Inspiring as the comeback was it kind of just made it an even bigger bummer when we ended up losing. At least for me. Wasted was another superlative game by AD, a solid game by Russ and another big night of scoring by LeBron. The same issues remain the same issues and now the coach is having to basically play a 6-7 man rotation on most nights to be competitive. To say this is unsustainable is to put it lightly.
- The first half. It can easily be said that such an incredible comeback might not have been needed had we handled our business better in the opening two quarters. Went back and checked the shot chart to see how we scored in the first half. We gave 37 and 28 points per quarter in the first half good for, what honestly should have been a commanding, 65 points to our 50. Our overall intensity and defense was a lot better in the second half but that kind of effort is not a luxury this team has. We’re simply not good or deep enough to feel like we can turn it on and win a game. Not by a longshot.
- The second half and overtime. The most important number of the second half was 29. That’s the number of minutes AD played which is to say all of the potential minutes available. LeBron played all but 2 or so, also too many. For the life of me I don’t understand how the Lakers can imagine that a 7 man rotation will stand up to the grind of the 82 game season AND be ready for a playin round or two AND compete for a title after that. The logic boggles the mind. Or at least it does until one remembers that the Lakers willfully traded or simply let walk the bevvy of valuable role-players we once featured.
- LeBron’s heroics or smarts. LeBron is not playing smart basketball, he’s playing straight hero ball. His shot chart worked out thusly:
-1st quarter: 1-2 FGs, zero 3’s, zero FTA
-2nd quarter: 4-6 FGs, 0-2 on threes, 1-2 FTA
-3rd quarter: 3-5 FGs, 1-2 on threes, zero FTA
-4th quarter: 5-10 FGs, 2-6 on threes, 1-2 FTs (w/4:25 left in the game)
-OT: 1-2 FGs, 0-1 on threes,
LeBron in the 4th tried to go it alone and it isn’t really working for the Lakers as a team. Juxtapose LBJ’s 10 FGAs with AD’s 4, Russ’s 5 (and at least one of those was an offensive rebound/put-back) and we’re seeing the same formula that resulted in losses. It would be one thing if we were seeing a vintage version of LeBron (fewer threes, more forays into the paint) but we’re not. He’s a jump shooter now. Of his 25 FGAs (which led the team) 11 were from three. He only got fouled on shots twice (or at least only two were called) and neither of those were and-1s. I can sympathize with LeBron for not forcing the action inside, he has not seen many friendly whistles as a Laker, but that means he has to balance his aggression better, not try and dominate just in the 4th. - More team, less Big 3. Coach Ham is riding his three best players right into the ground. or at least AD and LeBron, Russ has a never-ending motor it’s just his jumper that doesn’t work when you want it to. You could see in OT that LeBron and AD were utterly gassed. Even in the 4th when LeBron settled for his lazy pull up threes, one or two of those and get the man 2 minutes on the pine. Technically 10 Lakers played basketball last night, only 7 of them played 10+ minutes and Schroder and Beverley each played 19. It’s just not sustainable, man. You can ride it hard but when the wheels fall off don’t be shocked or surprised. Coach Ham needs to do a better job of two things: finding productive rest for LeBron and AD and getting his role-players more involved in the scoring. It will make things better now, in the playoffs (lol, I know, I know but one can hope, right?), and for the whole team.
- Pride in your homecourt. Look, I’m sure all the Lakers really wanted to win last night. The loss dropped us to 6-7 at Crypto. That’s not a winning mentality at home. We’re not a terrible road team, like Golden State, and if we just took better care of business in LA then this season would have a very different feel to it. At home we need to get the excitement generating players going. Get Lonnie Walker some runways to take off of. Let Kendrick Nunn play 15 minutes so he can get in 8 more FGAs. Maybe let Max Christie play or one of the two-way guys for like 5 minutes and see if they can get the home crowd buzzing from a hard-earned basket. Something.
Well Minny lost so we’re exactly where we were before we lost to Boston with lots of season left to go. Tomorrow will be the first day almost anyone can be traded anywhere. Will there be a huge move tomorrow?!?! I don’t think so, no. I think we see this team continue as-is until a lot closer to 2/9/2023. I can imagine a world where we trade PatBev and/or Nunn in December…but I’m not, nor have I ever been, a big believer in Rob and his choices as GM. If we do trade for someone expect it to be a name more than a player we actually need. Rob will go for flashy, not substance. He’s well and truly shown his disdain for role-players since he took over jettisoning one after the other in favor of name players that, for the most part, don’t work out. So, in the end, logic and empirical evidence win out, again, over hope and dreaming. No trades will happen until 2023 would be my guess. Which is what’s it been for awhile now. Search for answers within, gentlemen, search for answers within.
Ya duh best JS! Saw him in the early days.
Thanks for the 5er, Jamie. As always, you hit the nail squarely on the head. But I want to elaborate on #4 – More team, less Big Three.
Here is the thing – Sometimes the Lakers have looked every bit as awkwardly constructed, and talent diminished as ever.
With the way the team is currently built, the Lakers are asking for LeBron and AD to make the impossible possible every night.
Yet, more than anything else, they have looked human.
In an 82-game season, that style of basketball is simply not sustainable. Both lebron and AD, and even the front office, appear to be aware of that. But unless Lakers make a move, help seems further off than ever before.
You can’t just have two people score. It’s a team game… they’ve struggled to score or stop anybody in close games around the end of regulation when things seem to matter. These are things that need to be addressed.
Carrying a team on your back is exhausting. Being the entire offense for a whole game on a nightly basis takes its toll, and whether it means Lebron and AD suffer a drop-off in efficiency, start to take their foot off the gas, or get injured, it’s fair to anticipate some loss in production. In fact, by the time February trade deadline rolls around both LeBron and AD may be hitting a mental and pysical wall if they can’t find enough help. It is the same situation Luca Doncic is in, in terms of his usage rate.
I also agree that we need to get excitement generating players to infuse energy that the team needs to get to a higher gear. Excellent breakdown, Jamie!