The 39-year-old point guard suffered a hamstring strain on March 28 and has yet to successfully return to the lineup. Even though it's not an injury that should keep him out indefinitely, it's not realistic to expect that the aging point guard will be 100 percent once he does get back into the lineup.
It's been a rare occassion for this Lakers team to play with a lineup at full strength. Nash has only played in 50 of the Lakers 75 games. Pau Gasol, Steve Blake and now Metta World Peace have all missed lengthy portions of the season.
Now with seven games left and a half-game lead over the Utah Jazz for the final spot in the Western Conference playoffs, the Lakers need to find a way to win with a less-than-healthy Nash.
Here's how the Lakers can still pull it together and salvage a playoff appearance this season.
Make Kobe the Facilitator
With Nash out of the lineup, it's Blake who logs the most minutes at point guard. However, it's Kobe that must take the reigns as the team's leading distributor.
Kobe Bryant and facilitator have never been synonymous, but the Lakers have been most successful when Bryant uses the attention he receives from opposing defenses to set up his teammates. As Mike Trudell points out, Bryant has stepped up to the plate in the last two games, dishing out 25 assists.
Blake is a capable point guard. He needs to be involved in the offense, but Bryant should be running the show. Bryant is averaging 6.0 assists per game. That's a mark he hasn't reached since the 2004-05 season.
He'll need to keep the ball moving if the Lakers want to close out the season strong.
Let Steve Blake Shoo...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
