The trading deadline and the all-star break have come and gone. The last third of the season is about to commence. And the Lakers, while not in a great position when it comes to the standings, are looking pretty good with their new roster make-up. They have 23 games left in the campaign and probably fewer games to turn it all around.

With the additions of Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, and Mo Bamba (shoutout to Davon Reed also) and the subtractions of Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley, Thomas Bryant, Damian Jones, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Kendrick Nunn, the Lakers have put out more dynamic players on the floor. They actually have shooters as well as players that have more pep defensively. The Lakers have been 2-1 since the trading deadline and have looked really good in their wins.

One of those wins was against the defending champion Golden State Warriors. And the Lakers draw them again as their opponents in their first game after the all-star break.

The bad news for the Warriors is that they still won’t have Stephen Curry back; he’ll be evaluated again in about a week. Also out will be Andrew Wiggins (personal reasons), Andre Iguodala (hip soreness but he hasn’t played much, anyway), and Gary Payton II (right adductor; he’ll be out for a couple of months in that publicized trade debacle). Not having Wiggins means not having that perimeter defender and third/fourth scoring option. Payton, who went to Portland last summer, went back to the Warriors in that four-team trade that saw them send James Wiseman to Detroit.

The Warriors still have scorers, though. Jordan Poole continues to get buckets; he scored 17 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter against the Lakers about two weeks ago. Klay Thompson went 5 for 21 in that game (15 points) but you know once he gets going, it’s dangerous. Kevon Looney grabs all the boards (13 rebounds against the Lakers). And Draymond Green provides all the playmaking and defense (12-7-10 in that game).

Golden State will have to depend on their bench more (JaMychal Green, Donte DiVincenzo, Ty Jerome, Moses Moody). The very athletic Jonathan Kuminga will likely start in place of Andrew Wiggins.

The new Lakers showed immediate chemistry in their first game with the ones that stayed. D’Angelo Russell settled down and ran the offense. Dennis Schröder scored in bunches (he’ll likely come off the bench this time since the Lakers need a playmaker at all times). Anthony Davis looked lethargic for most of that Warriors game but came through in the fourth quarter with some clutch defensive plays (and he looked much better in the last two games). The fans fell in love with Vanderbilt’s energy. Malik Beasley didn’t shoot well but he was a threat from the perimeter and gave the Lakers some spacing. Hachimura played well on both ends. Mo Bamba didn’t play against the Warriors but he blocked three shots against the Pelicans. If only he could not foul out in 18 minutes, though…

Still, the Lakers seem to have a bit more hope than they did before the trade deadline. The new Laker trio in Russell, Beasley, and Vanderbilt started along with LeBron James (who is surprisingly probable for this game) and Davis against the Pelicans with Hachimura and Schröder coming off the bench. I feel bad for the holdovers in Lonnie Walker IV and Wenyen Gabriel, who have been seemingly taken out of the rotation after playing much of the year. But they have been professionals about it thus far. I do think they can provide the team a jolt and change the pace when they’re in.

I’ve been saying this for weeks (the entire season?) but every game is important from here on out. While the Western Conference is packed, they should just worry about themselves and their play. And the rest should take care of itself.

The rollercoaster ride resumes anew…