Aloha,
Now nice win, especially for an early start Sunday game. Just a few random thoughts.
THT looked really good on both sides of the ball. Offensively he looked a little rusty in the first half but looked sharp, attacking for 12 points in the 2nd. It’s going to be huge having him back.
Malik was also huge. The guy is not only a scorer but he creates for others. He has a great handle and can comfortably fill in at PG if needed.
Consider this, once Nunn comes back we will have 3 young players that can attack the rim. Wayne and Melo will feast on opens looks. Add LeBron and Westbrook’s ability to get in the paint and it’s going to be fun.
AD should be in the MVP conversation.
I don’t like playing Russ and Rondo at the same time. It leaves our back court defense vulnerable.
Considering we were playing a lot of the game with 4 guards and Ad a lot, we rebounded reasonably well.
14 turnovers was an improvement but Russ’s 7 turnovers is still to many. His style of plays lends itself to turnovers but there are still to many unforced, careless turnovers.
I think it was the right move not playing Bazemore. We will need him but his poor offense lately has obviously gotten into his head. He needs to step back and take a breath.
With THT back and LeBron probably back tomorrow or the next game, I think we will see AD starting going forward. Still wondering what that final starting lineup will look like.
I forgot mention Wayne. After shooting 3 for 12 in his first 2 games, he’s shot 59% from 3 since. Honestly knowing how this offense goes, I don’t think Buddy would have brought more then Wayne has. Except at 20 mil instead of the vet min.
The biggest benefit Buddy would have brought is no trade for Russ. And no, Wayne is not going to replace the 10 threes per game that Buddy will take. He’s averaging 10.8 3PA per game vs. Wayne’s 5.8. There’s a huge difference in the amount of attention teams will pay to Buddy vs. Wayne.
Takes Wayne and Malik together to match Buddy’s volume 3-point shooting. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Lakers reconsider trading for Buddy at the deadline. They could trade THT, Nunn, and filler for Hield to start at the 2. Would solve much of their spacing issues to have a 39.5% 3-point shooter with 10.5 attempts per game.
Tom you are assuming that Buddy would get 10. Looks a game in our offense, which he wouldn’t. Not when the Lakers have AD, LeBron and even Russ, eating first. Melo is playing the same amount of minutes as Buddy and is getting 6.5 shots a game. And he’s been our go to 3 point shooter. Wayne is getting his 5.7 in only 21 minutes. Buddy doesn’t start because he doesn’t play defense. Think Buddy would get a lot of run? Frank benched Monk a while back after 5 minutes because he wasn’t defending. While Wayne isn’t a great defender at least he makes the effort. And if you throw out Wayne’s first two games after injury he’s shooting 59% to Buddys 39%. Oh and they are not going to trade THT and Nunn for him. Two solid defenders who can score and attack the rim are much more valuable. If they want they can plug Ellington into the starting line up. He would offer the same threat as Buddy. He would get as many 3’s in our offense as Buddy would and at a better percentage, and he is a willing defender to boot.