The end has, mercifully, arrived. What started out as hope-filled title defense ended as a broken, beat up wheezing struggle to cross the finish line. The final 2 games of this season aren’t really great indicators of what is to come as the roster will quite likely have a very different look come training camp. Rather than critique the game, which was not a fun one in all honesty, I’d rather take a look back at the 5 key things that, in my opinion, led to this sour season. Above all, to echo magicman’s post of thanks I would also like to express my gratitude to all of you for being a part of the blog, Gerald for his open invite to his wonderful podcasts and especially to LakerTom for keeping the spirit and vibe of that old timey LAT Laker Blog alive and well.
- The Dwight Howard debacle. I felt that, when we let Dwight walk (or as LakerTom likes to say we “dumped” him…), that it was a mistake. Howard had sacrificed a lot for the team last season, had put his sizable pride to the side and was a key contributor to the new banner up on the wall. His ability to defend out to the perimeter, effect shots at the rim and as a premier lob threat out of the pick and roll were all tools we missed all season long. In the playoffs Howard would have fared better against Ayton than either Gasol Drummond or Trezz were able to muster. Athletic, mobile big men at his size are rare in a league that now wants a center like that who can also shoot the three. That list is a short one and most of those guys aren’t as mobile and fleet of foot as Dwight is. Lastly, had Dwight been on the roster, it would have likely taken us out of the Drummond sweepstakes and kept whatever chemistry we had going at that point in a more stable place.
- The Schroeder saga. It would be hard to find an article or an opinion that ran contrary to the opinion that when we signed Dennis Schroeder it was a Laker coup. In theory we had found a defensive, gritty, able-enough scorer to play alongside AD and LeBron and not need too high of a usage rate. Over the course of the season that narrative didn’t stand up. When healthy and the three point shots were falling for the team we had a great record with Dennis and LeBron in the line up. When the King went down, so did Schroeder for all intents and purposes. Add in his very public contract negotiations (that ultimately went nowhere), his two extended stints in the league health and safety protocols due to COVID-19 exposure or contraction (not sure if we ever heard one way or the other) and his extreme variation in playoff performances has led to a fan falling out with the mercurial PG from Germany. He may be back and he may not but if he returns we need to discover a way to keep Dennis more consistent.
- The injuries. So many injuries. Much has been made of the injury issues this season after the quick turnaround and I don’t think there’s another team besides the Miami Heat that has suffered so many injuries to key players up and down the roster. Whether it was KCP’s ankle sprain he suffered early on that seemed to linger all season, Caruso’s calf, ankle and groin, Anthony Davis and his death by 1,00 bumps and bruises or LeBron getting rolled by Solomon Hill we just never caught a break injury wise after the first few weeks of the season. I was surprised to see Davis on the court and felt it was a bad idea. The last thing we wanted was for him to suffer a Durant-like setback. Better that he get himself right as rain for next season. To that end I’m actually glad the playoffs are over for us, no more reasons to gut it out or make a bad choice in terms of our player’s health.
- Our vanishing three point shooting. We started off so hot that it almost seemed impossible to believe. Well, it was. If one is honest with one’s self there is no way that Alex Caruso is a 40+ percent three point marksman. I think he tops out between 35-40%, at best. Same for KCP although he could crack 40% if his focus was more consistent, I believe. Guys we brought in who had decent stats from the previous season like Schroeder and Wes Matthews were wholly incapable of replicating that success on this team. Whether it was the pressure of a title defense, playing for the Lakers or a reflection of who they truly are as shooters the point is a moot one. They couldn’t sustain the hot start from beyond the arc and the defensive schemes of he NBA adapted to tat reality very quickly by clogging the paint and making life harder and harder for our offense. Which was not elite to begin with unless James and Davis are on the floor, healthy and producing at elite levels.
- Speaking of coach Vogel. What a difference a season makes. We again had a top notch defense but what had been an above average offense last season with playoff vets like Danny Green, Rajon Rondo and JaVight McHoward was unable to find it’s strong points this season. A lot of this is on our coach who seems to over-rely on the skill, talent and will of LeBron James and Anthony Davis to score points. That works when they are healthy and productive but it doesn’t when they’re not on the floor as was the case for huge chunk of the season. As The King ages I think we’ll see a lot more of the version of LeBron we saw in the playoffs: fewer drives, more threes and a slow yet steady relinquishing of the reigns to players like Schroeder, THT and even Alex Caruso to initiate the offense. We’re going to need Frank to bring more to the table, should he remain the head coach (as I expect him to be with one more season on his contract and a banner he helped hang in the rafters), if that’s the case. Perhaps, if one of the many coaches who could be fired this season becomes available, we can bring in somebody with more offensive chops than Vogel has it might help.
There will be plenty of time for grades, trades and things of that nature as summer rolls in. For now, looking back on this season, I just want to express how much this has helped me personally move through the pandemic. Chatting Lakers has always been a passion and this blog has helped me stay as sane as I ever was (agreed, not much). So thank you, Lakerholics and fellow blog contributors. This is but a bump in the road for one of the great sport franchises on planet Earth. We’re going to reload and get rocking soon. So let’s hope for good health, some luck in the draft and we’ll see you on down the line.
Bummer the last fiver has to be a loss. We still got last season’s to read over. Which I did. 😃😃😃😃
lol, that was such a season.
Which you eloquent with both brilliance and succinctness.
Good season recap, Jamie. Agree with most of what you said but, as usual, we differ on some. Thanks for putting this together. Sorry for the late response. Benn on the road all week on business.
1. Dwight Howard. First, the reason Dwight was ‘dumped’ was because he could not defend out to the perimeter. Your claiming he could “defend out to the perimeter” simple showed your bias in favor of keeping him. The harsh reality is the Lakers had tired of Dwight and felt it was time to move on. I do agree the three centers they chose to replace Howard did not solve the rim protection or vertical threat benefits of keeping him but I also think it was telling when Dwight mistakenly ‘accepted an offer to return’ and the Lakers opted to respond by saying they had not made an offer. I think there were non-basketball reasons for dumping Dwight.
2. Dennis Schroder. We’re pretty much in agreement that the trade looked great at first but then the poor 3-point shooting, excessive turnovers, and demand for more money than he was worth kind of poisoned the situation. I’m hoping the Lakers can find a team to do a sign-and-trade for Schroder. A sign-and-trade would expand the possible buyers for Dennis to include teams without the cap space. I think it would be a serious mistake to overpay to keep him. Better to S&T him or let him walk.
3. Injuries. No doubt the short offseason and condensed regular season was not good for the Lakers. In the end, it was what killed any chance we had to repeat. I worry we may have overestimated how good we were as a team because of the bubble championship. LeBron and AD had four and a half months to get fully healthy and then had their best ever playoff performances as 3-point shooters. Truth could be 36-year old LeBron and injury prone Anthony plus our ‘elite’ role players benefited from the bubble. For sure, our role players, especially the non-superstar starters, were grossly overrated due to the bubble, which impacted this season.
4. 3-Point shooting. The need to improve our 3-point shooting was probably the single biggest roster error made as a result of overconfidence on our shooters after the bubble. Once we got to the playoffs with fans in the stands, that’s a new ball game and our shooters were simply not up to the task. Turning to Drummond only exacerbated the situation and made it easier for teams to clog the paint and live with our terrible 3-point shooting. It’s the curse of Byron Scott, the Lakers’ refusal under Pelinka and Vogel to embrace the value of the 3-point shot. We need a high volume, high percentage shooting guard to replace KCP. We need a point guard who is a 3-point threat. We need a stretch five center who can pull the Goberts and Embiids out of the paint.
5. Frank Vogel. I would focus on Rob Pelinka here. I think the refusal to include THT in the Lowry trade was a monumental mistake. Imagine heading into the offseason with a Superstar Big Three of LeBron, AD, and Lowry under contract and Schroder, KCP, and THT gone. Lakers would have their third star and an elite veteran point guard to carry the load for LeBron and hopefully beat the Nets to win their 18th championship. Instead, we’re going to lose Schroder for nothing, THT will still be a year of two away from being a starter, and KCP will struggle for the third straight year to score more than 10 points per game, which will make him almost untradeable unless you add a sweetener like a pick or THT.