NBA 2018-19: Is Tyson Chandler the last piece of the puzzle for Los Angeles Lakers?

For the past few games, the Los Angeles Lakers have looked like the side with the best player on the planet and the side that led the league in transition points per game last season.

The blockbuster inclusion of LeBron James had certainly taken a jolt when they lost the first three games of the season. The dream signing did not have the dream beginning to his campaign. To put things into perspective, LeBron had not started a season with a 0-3 record since 2004, so this was indeed something new and unprecedented for the King.

Tyson Chandler had narrowed down his list of go-to teams after the Suns relieved him. The list contained 5 NBA teams, also including the Defending Champs, Golden State Warriors. But all thanks to the Man Above, Chandler could only picture himself in a Lakers jersey, and that has made all the difference towards LeBron's fortunes so far.

After Chandler swatted away Trae Young for the game-winning block in the dying seconds, the exhilaration that gripped the Staples Center was something unseen in a long time.

“I love this city the way they love me. I’ve been on the other side and played the villain. Now it’s great to be on this side and actually represent them", Chandler had said after the win over Atlanta.

His presence on the court has a much deeper effect than what the stats might suggest. He's not an offensive machine (averages just 8.6 points on his career). But what he does contribute for his team is active defense throughout the minutes he spends on the court.

The veteran big man has bolstered their front-court and has breathed a new life into the roster ever since the Lakers acquired him after the Suns bought-out his contract last week.

During his time with the Suns this year, Chandler averaged 3.7 points and 5.6 rebounds in just under 13 minutes per contest. He has been averaging 7.8 rebounds ever since he donned the purple-n-gold and put up 3 blocks plus 2 steals in the ecstatic win over the Hawks.

He has been getting good minutes (22) working in tandem with JaVale McGee, who has been averaging a career-high 14 points a game. The modern twin-towers of LA have been working dual shifts on both ends of the floor, and it's been working out just fine lately.

Lakers have beaten Timberwolves, Kings, Hawks and the Trailblazers in a much-needed run ever since they got a reinforcement in the veteran big man Chandler. The losses that Los Angeles underwent before this period in time were hard-to-swallow at times, some even seeming unfair because of the single digit point differential, but as time unfolds, they might just have found their missing piece of the puzzle.