It’s been awhile but the three centerpieces the Lakers envisioned leading a ragtag squad of vet minimum deals to an NBA championship took the floor together for the first time in a long time. Russell Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony Davis led the Lakers to a needed win over the Nets who were without Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Paul Milsap and Joe Harris. The Lakers know the injury routine and did the right thing by not allowing the Nets to get anyone other than James Harden going. Here’s hoping the trio stays healthy and grows together over the rest of the season and start finding a way forward.
- A starting five that makes sense to me. If you look at the total points scored by the starting 5 (69) and the fact that 33 of them were scored by one man (LeBron James) that the line up is unbalanced. While that could prove true on offense defensively this line up works. Taking Ariza out and inserting Stanley Johnson at the 4 allows LeBron to play his preferred position of small forward. With a front court of Davis, Johnson and James you have size, strength and speed. All three can guard 1-5, with help, and it allows Russ and Bradley to work on forcing guys away from their strengths on the perimeter. Nobody stops a good NBA player, you take something away. Bradley is good, if not still great, at doing that. What he’s been missing, as has the entire team, has been an elite defender in his prime in the paint. Dwight isn’t that guy anymore, he needs to be used in match ups that allow him to be bruising and vertical, he’s not as mobile as he was even two seasons ago. COVID hasn’t helped him, either, as he looks like he’s getting winded quicker than I’ve ever seen him.
- Ariza’s DNP-CD. I applaud Trevor for being a gamer and going out and trying his hardest. It’s not his fault he’s old, it happens to everyone. But Trevor needs to work on his shot off the floor and get his legs back in some meaningful way before he sees a bigger role. Spot minutes up until the All Star break, garbage time minutes and role of “break glass in case of emergency” are what we need from him right now. I think he can be helpful in certain situations in a 7 game series and his presence in the locker room as both an NBA champ and vet is useful. On the court his game needs a lot of work and it feels unfair to demand a lot of him right now. Keep your head up, keep working, that shot will come back and hopefully you can make some plays in the playoffs when your number is called.
- Malik Monk microwave scorer. While I think Monk works as a starter it’s probably better for the team if he comes off the bench in a role like we saw last night. The ebbs and flows of an NBA game are real, when starters go out and the bench come in the dynamics of the game change. Guys let down a lot of the time when they see a superstar take the pine for a break. Monk can exploit those moments better than any other Laker off the bench right now. Maybe Nunn could as well, he hasn’t played and who knows how long it’ll take for him to get up to game speed when he does. Frankly, we can’t keep waiting for guys anymore anyhow. Monk was the second leading scorer for the team off the bench in a performance that reminded me of super sub Lou Williams. One of three Lakers to reach double figures in scoring with 22 and he shot the ball great. If w can count on Monk for something akin to this every game, maybe get some spot starts depending or if a guy needs a game off or something, we have some pieces on the board we can start to count on consistently.
- Gotta love Melo. They’re not all smart or good shots, he’s borderline absurd when it comes to shot selection honestly, and his defense can be more of a grabbing pushing kinda thing but…I don’t care. You need a gunner with no conscience and with Anthony you get that. There are things he doesn’t bring to the table and I get that, not every player is perfect…well, maybe LeBron is…but other than that you get warts of one kind or another. That’s where the coach comes in and, as we’ve seen, Frank may not be the best regular season coach but is great at adjustments in 7 game series.
- The young guys. I don’t count Monk in this one, he’s in his 5th year. THT and Austin Reaves are whom I consider to be the young guys and are what will potentially be the building blocks of a future version of the Lakers or chips to cash in on a trade. I don’t see much happening simply because our best offer is essentially a salary dump. Monk and Nunn don’t come with any kind of Bird Rights and will be difficult to retain in the summer for almost every team, THT has honestly taken a pretty large step back in his game and doesn’t feel worth the price we’re paying for him. Reaves has hit the rookie wall, at least in terms of his shot-making ability although he still has a lot of hustle. Those are the trading chips. The ghosts of Kent Bazemore and DeAndre Jordan aren’t making a GM any more excited than any of us get when we hear their names. I actually like Kent and am glad he’s on the team, I still see him having an impact at some point on down the line and both he and DAJ have accepted their fate with grace and style. But including either in a trade is ridiculous, honestly, nobody wants those guys. Reaves and Monk move needles but we’ll need them so unless it’s for someone who improves the defense and the offense you have to say no.
Another good test against a more complete team looms in Philly tomorrow. We need to keep winning now, the Clippers have found a groove, Denver is playing better and better, the Timberwolves are playing their best basketball in years and Dallas has caught fire. That’s the competition right now. We need to win 30 games before we lose 27, obviously the fewer the losses the better. Need to move up the .500’s towards a .600 winning percentage if we want to be taken seriously and create the foundation for a winning culture this season. Treading water is no longer an option.
Two things I didn’t like at all were the incredible amount of offensive rebounds we gave up to the smaller Nets and the number of fouls we got called for but that they did not. Getting more than irksome.
Nice Post Jamie, I agree with pretty much everything you wrote. I feel the same way about Monk. I can see value in both starting and off the bench. I think once Nunn is back, it could free Malik for the first unit. I agree that it is all about now. Finishes the trip 4-2 would be good. 5-1 would be great. Embid will get his, it’s important to limit the other guys. The one thing I do disagree with is LeBron was pretty much at the 4 slot on defense. It was a little hard to tell with all the switching but Stanley started each defensive set on the perimeter. He was the one that generally met harden before passing him off to the next guy. That’s what I love about Stanley he can switch 1 through 5.
re: LeBron at the whatever. I think the switching everything on the perimeter is what works for this team and SJ activates that power a lot better than TA does at the moment. I hope we can move up to a better trapping, pressure defense like we saw last season, not sure we have the guys or moxie to get it done.
Dennis was the main reason for pressure defense last year. Guarded full court against all competition. Perhaps Nunn is the guy that will be able to do that. I know Tom wants to trade him for a 33 year old because he can shoot 3’s. But I haven’t forgotten how good he is on both sides of the ball and I doubt the front office has either. It’s one thing trading him for a stud like Grant, it’s much different trading him for another old guy that’s not nearly as good except he is on a career hot streek from deep, that may not even be sustainable.
I’ve actually been high on Nunn and the fact that he hasn’t played and may not before Feb 10 won’t help move the needle on him. Yeah, teams would love him instead of DJ and Baze and while THT is a poor fit, Nunn s/b a good fit for our small ball on steroids.
I have a lot of scenarios where we end up being able to keep Nunn and where he might exercise his player option for the second year so we can keep him long term. I certainly like his fit better than Talen’s, which has become untenable.
Are their older players for whom I would trade Nunn along with THT and the pick? Grant, Turner, Trent Jr, Gordon come to mind. Grant and Turner appear long shots now. Trent Jr. or Gordon or Wood appear more feasible and they would immediately push Bradley to the bench, where he belongs. Upgraded two guard could be the best we can do with a couple of small moves for bigger 3&D wings.
That could be enough if LeBron can play offense like he has and AD defense like he’s capable. One good trade, dump a bunch of min contracts, and grab some better fits in the buyout market. It’s a long shot but possible.
Also, when it comes to who would be in greater demand by contending NBA teams, Kendrick Nunn is just a shot in the dark compared to what Eric Gordon would bring to the Lakers or any NBA team out there. Treating Gordon like the one notch over minimum salary player that Nunn is right now is naive. Gordon would be a championship addition similar to what P.J. Tucker was for the Bucks. Nunn is what he is, a player who still may be 2 months from seeing the hardwood.
There are almost zero basketball analysts who would think the unproven Kendrick Nunn ($5M/Yr) would be preferred talent wise over a proven elite defender and 3-point shooter like Eric Gordon ($18.2M/Yr). Gordon will be one of most coveted players by the deadline. As Eric Pincus says, Nunn is not a plus trading chip. In fact, he’s likely to opt into that second year and $5M this summer. He is no championship starting shooting guard like Eric Gordon or Gary Trent, Jr. could be for the Lakers.
The main reason I’m not a fan of starting Monk or Nunn is they’re just 6′ 3″ and get hunted every single possession. Now Nunn has some athleticism and hops to compete and Nunn does too but you cannot put 6′ 3″ defenders on James Harden or his ilk and get away with it. Russ at 6′ 3′ needs an elite defender who won’t be hunted to completement him. Eric Gordon could be the Lakers best option to fill that role.
Hi, guys. Sorry, I am late in joining the conversation. Here are my two cents from the game.
The good:
Great to see AD back in the lineup. What a game-changer and a luxury to have. Great effort and energy. We had more steals(12), blocks(9) than turnovers(8). How about 10/10 from the free-throw line for 100%? That is as rare as finding an extinct animal in the wild. I will humbly take that rare feat anytime and hide it so nobody brings a curse to that lofty achievement.
The bad:
18 offensive rebounds allowed for a smaller team like the Nets? I was even surprised the Nets didn’t play Aldridge longer. I was worried about his presence in the paint because of his size advantage. Could it be that our small-ball lineup forced the Nets to sit him? Anyway, giving up that many offensive rebounds is not good at all. Reaves getting 4 of 5 of our offensive rebounds? Maybe it’s time for him to teach the guys how to go rebound hunting during practice. But he was exceptionally good on the offensive glass last night. That was an incredible display of hunger as if he needs it more than anyone.
Finally, is it a good idea when switching and having AD end up in the perimeter instead of the paint area? Though he deterred shots away from the perimeter I will be more comfortable seeing him around the rim so that he can help with the rebounding. Overall, it was a good game and a winnable one of course.
Goodday, Jamie, and Thanks for the Fiver:
1. A starting five that makes sense? I guess close counts with Vogel lineups like it does with horse shoes. On the surface, I thought Avery played as well as he could, scoring 9 points on 4 of 8 shooting with 2 steals against Harden. Looking behind the box score, Avery had a second worst on the team -10.6 net rating for the 24 minutes he played. Onlly worse was Kent Bazement. Why do I not want Bradley as a starter? He cannot stay in front of his man. He hunts, pecks, and nibbles but ultimately gets blown by. His DefRtg last night was team worse 123.4, Monk or Reaves should be the starting two guard. Ultimately, it may be the player we trade THT, Nunn, and FRP for. Otherwise, yes, better lineup.
2. Ariza DNP. Frank is like Satan, he’ll lure you into his nightmare by finally and belatedly accepted Ariza is washed and put him on the same shelf it took him months/weeks to stop wasting time with DJ, Baze, and Wayne. The proverbial Island of Misfit Toys. How long before he finally puts Bradley on that same shelf? The funnist tweet I saw yesterdayt called Avery Bradley as Frank Vogel’s boyfriend. That should tell you how long it will take. The bad news is we’re not going to get Jerami Grant. The good news is we might be able to get a shooting guard like Gordon or Trent Jr.
3. Monkrowave! Starter or 6MOY candidate? I love Malik coming off the bench and think that’s where he should stay. The tri of Monk, Melo, and Reaves coming into the game with shooting, smarts, and defense needs to be saved. Maybe add Nunn to that group soon too, That’s the framework of a great 9-man rotation. I see the Lakers more likely to trade for Eric Gordon or Gary Trent Jr., a bigger (6′ 5″ or 6′ 6″) 3&D shooting guard to complement Russ. That’s whom I expect to be the starting shooting guard going forward.
4. Nothing to do but love Melo. His midrange game along with LeBron’s post up game are our version of Booker and CP3 or PG and Kawhi. Having deadly midrange shooters adds to our versatility. All we need is more size in the form of one more stretch 4 and one more stretch 5.
5. The young guys. I still see Monk as a young guy. He’s only started one game in his NBA career outside of the Lakers. Anyway, Monk, Reaves, THT, and Nunn is a good quartet of young talent. Wish they weren’t all guards but I see THT and Nunn as likely being swapped for a 4 or 5. Do agree Lakers need to be getting a real star to give up Reaves or Monk. So there is still a line in the sand we cannot go over.
I continue to disagree with you regarding the Lakers making moves. There will be opportunities. Rob just needs to get creative. In the end, the Lakers will move THT, Nunn, and the FRP for the best fitting starter at the two or three they can get plus other minor moves for players like Holiday to fix our size issues at the 3.
I read Melo’s book recently. Great story and perspective on where so many star athletes come from. It’s on Cloud Library, accessible through public libraries.
I think Bradley helps set a defensive tone. He will not atop guys and frankly I doubt there is a single player in the NBA that can consistently prevent the greats from getting to their spots. He was guarding James a lot and held his own, that’s what you want. Also, the rest of the team did it’s job better in that we didn’t become Team Oxygen and give some no-name-Joe a career night. Clean up the fouls and the rebounding issues and we’re right where we want to be on D.
Hard for me to see a move happening. We have so little to offer and other teams have been stockpiling picks better. Any major move will likely involve an overpay of either a young player or picks which I don’t see as being smart. Could see something, I guess but I highly doubt it. Same as last year.
Bradley is just this year’s version of Dennis Schroeder, a player who wants you and the player he’s guarding to think he’s going to shut you down but is always a step or two too slow and gets beat and allows his man to turn the corner to the rim. Lots of reaches and steal attempts don’t mean anything if the defender can use a screen to scrape you off like dog dung as he attacks the rim.
There’s a fundamental reason why players like Bradley and Schroeder never show the stats to back their supposed strong point of attack defense. The reason is most of what they do is fake activity that accomplishes nothing but somehow convincing Frank Vogel that Avery Bradley played good defense last night despite having the second worst defensive rating after Kent Bazemore.
Even with two beautiful steals on Harden, Avery had a team worse 123.4 defensive rating and second team worse negative 10.6 net rating. Yeah, that’s the kind of defense that kept Andre Drummond, DeAndre Jordan, Kent Bazemore, and recently Trevor Ariza thriving in Frank Vogel’s lineups.
AVERY BRADLEY IS NOT A CHAMPIONSHIP NBA STARTER.
Tom I don’t think I’m the one that’s naïve. Thinking you can get a 23 year old player like Trent Jr for our package is naive. Same goes for Wood, although I doubt if the Lakers even have any interest in him. As for Gordon, you are basing everything on who Gordon was, not what he is now. By the way he’s only 6’ 3” also if you didn’t know, wouldn’t he be hunted as well? As for 3 point shooting goes, sure he has shot a higher percentage than Nunn did last year. But here is the reality. Nunn made 2.2 3’s on 5.7 attempts, Gordon 2.3 makes on 5.1 attempts. Not an huge difference maker. Nunn is 26 with young legs and is the better defender then 33 year old Gordon. And he will be under contract through age 35. On top of it all you want to throw in THT who for better or worse is our best trade chip. Who do you think teams this summer will prefer a 22 year old THT or a 34 year old Gordon.? Considering we don’t utilize our 3 point shooters constantly it’s going to be an improved defense that will win games. Beside Nunn can play the point as well as the 2. He can defend quick point guards. Gordon isn’t that guy any more. Oh one last thing. Gordon shot under 32% the prior 2 years and he has never approached 45% in his career before. Do you think what is doing now is sustainable? I find giving up everything we have left for a 33 year old Gordon when we could plug Malik into that spot naïve as well.