What is it like to be surrounded by LeBron James and Anthony Davis and accept their "touching the head and killing" and hugging?
Lonnie Walker experienced this super-high standard of treatment.
Walker deserves it.
On May 9, Beijing time, the Lakers narrowly defeated the Warriors 104-101 at home, and Walker came off the bench to shoot 6 of 9 in 27 minutes, including 1 of 3 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws to score 15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Walker's 15 points all came in the tiebreaker fourth quarter, and in this quarter, Walker was the brightest star on the court, and the light radiating from his whole body overwhelmed the James-eyed combination, which was already comparable to the two-time MVP Stephen Curry opposite.
And such a Walker, until Game 3 of the series, was put into the main rotation by Hamm.
This season, Walker can be described as the Lakers' "big wrong", he has proven to have the ability to start, but then he has been abandoned again and again. What is valuable is that Walker is always ready to fight, and when he is in danger, he plays the role of the savior of the Lakers again and again.
A true Lakers savior
In the fourth quarter of Game 4, the Lakers entered the final quarter with a seven-point disadvantage. At this time, the rhythm is in the hands of the Warriors, because the Lakers' side D'Angelo Russell is completely out of shape, but Curry is already in full swing, and the Lakers need a game-breaker.
This person is Walker.
Catching the ball and hitting a three-pointer, making a steal and countering for a layup, Walker helped the Lakers quickly erase the deficit and overcome.
I think that at the beginning, Walker was often criticized by data analysis experts in the Spurs for "being damaged by DeRozan and shooting too much", but today, Walker's mid-range shot has become a weapon to save the Lakers, he has a catch, and he also has his own forced dry shot.
At 3:42 in the fourth quarter, Walker played a hand-to-hand and reciprocal way. In the previous round, Curry completed a mid-range high throw, and the next round, Walker also finished the offense with a throw.
1:53 before the end of the game, Walker hit another shot, and the Lakers rallied 100-99. In the final stage, Davis successfully prevented two waves of Curry's offense, the Warriors were forced to take foul tactics, and Walker hit both free throws.
There are 15 points in a single quarter, and every point counts. Layups, throws, mid-range shots, three-pointers, Walker is proficient in eighteen martial arts. Defensively, Walker is dead on Klay Thompson, showing the advantage of being a nimble shooter. Without Walker, the Lakers wouldn't have been able to get the game point.
"He won the game for us," Davis said after the game.
Hamm also paid tribute to Walker: "He didn't fall out of the rotation before because he made a mistake, he has always been a fighter, he has maintained a professional attitude, he is optimistic, and I want to pay tribute to him."
Behind-the-scenes stories of imminent appointments
In the first round of the playoffs, the Lakers played the Grizzlies, and Walker got a total of 16 minutes of playing time, all from garbage time. In the second round of the series against the Warriors, Walker was dropped in Game 1 and played 12 minutes in Game 2 garbage time.
At that point, few expected Walker to be in the rotation, because Malik-Beasley, who was similar to him, had been abandoned. But before Game 3, Walker suddenly received a notice from Hamm: Get ready, Game 3 you will be in rotation.
Hamm's consideration at that time was simple, the back three were too consumed because of defensive problems, Hachimura was not suitable for chasing shooters in this round of the series, he needed to add a guard who could provide firepower and also chase Thompson and Poole, and Walker was the best candidate.
"It was like a dream," Walker said, "I was excited until four or five in the morning and didn't fall asleep, I had insomnia, my girlfriend was angry with me, but I was really happy, I had been dreaming of this moment for a long time." ”
Walker repaid Hamm's trust in him with his performance, scoring 12 points in 24 minutes in Game 3. Not complaining when deprecated, and contributing immediately when given the opportunity, Walker's profession is highly acclaimed. "He was ready, he practiced hard every day in the strength room, he did personal training and my confidence in him never wavered," Hamm said. ”
This is only the second playoff trip of Walker's career, but he is not afraid of big scenes, and he has long aspired to shine on the big stage of the playoffs. "I'm hungry to win, I'm eager to play in the playoffs, to play in this environment," Walker said. The brighter the light, the better I performed and I was ready. ”
In games 3 and 4 with the Warriors, Walker did both, and this is not the first time Walker has played the Lakers savior.
Sacrifices behind the scenes
This season, Walker is definitely one of the players who has made the most sacrifices for the Lakers. Walker joined the Lakers last offseason with a $6.5 million one-year mini-midclass, and at only 24 years old, he is seen as an important offseason signing for the Lakers, and if Walker is patient, he has every chance to go to other teams to fight for bigger contracts.
At the start of the season, the Lakers were 2-10, and Walker scored 18 and 28 points in the two games they won. The Lakers won eight of the next 10 games, and Walker played in nine of them, averaging 17.8 points per game and +7.3 points. At that time, Walker was the most consistent point for the Lakers.
In two consecutive games against his former club Spurs at the end of November, Walker scored 18 and 19 points, respectively, and shot a total of 7 of 14 from beyond the three-point line. Walker's growth won praise from his mentor Popovich. Walker was selected by the Spurs with the 18th pick in 2018, and he did well and improved during his time at the Spurs, but the Spurs backcourt was crowded and they chose to give up Walker.
"He's been a great athlete from day one, he has a lot of talent that players don't have. He used to rely on athleticism to play, and his athleticism seemed incredible compared to other players. But now, with more experience, he has begun to understand the spirit of the game better, and you can see it in his performance. Popovich commented on his former lover.
After arriving with the Lakers, Walker wrote two goals on a whiteboard in the room, with the short-term goal of becoming the Player of the Week and locking in the starter. The long-term goal is to be elected the most improved player of the year. At the pace of that time, Walker had a chance to achieve his goals.
However, the onset of tendinitis in his left knee left Walker out of 14 consecutive games, and when he returned, Troy Brown had already taken the start. Then, before the trade deadline, Hachimura, Russell, Beasley, Vanderbilt, Bamba and others joined, and Walker played less and less time.
Unfazed by adversity, Walker admits that the time he dropped out of the rotation was very excruciating, and he felt depressed and lost himself as if he had pressed the pause button for weeks. But Walker never slacked off, maintaining a positive attitude in the arena every day, silently waiting for his number to be called.
On March 25, Walker's opportunity came, and due to Russell's injury to the sideline, Walker re-entered the rotation, and he came off the bench to shoot 7-of-12 from the field for 24 minutes, including 4-of-8 three-point shooting, plus 2-of-4 free throws for 20 points, four rebounds, and three steals. The Lakers narrowly defeated the Thunder 116-111, increasing their winning percentage to 50% for the first time in the season. That game was a turning point in the Lakers' season, laying the groundwork for them to eventually make the playoffs.
"I've seen what hell looks like, especially when I was growing up," Walker said of why he was able to stay safe from adversity, referring to being sexually assaulted as a child, which left a huge psychological shadow on him.
Since his high school days, Walker turned to Nef, an expert in sports psychology, and over the years Walker has not only overcome shadows, but also forged a strong psyche that ordinary predicaments simply do not knock him down.
"When I can't play my beloved basketball, it's tough, but you can't make excuses. In the end, no one will feel sorry for you, and in the end all you have to do is play on the field. I always look forward to the day when my name will be heard throughout the Union. ”
Today, Walker's name finally resounded across the Union.