Alright, alright. A win is a win and we’ll take a couple of them where we can get them. While these last few games have had zero impact on the Laker seeding, the Laker psyche has been bruised and beaten down a bit. Losses to inferior teams, inexplicable no-shows in terms of in-game involvement and slew of missed jump shots have brought us to the point where LeBron James himself has proclaimed the Lakers as ‘not mentally ready for the playoffs’. That needs to, and can, change.
- Kyle Kuzma playing his best basketball with LeBron James and AD on the floor. This has been the brightest spot on these dim post-conference-clinching games. Furthermore, it’s the one thing that pretty much needed to happen for the Lakers to have a true shot at winning a title, especially with Bradley not being a part of this. Kuzma needs to be a threat off the bench and he needs to keep his mind focused and ready for his number to be called in odd moments. He said it himself in his post gamer, that he would be starting on most NBA teams. That’s true, and to his credit, he also acknowledged that now he plays behind 2 of the best on the planet. That’s also true. It’s taken time for Kuz to get both his mind and body right at the same time. It looks like he has and it couldn’t have happened at a better moment.
- The Mystery and majesty of Alex Caruso. In all reality he shouldn’t have this much of an impact on an NBA game. He played in only 20 minutes, missed all his shots, missed all his free throws, had only 4 assists and 2 steals. But the way he plays emboldens the team, throws a wrench in what the other team tries to do, and he just has…a knack…for being on the floor when the game swings. AC’s +21 was a big reason we got on the right side of the W/L column last night.
- Danny Green making some shots. I’d wager Danny would be the first one to tell anyone in ear shot that he’s had an off-season this year. Before the Bubble, in the Bubble, doesn’t matter. That shot just hasn’t fallen with the same frequency in season’s past. It won’t matter if he gets hot in the playoffs and hits 3’s off of LeBron or AD drive and kicks. The Lakers need him to be that floor spacer we desperately need when Davis and LeBron share the floor with him. His defense has been solid, as usual, but we need more for the money he’s getting and the rep he’s certainly earned.
- Waiter’s bouncing back. Dion had sat a game, and had tailed off a bit after his hot Bubble start. He looked good again last night and, like the 3 dudes above him, we’ll need this kind of steady contribution (frankly even a little more) if we’re going to have a chance. He has the skills and savvy to put a lot of pressure on opposing defenses, especially when he’s on the floor with LeBron or AD, and we need him to stay aggressive but in control. I think he’s more than up to the task.
- Cleaning the offensive glass. The benefit to playing large, like we generally do, is you ought to have a couple of the bigger guys on the floor. Meaning you should also get your share of rebounds. Offensive rebounding has, for whatever reason, become a passe’ stat. Coaches prefer to have the transition defense get back and cover the three point line or slow down the point of attack. I get it. And it makes sense in a lot of ways. But the goal is to put the ball in the basket and if a big dude can grab you some offensive rebounds and get you a put back or kick out three…well, that doesn’t suck.
All in all, I didn’t get too low during the little losing streak and I won’t be getting too pumped for this win. The big takeaway, for me, was Kuz having the coaches and team’s trust to take and make the shot off the curl play. Great draw up from Frank (admitted himself he stole it from Mike Budenholzer, lol) and it’s nice for the team to not have to talk about a loss. But there’s a long way for us to go before we feel playoff ready. As hot and strong as we were rolling before COVID we’re still warming up to life in the NBA Bubble. It is what it is, as they say…but we can do better and I think we will. Still tuning up, finding legs and integrating. Couple games to get some flow going, get into the groove, and come out on top!
Great write up, Jamie. Thanks for taking the time and making the effort after every game. Much appreciated by all Lakerholics and visitors.
The only thing I will add about Kyle is not only would he be a starter on any other team, he should be a starter on this team, especially when we play a team like the Nuggets who start a stretch four and stretch five and especially when we have two starters like JaVale McGee and Danny Green who have played poorly in the bubble.
Alex Caruso’s performance last night was prima facie evidence of why plus/minus stats can often be irrelevant. Not only did Alex have a zero game offensively, he was terrible defensively, a step slow and beaten numerous times for easy baskets. To his credit, he was obviously not himself due the neck injury and should not have played as many minutes as he did. We will need more from him going forward so hopefully he will get time to heal and get 100%. At any rate, Alex hurt us more than helped us last night.
I also have to rigorously disagree on Danny Green’s defense. He was a step slow and unable to navigate or fight through screens last night. Jamal Murray was cleaning his clock so bad Vogel actally had to bench him and bring in Kuzma to stop the damage. I think Murray scored five straight baskets on him and was hunting him like a dog seeking a bone. Danny’s been a huge disappointment this season and even a good playoffs is unlikely to save him from being traded this offseason.
Waiters continues to impress. His ability to get to the basket in traffic is impressive. He’s going to be a big weapon off the bench and hopefully will re-sign with the Lakers next season. I could see Dion and Kyle be a young duo as part of a post LeBron championship team along with AD. Still needs to improve a lot on defense but part of that is hopefully just being unfamiliar with Vogel’s system and the guys he’s playing with.
Lakers did a good job on the offensive boards with Davis, Howard, and Morris all contributing. I’m not as big a fan as you on playing big partly because hitting the offensive glass hard often ends up leading to the other team getting out and running. A lot of the threes the Nuggets knocked down were easy transition threes. But if we play big, we do need to dominate the paint. Tonight, we basically just held our own on the glass and in points in the paint.
No doubt you do a good job avoiding the highes and lows, Jamie, especially compared to Gerald and me but I think last night’s shot by Kuzma was a special moment this team desperately needed. Watching them in the dressing room and during the interview clearly showed the team needed this just as much as the fans did. Will it be transformative? We’re going to find out but my guess is yes.
Great observations, guys. That last shot by Kuzma might be all the team needs to boost its confidence heading into the playoffs. I will have more on Kuzma and Waiters as the games come. Right now, I am just enjoying the ride as they both evolve within the team. Great discussions.
***Tom, I think I got the paragraphs to work on after doing some little research***
LOL. Never tried responding on my iPhone, Buba. always my PC. Looks like you got it though.
Yes, Tom. I finally figured it out. By the way, this new site is very well designed and there is so much to like about it. I had a few hiccups that I had to find my way around but everything is coming along just fine.
Thanks, Buba. Working hard on the hiccups and should have them fixed in a week or so. Still have a lot of improvements to make but it’s coming along great. Thanks for always being there with comments and encouragement. It’s greatly appreciated.