After an encouraging start to the 2016-2017 NBA season where they won 10 of their first 20 games, the Los Angeles Lakers have fallen into a tailspin, winning just two of their next 17 games. While there are several factors at play here, the injury bug has been a major nuisance, robbing the young team of the chance to find any real consistency in their rotation.
In search of a fresh combination, head coach Luke Walton decided to try playing energy bigs Tarik Black and Thomas Robinson alongside each other in the front court against the Toronto Raptors, and the results were impressive.