During the first couple of months of this regular season, Lonnie Walker IV, a guard the Los Angeles Lakers signed to a one-year contract last summer, was arguably their third-best player, at least offensively.
In his first 30 games of the year, he averaged 15.3 points a game while shooting 46.4% from the field and 39.8% from 3-point range, numbers that were significantly higher than those he put up in his first four seasons in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs.
But Walker was sidelined by an injury. Though, he returned, he never recaptured his pre-injury level of performance. He fell out of head coach Darvin Ham’s rotation following the blockbuster Russell Westbrook trade. He received little playing time, usually in garbage time, and there were plenty of games in which he never saw the court.
Some players in his position would’ve pouted and suffered from a bout of self-pity while preparing to leave the team during the offseason. But Walker stayed positive and ready.
He received playing time at the end of the Lakers’ Game 2 blowout loss against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday and did well, which earned him 24 minutes in Game 3, leading to him scoring a dozen points.
Walker received 27 minutes in Game 4 on Monday, and he was the man of the hour, scoring all 15 of his points in the fourth quarter. With LeBron James and D’Angelo Russell playing poorly offensively, Walker was literally the difference between winning and losing for L.A., as it came out on top, 104-101, and took a 3-1 series lead.
Self-help guru Zig Ziglar once said “success occurs when opportunity meets preparation,” and that’s exactly what happened for the 24-year-old.
Walker has maintained a positive attitude throughout
Shortly after being replaced in the Lakers’ rotation, Walker posted this inspirational message on his Instagram account.
Lonnie Walker IV posted this to his Instagram story after seeming to fall out of the rotation 😕 pic.twitter.com/SrTWeWJUDv
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) February 27, 2023
After he received meaningful playing time in the Lakers’ Game 3 win, he said “it felt like a dream” to play in the playoffs.
If Game 3 felt like a dream, Game 4 must’ve felt like heaven.
Afterward, he dropped lots of nuggets about his attitude about being benched and how he kept himself from slipping into a dark place.
"I've been doing this for 24 years of my life. I've always been in the gym and nothing's ever gonna change… The harder you work, the more sacrifices you make, the better the outcome."
Lonnie Walker IV on his 15 point 4th quarter in Game 4 vs. Warriors 🙏🏽pic.twitter.com/WNYHhKAVHo
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 9, 2023
You’ll read quotes and see snippets but watch Lonnie Walker IV’s entire inspirational press conference after the Lakers beat the Warriors on Monday. pic.twitter.com/hI4lgfhGNm
— The Sporting Tribune (@SportingTrib) May 9, 2023
“At every single level that I’ve encountered with has always had a lot of adversities. … I think that’s the most important thing, is trying to better yourself every day. It’s not going to be all flowers and lollipops and good and stuff. There’s going to be hard times. … This is nothing new.”
It may be safe to say that after his gutsy Game 4 performance, Walker has regained his spot in Ham’s rotation.
Ham praised Walker's attitude after Game 4
After the Lakers’ big win, Ham was effusive in talking about Walker’s work ethic and intangibles.
Darvin Ham speaks on Lonnie Walker’s professionalism and how his energy helped the #Lakers prevail. pic.twitter.com/JeYYJOBsbr
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) May 9, 2023
“The kid is a beautiful kid. He fell out of the rotation through no fault of his own. … But he remained a trooper, remained professional, high-spirited and positive and really kept working on his game. … When your mind and your heart is in a good place, the body follows. … Kudos to him.”
Ham has created a culture based on positivity, accountability and hard work, and Walker has benefited from that culture through his own positivity and hard work.
