5 THINGS

It took not 1 but 2 last second shots for the Lakers to overcome the short-handed Dallas Mavericks but overcome they did. With Wayne Ellington forcing overtime off of a broken play where the loose ball came to him when it looked like the Mavs had won to Austin Reaves canning a three while getting no-call fouled the Lakers showed a lot of grit in pulling out the win last night. While one of it was very pretty at the end of the season that W will look a lot like all the other ones.

1. The Three Lakerteers. Last night saw one of the more balanced outings from the Lakers superstar trio. They shot the ball about equally (AD-18, Russ-18, LBJ-19), scored pretty equally (AD-20, Russ-23, LBJ-24) and played about the same number of minutes (AD-39, Russ-42, LBJ-43). In a game where LeBron was pretty focused on getting his own scoring going, AD was knocking off some rust after sitting out for a little over a week and Russ continued his integration process this was a nice game for the Laker big three.
2. Wayne Ellington’s big bucket. It’s easy to forget that Ellington’s clutch shot off a totally broken up play sent the game into overtime because of what came next. But Wayne was much a hero as any Laker last night with 9 points (3-9 from three, no two pointers) and some solid defense (3 steals). Wayne has upped his defensive intensity over the last week or so and it’s paying off. He was a starter last night and was on the floor for most of the 4th and OT when the game hung in the balance. While it’ll take a lot more defense to shake his gunner legacy Wayne has been putting in work on the right end of the court for this team to have success.
3. Austin Reaves big bucket. For me the biggest aspect of that shot wasn’t that he took it and made it (when you get the ball with 1 second left you better shoot or you probably don’t belong in an NBA uniform) but that it came after an on-court dressing down from LeBron about a blown defensive assignment. The rookie stuck with it, stayed within his game, and knocked down the winning three much to Mark Cuban’s disbelief. Reaves is going to have plenty of growing pains (as the dressing down regarding his defense indicates) but he seems like a hard-worker who soaks up what he’s taught. Keep that mentality and good things will come of it.
4. 3 game winning streak and a .500 road record. There will be nothing historic about this Laker regular season in terms of team victories, records or streaks. Steady progress and growth should be enough for these guys to be ready for the playoffs if everyone can stay healthy (a seeming impossibility but more on that later) and if that road can be navigated successfully we’ll be good come May. The Lakers didn’t give up an absurd number of points in the paint (although early on it looked like we might but they turned the screws a bit and tightened it up) or too many free throws or threes. Some of that was the Mavs missing shots and some was good D but the manner in which the results were achieved is slowly becoming inconsequential as long as we keep pace with the middle of the pack while learning on the fly.
5. More guys out for tomorrow. With Russ and Bradley being added to the growing list of players who are out due to the league’s health and safety protocols the Lakers will need more from LeBron, AD, Reaves and whomever else can suit up. Also, welcome back Mr. Isaiah Thomas! A name that has been consistently dangled in front of Laker fans IT is returning to lend whatever help he can. While it’s a ten day deal and will only last until someone else can play it’s always nice to see someone get a second chance and see what they can do with it. Here’s hoping IT proves the doubters wrong and finds a way to stick in the NBA. Like Boogie, serious injuries with terrible timing have derailed his career.

The Lakers are holding onto 6th place in the west and are starting to get a little separation between themselves and the lower tier teams in the western conference. 6 or higher is a must for an aged team like the Lakers. the more rest and fewer games played the better, especially games like the play-ins. So the Lakers need to keep growing, improving and staying afloat for a few more months. With a little luck (which seems in short supply) they’ll do just that.

LeBron James turned back the clock (or slept for 12 hours depending on your sources) and notched his second triple-double in 3 games, the 101 of his career and the Lakers pulled away in the second half to easily beat the easily beatable Orlando Magic. With the Magic missing Markelle Fultz, Jalen Suggs and Jonathon Isaac (all injured) this was the kind of team the Lakers had to date played down to, allowed to hang around, and generally struggle to win against this season. Whether last night’s game ended that absurd behavior or was a one off remains to be seen. Plenty of good vibes though as the Lakers look to match their longest winning streak of the season tomorrow night at 3 games.

1. How long can LeBron James play the hero? Who cares, he’s still doing it and we’ll need it all this season. LeBron’s line has become fairly common-place which is a testament to his consistent greatness. 12-20 (3-7 from three and 3-4 from the line), 11 rebounds, 10 dimes, 3 team energizing blocks with the only blemish being his 6 turnovers. When the rest of the line looks like that, you accept the turnovers as an aspect of functionality. The way The King played both energized the arena and his team, bringing the bench and STAP, er…The Crypt… to it’s feet. Evidently a large dose of sleep was one of the catalysts for the breakout game as LeBron quipped in his post-gamer about his 12 hours after jetting all over the country to both play and watch his son Bronny hoop. More of this and LeBron will, once again, at least put himself into the convo for MVP.
2. Talen tapping into his two-way game. A career high 6 steals punctuated THT’s solid contribution as he looks to fill roles left for him by both Caruso and Kuzma. We’re asking a lot of the 21 year old and his defense will determine his success more than anything else on this team. We got guys who can get buckets, and we got a couple of able and willing defenders…but we’re lacking on dudes who do both. Against the Magic THT was a true two-way player as he had active hands, shot efficiently from everywhere, and promptly landed on the NBA H&SP list due to a positive COVID test. Hoping for a speedy recovery for THT.
3. Limiting FTA. One of the foundational principles to a good defense is not bailing out guys by fouling them on shots. Make them can a tough bucket, no bail out reach fouls. The Lakers had been giving up a ton of free throws to start the season and, of late, they’ve been managing a better defensive focus. This continued last night as the Lakers wracked up some impressive team defense stats (12 steals, 11 blocks, and 37.5% shooting overall for Orlando) and held the Magic to under 20 FTA. Getting the job done on D doesn’t often result in a Sports Center highlight (do those still exist? They must…) but it helps the team put up W’s.
4. The right kind of offense. It is, of course, helpful when LeBron brings his monster game to the arena but the Lakers overall have started to tighten up some loose ends that had been dragging the team down. One of the big gripes here at the blog is Frank not getting the right guys the right shots and, too, has started to improve albeit only slightly over the last few games. Whenever the team shoots 46.8% from three it makes the rest of the game a lot easier. The Lakers did right by themselves in that they took a very succinct 28 three pointers (making a lucky 13 of them) and everyone who took one made one except for Malik Monk, who had a down game when compared to his recent play. No threes from Russ means he spent the night in attack mode and didn’t force his outside shot. All good signs.
5. Beating the beatable. After struggling against the youthful vigor of some of the younger teams in the NBA the Lakers have flipped that script of late by beating OKC and now the Magic. We need these bunny games, like anyone knows the bear needs to fatten up before the winter nap and the Lakers a re very bear-like this season. GOt to add some more bulk and beat the teams we ought to beat, be they young, injured or both we can’t afford too many more let-down games this season. Luckily the western conference is having a kind of down season, thus far, and the Lakers are still holding onto the 6th seed at 15-13. The Lakers really need to turn it around at STAPLES/The Crypt where they are a mediocre 10-7.

With Luka out the Lakers need to bring the heat and beat Dallas, keep pace with our cross-crypt rivals, The Clippers, and not let Memphis gain any separation. While not monumental in a singular sense, all of these games matter in terms of building good habits, chemistry and keeping pace in the standings. Can we equal our longest winning streak of the season? Here’s hoping. Go Lakers.

Third time was the charm for the Lakers to finally overcome the comeback mentality of the OKC Thunder. Behind a dominant game from LeBron James and solid showings by Avery Bradley and Austin Reaves the Lakers cruised to a comfortable victory. Still, despite the win at this point it would appear Laker fans need a little more than that to start to fully believe in the potential of this team.

1. A dominant and explosive LeBron. It was really nice to see how balanced and aggressive The King was throughout that game. 6 three pointers is a good amount and he kept the defense off-balance by using his step back and bully drives in a variety of ways. This is the version fo LeBron that needs to carry forward, In control, playing in the paint and not settling for lazy shots. I’m hopeful that the version of LeBron we’ve seen is born more of a need to work himself up to true game shape rather than a portend of things to come.
2. Avery Bradley’s rewards Frank’s faith. I am of the opinion that Bradley in the starting line up is just fine. It allows Monk to get going against other bench guys, gives the starters a defender that can have an impact and when he’s on he can get a nice roll like he did against the Thunder. There are certainly younger, more athletic and, likely, better shooters that could be put in the line up over Avery. The thing is there really isn’t anyone that blends his shot-making ability with defense who can also get his own shot or create for others, although that isn’t his main strength.
3. Dwight stepping up. The box score didn’t accurately reflect the big game Dwight had and there will always be the potential for Frank to revert and go back to playing a center next to Davis. I was watching the Backstage Lakers show on Spectrum the other day and it was all about DeAndre Jordan’s contract signing day and first couple practices. There was Rob Pelinka touting DAJ since his Clipper days and saying AD had told him “thank you, less minutes for me at the 5”. Enter Frank Vogel in all his excitement to coach the big man at long last. So, if we are going to have a big play I’d rather it be Dwight and when he does I want him to have a high degree of impact on our D. Dwight checked that box and needs to keep doing that whenever his bell is rung.
4. Three point guys getting up three point shots. Much has been made of our lack of offensive schemes to get Ellington, Monk, Melo and the other “3 and…?” guys shots in the flow. Well, for one game, the Lakers solved that riddle pretty darn well: Melo 1-6 three pointers, Ellington 3-9, and Monk 1-6. While those guys may not have made the looks seeing 6+ attempts shows us that the team is at least trying to get these guys shots in the offense. A few more makes and this game would have been even more of a blowout. While the overall volume of attempts (42) is a tad high for my tastes (I’d rather see a few more rim runs and the 3 point FGA around 35-40, tops) it’s still a positive to see the right guys taking their shots.
5. THT doing a little bit of everything. I’m not on the “Talen is a superstar in the making!” train but rather “let’s hope he can contribute consistently this year!” train. That’s exactly what he did last night. While no single stat jumps out at you (11 points, 3 boards, 2 assists and a steal) he got that very efficiently and controlled. That’s what we need from him this season. In some ways THT is the new Kuzma: the young Laker on a movable contract with some good and bad things about his game. If Horton-Tucker can focus on filling in the gaps he’ll be just fine on this team, we don’t need him to be superstar #4.

Shout out to Auston Reaves who had a good game in front of his home town crew. Also another positive outing in garbage time for Kent Bazemore in which he made the only shot he took. If that shot can come back we could certainly use his defense. Need to string some wins together to show everyone, myself included, that this team can be a force.

It’s no mistake that I didn’t do a 5er after the win over Boston. I was excited, I was pumped, I was stoked because for a few moments I thought “we’re turning a corner here!”. Then I remembered how the only consistency thus far for the Lakers has been inconsistency. So I waited a game to see if we would play the way we did against Boston or continue our Paula Abdul “Opposite’s Attract” theme by taking a step forward followed by a step back.

Cue the Cat:

1. LeBron’s declining impact. I’m not wondering anymore, it’s here. The decline has begun and you see it in the pace we play (something that can be traced back to the post-groin injury in year 1), his shot selection (weighted more and more towards the 3 point line, and in how he finishes or rather how he doesn’t. It’s early-ish but The King is on pace to shoot, by far, the most threes/game of his career. 40.6% of his shots are from beyond the arc but 54..9 % of his points are of the 2 point variety. In short, the King is settling for threes. Often after dribbling out the shot clock. No offense to one of the greatest to ever play but is the definition of bad basketball. If it holds up over the course of the season his 8 3PT FGA/game would represent a career high (one which he set 2 season’s ago at 6.3 and replicated, exactly, last season) but he’s only making 2.6/game for a mediocre 33%. It’s showing a lot in his rebounding which is currently 5.9/game (rookie season is his career low at 5.5 other than then and now no season where he averaged fewer than 6+). He’s also picking up more fouls than he generally does. Some of this are his minutes at center, I would imagine. That being the primary defender in the paint, having to rotate out onto guys on defense rather than hiding on a dude in the corner is sapping him of valuable energy. Look, the man is 36 years old, this was always going to happen, and the Lakers are simply ill-equipped to absorb an ever-aging LeBron on this roster. We have almost no up-and-coming talent; no offense to THT but we’re basically hoping he tops out at KCP level impact if one is being realistic. Russ has been doing his best for the most part, but there is simply no replacing what LeBron brings. Could some of this be alleviated by pulling him out of the center rotation? I’m not so sure. Age has a way of just affecting everything. It may be that he’s working his way into game-level conditioning which, if so, means there are better days to come. I sure hope it’s the last point otherwise the rest of the points below don’t really matter.
2. Anthony Davis has to figure out how to be dominant every game. Watch tape of Shaq, dude. Nobody got beat up more in the post but still brought it hard every single night like Shaquille O’Neal. It’s not like AD has been playing poorly, he’s been fine. But with roughly a 1/3 of the Lakers cap space occupied by his salary and given LeBron’s decline we need him to be more than he’s been on a nightly basis. We need more than fine. We need 30 points a game and 10 rebounds and that’s all there is to it. Be a champ on D, sure, hold guys accountable and thank you for doing so, but we need you to be the difference-maker on offense we all know you can be. AD is, again, not really in the MVP conversation. If he can average 30 and 10 he will be and he needs to get on that ASAP or, frankly, the season is done. Russ and LeBron with the rest of this team is not enough to win a title with AD playing a side-kick role. Time to put on the super suit and take to the air, Mr. Davis, the hopes and dreams of Laker Nation are counting on it.
3. We need one dominant quarter from Russ/game. There should never be a game where THT takes more shots than Russell Westbrook does. Russ had scored all of his 9 points in the first half and was largely shut down after that by…himself. 4 shots in the second half. I didn’t see the Grizz scheming for him to not get the ball or aggressively doubling him when he drove. He just kind of took himself out of the game. Again, as a player that roughly 1/3 of the Laker salary cap is dedicated to that simply doesn’t cut it. We absolutely need Russ to p0ut the kind of pressure on the defense that he is still capable of doing. That means more than 9 FGA. That means capping the turnovers at 3/game (he had 6 last night and half of those were just him losing the ball all on his own). Russ is the wild card superstar as he can turn a competitive game into a blowout but can’t seem to be the one that helps the team win on a consistent basis.
4. The rest of the team. I mean…we’re old, man. Outside of Monk and THT (and Nunn who has yet to play and Reaves who is a rookie) there’s not an impact player on the roster under 30. So, with that in mind, it’s small surprise we have trouble staying in front of guys and defending at a level we’d become accustomed to as Laker fans. They all score in ways relative to their roles and they’re doing fine at it with nobody really distinguishing themselves from the rest in terms of consistency or impact. if anything the only thing that’s certain is Monk is our best young player to date passing THT fairly easily. THT still seems to be the apple of the organization’s eye but one has to wonder how long that will continue. Asking more of the role guys is pretty absurd, as well. They don’t bring the ball up, they’re taking up a 1/3 of our cap space each and they weren’t brought here to do that. They take the shots they get, they play defense the best they can in our system. They collect that vet minimum paycheck. Also, hoping Ariza and/or Nunn will drastically change any of this point is fool hardy. Ariza is one of 3 36 year olds on the roster and Nunn hasn’t played in months. Both of them will need practice, game reps and time to get to even so, hopefully they’re contributing come the ASB…depending on if they’re even playing by then.
5. Frank needs to…oh wait, Frank has already changed everything like three times. You can’t coach around age. It is impossible. We play at the slowest pace, with Russ on the squad. We waste entire possessions watching LeBron James dribble and heave. Frank isn’t going to talk LeBron into turning back the clock to 2011. We’ve seen Frank go from one kind of line up to another, from man defense to switching to whatever it is we try in this game or that. As a coach he certainly has limitations but he is also quite open to trying whatever works. The issue being that, because of the duality of the team he was given, it’s overall age and lack of size this is the best he can do. He can’t coach around shrimpy players or aged vets. The irony being that Frank will also be the one to go first because that’s just how it works in pro sport. Coach gets fired, GM next, then players get shipped.

Look, it’s not all doom and gloom. We’re still 6th in the west with teams like the Clippers, Nuggets, Mavericks and Trailblazers all under-performing, as well. If we can shake off our habit of playing .500 ball we can certainly get up to 4th and have home court advantage in the first round while avoiding the play-in. Our longest winning streak this season is 3. Our longest losing streak is also 3. So if LeBron can turn back the clock just a tiny bit, Russ figures how to dominate one quarter/game and AD plays at a close to MVP level we’ll be OK. Maybe not win a title but certainly be more enjoyable to watch. As it all currently strands there’s no way we get past the Warriors or Suns in the west. It ain’t happening, we simply lack in too many areas that they excel in.

The Lakers fell to the Clippers with the usual suspects leading the way: defensive let downs, missed free throws and a shaky offensive identity. While the Lakers did do a decent job containing Paul Heorge they let the rest of the Clippers get pretty much whatever they wanted.

1. Too much LeBron, not enough AD and Russ. LeBron had a subpar game shooting-wise. I’m not sure if he was forcing his own action in lieu of going to Russ or AD more butane. We don’t diversify our already simplistic offense we become extremely predictable.
2. Missed Free Throws rear their heads, again.Ninsokution to this other than AD needs to recapture the form he had Laker year 1. Since then he’s been a 70%er and his outside shot has been mostly MIA. I’m sure it’s all still in there he just needs to bring his complete game more consistently.
3. I’m not freaking out about the starters. We only have so many tools in the shed. Few of them are defenders. Most of them are floor spacers and old. This is mostly on the front office and ownership as they had a chance to retain Caruso who hit threes and defended well. I think that until Nunn. Ones back we’ll see Bradley start because you do need someone to come off the bench and score and Monk has been good at that. I also don’t see a trade where we bring in anplayerbthat surpasses what we would have to send out. A lot of this is on Frank and Co. to squeeze more blood from the rock.
4. Waive DeAndre Jordan and pick up James Ennius. There’s not enough time for Frank to tinker and daydream about which big man is the better one. It’s Dwight by a country mile, we need him to play 15-20 mpg and we need another wing defender like now. DAJ is the only true flotsam we have, let him drift on down the river.
5. The time for mucking about and fiddling with line ups ha well -passed. We know Melo and Monk work well off the bench, leave it alone until the playoffs. We know that we want to start a big, make it Dwight and leave it alone. That leaves deciding between THT and Bradley who ought to start. Choose one and let it ride. At this point it’s shaping up to be the mosh mosh of line ups we saw last season and that doesn’t bode well. Find something that works and the. Build it up but stop with the DNP-CD to “hey want to play like the whole game!’ BS. It’s not helping anyone.

Had to do this 5er from the phone in various locals so likely some spelling errors or poor grammar, my apologies. Need to string something together or this season will be defined for all it wasn’t as opposed to all it was.