5 Things: Nice Way to End the Trip

Solid win that got closer than it could have, shades of Philly flashing before our eyes as AD missed another late free throw. But the Lakers held on, Reaves hit another clutch three and we came home .500 on the roadie. Considering where this team was at just a couple weeks ago, that’s more than decent.

1. LeBron’s most efficient and impactful outing of the season. I’ve been on The King a lot about his overall lack of efficiency. Some of that is to be expected as he approaches 38 years old and the amount of basketball he’s played in his lifetime. Still, as the leader of the team and the generational talent that he is, more is expected. Last night he played great on both ends. Didn’t make any silly, lazy passes for easy break points, shot efficiently (14-24) and made all his free throws. The single turnover is what we need more of (from himself and Russ) against the backdrop of his 5 assists. It was around the turn of the year that LeBron kicked it into another gear last season. If he can do that again, while AD is playing as dominantly as he currently is, we should climb the standings a bit.
2. Few answers for AD except get him in foul trouble. That’s the defense. AD was hitting all sorts of shots last night, except his sole three pointer. Not worried about our three ball game, honestly. Davis continued his one man assault on NBA paint defenses and something is starting to become quite clear. Teams are understanding that the only people who can stop AD are the refs. If AD is unhindered by foul trouble he is playing at a such a level right now as to be nigh unstoppable. He flirted with a triple-double but only garnered 7 dimes.
3. Winning the game while losing the three point battle. Much has been made of the lack of elite outside shooting on this iteration of Laker basketball. I’m personally cool with it for a simple reason. Our identity does not really stem from our long range accuracy but our defense and body blow interior scoring. There was a stretch where we were trading 2s for 3s against the Pistons and they closed the gap. We stuck with what worked and the long range shots that fell for them, specifically from Bojan Bogdanovic, stopped falling in the 4th due to a little tighter D and the law of averages. We also scored more efficiently because our attempts are often closer to the rim, not further out. This is by design, we’re next to last in attempted three pointers. We’re 3rd from the bottom in accuracy. That’s after climbing up above 30% (currently 30.2 3PFG/game and hitting 32.2%). As long as the Lakers continue to own the paint we’ll have a shot to win most games.
4. Austin Reaves. I started calling him True Grit (didn’t stick with the national media…) but now have moved onto Captain Clutch. The kid just comes up big when it’s needed. It’s this aspect of his game that I hope the Laker Brass looks at when deciding whether to cheap out on another role-player next summer. Incredible game-sealing shot and it’s not his first. I have a feeling it won’t be his last.
5. All of the above illustrate a point I’ve been trying to make for awhile now. This is working. Were it not for some missed free throws or tightening up one defensive possession down the stretch we’d have won in Philly. We didn’t have a healthy James or AD against Cleveland or Toronto (I know James played against the Cavs but he probably ought not to have given how he looked out there, that was one for the hometown fans). We’ve been competitive against good teams. We don’t need a huge trade, we need a little bit of defensive and outside shooting help, the rest of the recipe works. Thus, for my own self, I have a new criteria for any trade:
   -Does it bring back the same level, if not better, of playmaking the current roster has? If not, hard pass. Russ is feeding AD like Pac-Man eating dots. He’s not over-forcing his own offense or searching out triple-doubles, either. The only other Laker that comes close to bringing what Russ does is Schroder and he’s a poor copy at that. I’ve been watching the AD/Russ connection for a couple weeks now, it is not uncommon for Russ to bring 2,3 and even 4 defenders to him on his drives to the rim because he’s relentless. AD simply follows in his wake and either gets a pass if the commit to stopping Russ or an easy put-back if Russ misses his layup. If that goes away and is not somehow replaced in a trade it’s a bad trade.
   -Does the elite, volume, super-incredible three point marksman excel in a limited role (you know, like the last 7 elite, volume, super-incredible three point marksman who have played here have not)? If not you may want to push pause and consider what you’re giving up on defense. I’ve been hard on PatBev of late but this road trip showed what his leadership on the court can do. It helped turn the Philly game into an almost stolen victory. It’s been helping guys like Reaves, LW4 and TB understand how to properly take a charge, and it’s being able to be in the ear of Russ, LeBron and AD and not be wholly dismissed. Like Rondo before him I am starting to see a path where, despite his sinkhole offense, his defensive contribution just might make up for it. Full disclosure I still think he’ll be the first Laker traded.
   
   Do the Lakers need help? Yeah, yeah they do and there are a lot of ways they can get it. Melo is still out there and we have an open roster spot. Kris Dunn has been tearing up the G-League and is a savvy play-making guard. Thomas Bryant and Schroder have been solid in their backup roles so I don’t see those positions as being a weakness but, should we end up trading Nunn, PatBev or Russ we may need to bring in some kind of play-making guard to break down and collapse the defense. This tightrope act the Lakers are walking this season is certainly frustrating for fans of the trade as a fixit solution. I get it, while I may not wholly endorse a specific trade it would take a lot of internal improvement to think this roster can compete for a title as-is. I don’t really see that happening, to be honest. As long as the player(s) we bring in can defend and get AD the ball in his sweet spot (the paint) I think I’d pull the trigger on a trade. If it’s for a one-trick–pony shooter or a guard who just scores you can count me out on supporting it.
   
   Go Lakers.