Campbell Showing Progress Again

The major increases for Elden Campbell in the last five weeks as the starting center could amount to more than just redemption since Shaquille O’Neal was injured.

Campbell has averaged 21.3 points in those 16 games, pushing his season-long mark from 12.2 to 14.4.The significance is that he could become only the seventh player in NBA history to improve his scoring average in seven consecutive seasons, an accomplishment not lost on Campbell. Derek Harper, Alex English, Happy Hairston, Avery Johnson, Kevin McHale and Shawn Kemp are the others on the list.

“That’s one thing I wanted to do: keep getting better every year,” Campbell said. “They’re small increases, but they are increases. I’m going in the right direction.”

Campbell is also on pace to set a career best in rebounding, at 8.1 slightly better than the 7.6 of last season. He has averaged 8.6 in the absence of O’Neal.

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The Lakers as a whole have increased their offensive production since their No. 1 scorer went out, from 99.3 with O’Neal to 101.7 in the 16 games since his departure.

“Nobody would have predicted that, I don’t think,” Coach Del Harris said.

“I don’t have any particular way to explain it, other than we’re taking quicker shots. We’re not looking as much inside.”

The Lakers are averaging about 1 1/2 more shots a game without O’Neal, but are shooting only 44% in that time, compared to 45.9% before the injury.

The Lakers are also getting 2.6 more points a game from free throws than when O’Neal was a regular in the lineup, even though they’re making one fewer trip to the line.