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The Los Angeles Lakers, maybe the flakiest team in the NBA, may have finally found the answer to their shakiest position.
Derek Fisher isn't going to get the attention Shaquille O'Neal or Glen Rice or Kobe Bryant gets. But he played just well enough during the season to get the Lakers into the playoffs. And, at least early on in the playoffs, he's proven he's more than just a fifth wheel.
Fisher began the season as the starter, only to be supplanted by veteran Derek Harper. He won back the job in mid-April and has started the last 14 games. The Lakers were only 13-8 in his starts, but he's caught fire in the playoffs.
In wins over the Houston Rockets in Games 1 and 2, Fisher nailed eight of his 12 3-point tries before cooling off in Game 3 (he went 0-for-5). Still, his eight 3-pointers are two more than he has hit in his playoffs career.
Fisher is averaging 14.3 points and better than four assists a game through the first three games of the playoffs. And he has only four turnovers in those three games.
Whether Fisher can keep his hot hand throughout the playoffs remains to be seen. If he does, the Lakers will be a tough team to beat.
And they won't have to worry about their point guard position for a long time.
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Fisher started 21 of the Lakers' 50 games this season. 