This was a game I wish we could bottle up and replicate. The overall effort was great. Anthony Davis played like we wished he would all the time. The offense and the defense were in tune. We didn’t give a lead up and lose in the 4th. The bench played well. So on and so forth but, unfortunately, we can’t bottle it up so I hope, at the very least, this becomes the team’s blueprint going forward.
- Anthony Davis in full on Beast mode. I have to admit while I loved watching AD dominate both ends of the floor it also annoyed me more than a little. Where is this on a game to game basis? The aggression, the intensity and the full game effort are the thing Davis is questioned about the most. For at least one game they were all on display for the entire contest. How dominant was AD? He took 25 shots (almost all in the paint) and made 15 en route to 37 points, grabbed 18 rebounds (10 offensive which was basically the difference in the game) and he stayed engaged throughout the whole contest. In more than a few games already this season we’ve seen AD check out after the half. Yes, he’s out there, playing and running and stuff but he’s been prone to losing the impact he creates after the first two quarters or down the stretch in the 4th. Not last night, this has to be the AD we see on a nightly basis going forward for this team to have a shot at anything at all.
- Lonnie Walker IV making me a believer. Not going to lie here, I was not all that excited when we signed LW4. It was hard for me to wrap my head around 2 things: why the Spurs didn’t see fit to retain his services and why no other team offered more than our pittance. While the answers to those questions are left on the table somewhere what is undeniable is Lonnie finding a really solid role on this team as secondary go-to iso scorer as well as three point release valve. Last night he was efficient (9-15 overall but an absurd 4-5 from three), aggressive in looking for his own shot when the situation called for it, and had good impact on defense. If he continues this trajectory in a major role this season it’s another good example of why we shouldn’t tie ourselves to players whose contracts don’t expire after this season. LW4 will be getting a raise next season (he’ll be an unrestricted free agent) and we need players on the upswing of their careers more than ever. If this is the kind of player Lonnie is going to be he’ll have as much, if not more, impact than Malik Monk did and well worth holding onto.
- Russell off the bench is working and working well. The single biggest reason the Lakers won’t pull the trigger on a Westbrook trade is because Westbrook works coming off the bench with or without LeBron. You can, if you want, point to his 4 turnovers and -14 plus/minus. A lot of that -14 comes from sharing the floor with “The Human Black Hole On Offense” known as Kendrick Nunn and he’s also on the floor herding the less effective line ups, as well. His ability to collapse the defense and make a play was one of the keys to the win. There is a world where the Lakers don’t trade Russ, sorry LT, but rather sign him to multi-year deal (likely with player options aplenty) using his Bird Rights simply because we lack resources to acquire high-impact talent. I’m sure Russ will test free agency, wherever he ends up, but I won’t be surprised if that scenario does indeed unfold.
- Austin Reaves and an aggressive mentality. There are two versions of Reaves: passive and aggressive. Passive is when he comes down and spots up, hangs out, and gets back ably enough on D. Aggressive is when he moves, cuts and collapses the defense. Reaves had the pass of his NBA life last night where he took it strong to the hole, found a shred of daylight to whip a left-handed wrap around to an open shooter who canned the trey. That’s Russell Westbrook 101 right there and we need more of it. If Reaves can play like that…consistently…he makes a Russ trade more likely. As it stands only LeBron, when he chooses to which isn’t often anymore, can collapse the D like Russ can. Russ is the only player on the team with both the vision, ability and acumen to pull plays like that off. Reaves had one of his better games last night and makes a win a lot more possible when he plays with aggression.
- Getting none outta Nunn. I honestly feel for the guy but he looks toast. Another donut and you can see him thinking about everything out there. He made a couple plays with the pass that were nice but otherwise it was yet another forgetful outing from last season’s MLE signing. A signing that has produced exactly 52 points in 2 seasons to date. This doesn’t look to be working. At all. Of all the players on the roster Nunn tops my personal list of players we have to move on from. It’ll take a pick and Patrick Beverley’s salary to get back someone with impact (Bogdanovich from Detroit, maybe?) but Nunn looks like a player who has lost confidence in just about everything. Well past time for the Lakers to move on and for Nunn to see if a change in scenery or role can help build him back up.
Four days off and a stretch of winnable games except maybe Phoenix. San Antonio is having a surprising start to the season, not unlike Utah, but if we play like we did last night we can win those games. We should beat Detroit and if we don’t that may be the end. Beat Detroit and you’re 4-10 with a decent shot at getting back to .500 before November ends. Lose and the mountain grows ever higher, confidence continues to wane, and the front office…well…I expect the front office to do nothing and be paralyzed by their own ineptitude so don’t expect me to post anything positive about them at all. They’re terrible at their jobs is what I think. No help coming from there.