3 Players that need to step up for the Los Angeles Lakers after All-Star break

The Los Angeles Lakers have regained their much-awaited Western Conference dominance after nearly a decade. The pairing of Anthony Davis and LeBron James has been as good (if not better) as was expected. The purple-and-gold sit atop the West standings with an impressive 43-12 (0.782) win-loss record, and are on course to win 65 games for the first time since 2009.

However, this team is in dire need of adjustments and improvements. The Lakers' front office passed on many opportunities to strike a deal recently, and if this team really wants to lift the Larry O'Brien trophy in June, some players need to step up. And more so since this squad is relying on team chemistry to carry them through rather than stacking individual talent.

In this piece, we will talk about the three players who need to improve significantly during the final stretch of the season.

#1 Rajon Rondo

Rondo used to be a great defensive point guard, but not anymore.

Coach Frank Vogel has placed an uncharacteristic trust in former champion Rajon Rondo as the team's backup point guard for quite some time now. In return, Rondo has been able to provide ordinary numbers in 7.6 points, 3.3 boards and 5.3 assists per game, while shooting 43% from the field.

Moreover, when it comes to defensive ratings, the 33-year-old finds himself amongst the worst in the league. Whenever LeBron James takes a breather, Rondo is often accused of shelling out unnecessary assists rather than taking over playmaking duties and opening up scoring options. It is apparent that the veteran needs to chip in meaningful minutes on both ends of the floor consistently going forward.

Clearly, with the Lakers 6.3 points worse with Rondo on the floor, his presence running the point hasn't been helpful. Come playoffs, he needs to run the second unit better.

#2 JaVale McGee

McGee's production has taken a noticeable hit.

While JaVale McGee has been amazing for the Lakers ever since he joined in the summer of 2018, his recent numbers could use a little boost. Despite starting all 53 games for LA this season, JaVale is averaging lesser minutes (16.7) than fellow big Dwight Howard (19.6). This shows that the big man tag team show is not evenly distributed.

McGee's recent scoring slump has also seen Vogel turning towards Howard more frequently. Moreover, it is highly likely that the coaching staff chooses AD or Howard to run the center spot in the postseason, which would further diminish McGee's presence.

He is currently averaging 7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting over 64% from the floor. It is also possible that the wear and tear of the lengthy regular season has caught hold of McGee's body.

In that case, we can only hope that he chooses to work on his conditioning and use the breaks to further his longevity this season, as the Lakers gear up for a deep playoff run.

#3 Danny Green

Green is yet to show signs of consistency from deep.

The Lakers are leading the league in field-goal percentage (48.7%) but their three-point sharpshooter is struggling to make shots on a consistent basis. Danny Green has started 54 games for the purple-and-gold this season and is averaging 8.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting a fairly underwhelming 41% from the field.

Attempting around 5 three-pointers per game, Green is managing to make just 37% of those. This has been nearly his worst year shooting from beyond the arc since his 2015-16 season with the San Antonio Spurs.

Also, the 32-year-old has forged a bad reputation of committing silly fouls with the clock ticking down and the game on the line. He has always had trouble defending his man without fouling unnecessarily.

Although Green is a career 40% three-point shooter in the playoffs, his resume with the Lakers so far has not been promising. It is high time that he starts to justify his place in the starting lineup of the best team in the West.