The Los Angeles Lakers are on a hot streak. LeBron James and Co. got their 4th consecutive win last night after blowing out the Cleveland Cavaliers 116-97. Saturday’s win was extremely crucial for the Lakers as it pushed them to the 8th seed in the Western Conference, overtaking the Sacramento Kings. A major reason for the Lakers’ victory was the breakout performance of Forward Taurean Prince. And LeBron James made sure to give Prince his flowers after the game.

Taurean Prince had a monster game against the Cavs last night. He scored 18 points off the bench and went 7-9 from the field. Taurean was highly efficient from the three-point line, making 4 of his 5 attempts from beyond the arc. LeBron acknowledged his impact and shared a Lakers post about the Forward’s dominant performance on his Instagram story. King James wrote, “My boy was cooking!!!!” along with several fire emojis. It’s great to see him earning LeBron’s praise because just months ago, the Forward was facing the wrath of the Laker nation.

When the Lakers acquired Prince last off-season, they expected him to play his usual 3 and D role. However, Darvin Ham increased Taurean Prince’s responsibility after several Lakers Forwards, including Jarred Vanderbilt, Cam Reddish, and Rui Hachimura, started missing games due to injuries. Prince initially struggled in his new role, leading to the Lakers’ supporters slamming him on social media. But the veteran turned his season around and became one of the key contributors to the Lakers’ recent success. Prince’s performance against the Cavs and LeBron’s appreciation post might have just ended the month-long public wrath.

The Lakers never stopped believing in Taurean Prince

Despite Taurean Prince’s initial struggles and public criticism, the Lakers never stopped backing him and his ability. After Prince finally started to get out of his shooting slump in December, head coach Darvin Ham said, “He’s just a pro’s pro… He’s going to continue to grow and maturate in his role and we’re damn happy to have him on our team.” And Prince proved Ham right as the season progressed. He started the season with a horrific 10-game stretch of shooting 16.2% from the three-point line. But the 30-year-old veteran has improved his shooting percentage to an impressive 42.4% in the last 10 games.

Prince has turned into one of the most consistent and lethal shooters on the Lakers squad. He has played 73 games this season, averaging 8.9 points, 3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists. Even tonight, Taurean’s prolific shooting sparked a 12-2 Lakers run in the second quarter that the Cavs could not recover from for the remainder of the game. Prince is currently on a 1-year $4.5 million contract with the Lakers. If he continues to play like he has recently, Rob Pelinka might give him a massive contract extension like Reaves, Hachimura, and Vanderbilt.

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As the Lakers move closer to the playoffs, Prince’s performance could prove crucial in how far the Lakers go this season.

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