It’s easy to single out Drummond: biggest dude, not a modern player, didn’t have a great game 1. That all may be true on literally every game we play with him on the roster. Andre’ Drummond is not, I repeat, not the reason the Lakers lost game 1. We’ve all said it since they joined forces: we go as far as AD and LeBron take us.
https://deadspin.com/smacked-in-the-mouth-lebron-and-ad-now-need-to-find-1846967317
The link to the article above is where I feel the issue truly lies. When Davis and LeBron play pedestrian, we lose. In fact, they may have to find another gear of their own to get out of the western conference this season. Both are banged up, under-conditioned and playing basketball like mere mortals. I present to you the perfect recipe for Laker failure: ordinary LeBron and AD.
We also didn’t really lose this game on the defensive end, we lost it on the glass where we were decimated 47-33 while also coughing 16 offensive rebounds to our 10. 8 of those were by Ayton. That’s a team stat, a heart stat and a hustle stat. The team did not play with any of those characteristics. Also, largely because of his injuries (at least I assume as much), Anthony Davis averaged a career low in rebounds this season at 7.9. Not entirely sure he’s the answer to shutting down Ayton, at least not when you start digging into the numbers. Ayton is bigger, stronger and about as fast as Davis is. He certainly is younger and, at least in game 1, more energetic and focused.
You want to point to the success AD enjoyed at the 5 during the playoffs last season? That’s fair but then you also have to account for the different players he now shares the floor with in addition to LeBron’s current limitations. No Danny Green, solid defender with size and skills to defend larger players. Markieff Morris? Broken jumper, offensive liability this season, at least lately (my pick for next man up in this whole big/small, skilled, whatever debate). Rondo orchestrating everything and bringing the team together onto the same page? Currently plays for the other LA team. These aren’t footnotes but rather major changes to the composition and ability of our playoff roster. We can’t trot out a line up of smart, savvy playoff experienced vets at the guard or small forward position, we have what’s here now.
So, for all the “dig into the numbers before you post” noise-makers, there you go. Drummond led the team in the one of the 2 stats we needed more of: rebounds. For crying out loud he pulled down 7 (!!!) offensive rebounds of his own. That’s 70% of our offensive rebounds for those who are so very into the numbers. You control the glass and you win the basketball game. I don’t care about what happened in all the games without LeBron, or even the games with a hobbled LeBron because if that’s the version of James we’re going to get we will lose. Won’t matter if it’s small ball, tall ball, wall ball or hall ball style. If our superstars play like everyday players there is no chance for us to win.
So stop blaming the biggest guy just because he’s an easy target. We tallies gotta stick together, after all.
😉
There’s no question that we will go as far as LeBron and AD takes us. That’s never changed. The problem is that playing Drummond makes it easier for teams to defend LeBron and AD and harder for the Lakers to stop elite scorers on other teams.
You can ignore the stats and eye test and defend Drummond all you like but the reality is we are not at our best on offense or defense when he plays the five. His presence hurts our offensive spacing and defensive mobility. Doesn’t mean we could still win with great games from LeBron and AD. Just that it won’t be as easy as it would be if we played Davis or Gasol at the five instead.
The gold standard is AD at the five. Unless Anthony is refusing to play the five, which he has outright denied, or we are to ignore the positive numbers for Gasol at the five, there is no reason to risk losing the championship for a Big Penguin pipe dream. At some point, Vogel will have to bench Drummond. Watch and see.
AD had a height/weight and skill advantage over everyone he faced in the NBA playoffs last year except Jokic and…lo…did we then slot Dwight Howard onto The Joker? Verily, t’is true!
Matchups are the thing, man, that was your astute point last season and the same holds true now. If we lose with AD playing as much at the 5 as he did (7 more minutes than Drummond did by my count, could be off by a minute or so) because Ayton is as fast but stronger that won’t be on Drummond that will be on the coaches not recognizing AD doesn’t have what it takes to out muscle DA in the low post.
Also, there’s nothing wring with that. AD isn’t a prototypical center/PF/whatever. That’s one of the things that makes him unique but also, in some situations, limited. He’ll struggle against bruising big men like Ayton and Jokic, it’s one of the reasons we have 3 other centers on the roster.
There’ll be a time when Drummond deserves blame…Sunday wasn’t it. There’ll be a time when the Lakers will be better off starting Gasol or AD at the 5. Tonight isn’t it. Time to play bully ball and punish the Suns.
I totally agree LRob. This whole narrative that, somehow, all the blame falls at Drummond’s feet (or in Vogel’s lap for sticking with him) ignores the clear evidence that Drummond rebounded better than any Laker on the floor in his minutes. I also disagree with LT’s narrative that playing Drummond makes it easier to stop AD or LBJ. They let themselves be stopped or they don’t, they are that good.
If we had gotten outscored by 20, they ran us off the floor or we blew so many defensive switches it lost us the game that would be one thing. but that’s not what happened. We missed a shit ton of free throws, played uninspired on both ends and didn’t match the intensity of the Suns.
I’m all for trying what we did tonight, maybe see some Gasol if the offense bogs down but I don’t think we have a better player to contend Ayton than Drummond.
A lot of this would change if Davis and James were healthy and fully conditioned but they’re not. KCP, Kuz, Caruso and Schroeder won’t be enough. We need an inside presence to bully the Suns and that is Dre’.
Agree 100%. well said.
“Time to play bully ball and punish the Suns.” That is exactly what I am expecting tonight.
Great post, Jamie. I totally agree.