Lakers: A COVID Silver Lining for Stanley Johnson

A tough situation opened the door for a lifelong Lakers fan to play for his favorite team.

It took Stanley Johnson a long time to get back to where it all started. In the midst of another wave of COVID-19 infections in the NBA, Johnson is now playing for the team he grew up rooting for. The Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers roster, like many other NBA teams, had been ravaged by COVID. Los Angeles was in desperate need of replacement players just to field a team. That desperation could turn into the resuscitation of Johnson’s NBA career. At worst, it’s a fantastic silver lining to a dreary situation.

Johnson played his high school ball about 36 miles south of Staples Center at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana. According to him, Johnson was a bonafide Lakers fan well before his time at Mater Dei.

“It’s kind of like one of those moments now where you’ve kind of dreamed about it since you were 5 and to be able to put (a Lakers jersey) on is cool.”

In addition to being “cool”, Johnson’s 10-day audition with the team has resulted in effusive praise of his defense. Defense is something the Lakers need right now. The team is allowed the fifth most points per game in the league (112.2) through Saturday.

Johnson could be in the mix to be signed for the remainder of this season assuming the reported Rajon Rondo trade goes through and the Lakers open a roster spot.

If the Lakers go a different direction, at least a southern Californian kid got to live the dream for 10 days.

Even a short story can be a great one.