The Lakers pulled off a 123-115 win against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night, but the squad they accomplished it with would be almost unrecognizable to the casual viewer. 

Los Angeles was without the entire Big Three, Lebron James, Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, on Monday. James has yet to make an appearance this season due to sciatica, while Dončić was left off the lineup for injury management as the Lakers are coming off a back-to-back stretch. Finally, Reaves missed Monday's game with groin soreness. 

With their superstars missing, the Lakers lineup was headlines by players like Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton. Coming into a game deprived of so much firepower would be a daunting task for any team, but the Lakers were undeterred. They fought their way to an eight point victory and made an impression on their head coach in the process. 

The Los Angeles Depth Chart Steps Up

When asked what stood out to him the most about his roster, head coach JJ Redick had a glowing answer.

"I would just say our mentality. You can't win in the NBA without stepping on the floor and expecting to win. I thought our guys had that from the start. That was just confidence, belief, and true connectivity in that second half was just awesome to watch. It was just blossoming," Redick said (via Lakers).

Nick Smith Jr. Puts on Season-Best Performance

The second half that Redick mentioned is where Los Angeles turned the tide. Coming into the second half trailing by one, they exploded for a 71 point finish to the game. Ayton and Hachimura led the team with 29 and 28 points in the game respectively, but it was the second half contributions of Nick Smith Jr. that turned the tide.

"I thought [Deandre Ayton] and Rui [Hachimura], offensively for us, were great all night. But Nick Smith in the second half just took the game over. We needed his handle, and we needed his wiggle tonight, and truthfully, it was a perfect game for him," Redick said.

Smith Jr. turned in a season-high 25 point performance to cap off the deep team win.

Los Angeles has gotten off to a red hot 6-2 start to the regular season, and while many of those wins can be attributed to the Herculean efforts of Dončić and Reaves, it's clear that any given Laker on any given day of the week can step up and lead the team to success.

Even without their most dangerous names in the lineup, the second-tier Lakers proved with emphatically that they're not to be underestimated.