In the first game of the LeBron James era, the Los Angeles Lakers were done in by a very unlikely suspect: Nik Stauskas. The man they call Sauce Castillo has not made much of an impact during his first few years in the league, but if opening night is any indication, that may be about to change. But Stauskas’ big night (24 points on 7-for-11 from the field and 5-for-8 from three-point range) was not even necessarily the result of him doing anything all that special.
It mostly happened due to the fact that the Lakers repeatedly either lost him on the floor or didn’t care that he can shoot the lights out when given time and space. Josh Hart, Lance Stephenson, and even LeBron himself just kept leaving Stauskas when they didn’t really need to, and Stauskas took advantage of the opportunity.
In this edition of Last Night, In Basketball, we show you exactly how it happened as Stauskas went off during his stint at the end of the first and beginning of the second quarters.
Last Night, In Basketball is a video breakdown series from the basketball mind of Jared Dubin. You can see the videos for free on Twitter and YouTube, but if you enjoy the work and want to see more, you can pledge your support on Patreon.
