The Los Angeles Lakers began the 2022-23 with a starting five that featured newly-acquired swingman, Lonnie Walker IV: an athletic, double-digit scorer via the San Antonio Spurs.
After a disjointed, 2-10 start that later led to a complete overhaul of the roster by the February trade deadline, Walker IV food himself out of the rotation completely - it was until the Semifinals where he received another, real opportunity to contribute.
To say Walker IV “stayed ready” is a total understatement. After putting up 12 points in Game 3, he followed it up with a quarter for the ages in Game 4 - Walker IV scored ALL 15 of his points in the 4th to boost LAL to a commanding, 3-1 series lead against the defending-champion Golden State Warriors.
Lonnie was scoring off the dribble, hit a triple and knocked home a signature, crossover-pull up J (over Steph Curry) that gave the Lakers a slim lead with under 2 minutes left.
In such a crucial game (and moment) Walker IV delivered big time - role players, in fact, have actually been the theme of the series so far. As GSW searches for a consistent starting five (GPII got the nod in Game 4, dropped 15 points), the Lakers are on the brink of their second Conference Finals appearance since 2020.