The Los Angeles Lakers won a game without Kobe Bryant on Friday, and so, this look inside the numbers focuses on Lakers not named "Kobe Bryant." Bryant's involvement on Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers remains in doubt after he sat Friday's win over Orlando. If you’re new to this, we identify a number and explain its significance. So, let’s get on with it:
45 - The 2014-15 LA Lakers have played 37 games out of an 82-game schedule. Sadly, the team has only managed 12 wins and currently holds the fourth worst record in the NBA. With a 32.4 percent winning percentage, the Lakers are on pace for 26.6 wins. The 2013-14 Lakers won 27 games, and that stands as the worst season in Lakers' history since the team departed from Minneapolis. If this season goes down as one of the worst in franchise history, which is more likely than not, fans can take solace in the fact that it’s nearly halfway over--45 percent finished, to be exact.
3.0 - Bryant leads the team with 23.0 points per game, but that average expects to drop as Bryant adjusts his game. As his points drop further, the Lakers will look to get added production from their other offensive weapons. In the starting lineup, Jordan Hill is the only other player averaging double figures. Hill's set mini-hop shot from 15 to 20 feet has the Lakers' center averaging 12.0 points per game, which is on pace to be a career high. Along with the offensive expansion, Hill is averaging a team-high eight rebounds per game. Hill's specialty has seemingly always been offensive rebounding, and the 27-year-old ranks in the top 15 in the NBA with 3.0 offensive rebounds per game.
38.2 - The Lakers' bench features a trio of offensive talents: Carlos Boozer, Jeremy Lin and Nick Young.
Boozer's rainbow fadeaway jump shots may not be as pretty as or as famous as Bryant's baseline fadeaway jump shot, but the forward has been incredibly effective off the bench. Excluding Tarik Black (75.0 percent) due to a small sample size, only Ed Davis (61.1 percent) is shooting a better percentage than Boozer's 52.5 percent.
Lin's numbers differ greatly home versus away. Although he is averaging 10.9 points per game, Lin's 18 appearances wearing gold or white jerseys have featured the backup point guard shooting 10 percent better than on the road. At home, Lin averages 13.0 points compared to 8.9 pointer per game on the road.
Young, a.k.a."Swaggy P," would be the Lakers' third musketeer off the bench. The Lakers' fashion obsessed joker in the locker room averages 14.4 points per game, which is second only to the Black Mamba. Altogether, Lin, Young and Boozer combine for 38.2 points per game off the pine.
The Lakers and the Blazers will tip at 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time.