Monday was a great day for Charlotte Hornets fans. The team registered a win streak for the first time in a long while. Miles Bridges extended his string of strong performances with 35 points, five rebounds, and five assists, while LaMelo Ball overcame another rough shooting night by showcasing his clutch genes.
Mark Williams was also huge for the Hornets, putting up 24 points and 10 rebounds. It was his third time recording a 20-10 line in his last five appearances.
In other news, the Los Angeles Lakers played for the first time since it was revealed that LeBron James would need at least a week to recover from a groin injury. Their loss to the Brooklyn Nets showed a potential repercussion of James' absence, as the four-time MVP averaged 10.5 boards per contest in 10 games after the All-Star break.
It would have been fine if Los Angeles' big men could pick up the slack in cleaning the glass. However, its centers combined to grab just five rebounds against the Nets. The team can certainly use a solid player at the five, and it actually had one for a few days last month.
Williams could've helped the Lakers weather James' absence
Imagine if the Lakers didn't rescind their trade-deadline deal with Charlotte. They wouldn't have to rely on the underdeveloped Jaxson Hayes, two-way player Trey Jemison III, and recent buyout acquisition Alex Len to man the paint.
Of course, the Purple and Gold has also used James at the center spot. While he has exhibited no problems doing so, particularly in recent weeks because Luka Doncic has become the squad's focal point on offense, he is already 40 years old and assuming that responsibility for long stretches can be physically draining.
It remains to be seen if the Lakers' inexplicable decision to reverse the Williams trade will prove costly. The reason they have publicly expressed behind the move is that they didn't believe the 23-year-old was healthy enough, but his recent outings have disproved that notion. Although he has needed to sit out some games as part of his injury management program, he has mostly performed well whenever he suits up.
Williams' rebounding prowess is exactly what Los Angeles needs right now, especially with LeBron out for several games. If it ends up incurring losses and thereby losing ground in the battle for a top seed in the tough Western Conference because of its possible disadvantage inside the paint and in the rebounding department, the NBA's marquee franchise could end up regretting not pushing through with its pursuit of the Hornets star.