive plays down the stretch for the team to pull off a redemption win against the Timberwolves. In Los Angeles’ last matchup against Minnesota, the Lakers were out-rebounded and lost 124-120.
Lonzo Ball discusses his defensive energy to start the game, the addition of Tyson Chandler and his younger brother LaMelo Ball 🎥 pic.twitter.com/YvE3CUjH3Z
— Lauren Jones (@LoJoMedia) November 8, 2018
The Lakers came out to a much stronger start energized by the play of Lonzo Ball, who had two rebounds, a steal and four assists to set the pace for the game. Josh Hart continued to add momentum as he came off the bench with a perfect four-for-four from the three-point line.
Hart finished with a season-high 21 points shooting five for seven from three point range. He was one of the four Lakers who notched at least 20 points in the game for the first time this season: James (24), Kyle Kuzma (21), and Brandon Ingram (20).
Though Minnesota hit 20 three-pointers in the game led by a 31-point performance by Rose, the Lakers emerged victorious in the back-and-forth battle. There were 20 lead changes in the game. Ultimately, Hart iced the game as he knocked down two free throws with 1.2 seconds left in regulation.
The Lakers are inching towards a .500 record as the team improves to 5-6 on the season. Los Angeles will travel to Sacramento to face the Kings on Saturday.
