5 THINGS

I blame LakerTom. On our podcast yesterday Tom and I mused about how we had turned the quarter on the bad 1st quarter curse that the lakers had struggled with most of the season. Whoops. So thanks a lot LT! I kid of course, but the issue returned in a big way and at the worst time.

1. Wheels turning round and round indeed. The Lakers just can’t seem to build anything sustained this season. In a season where the only consistent has been inconsistency the following stats are indicative of how utterly mediocre the Lakers have been in 2023-24. They have not put together a winning streak longer than 4 games all season long. This has been done 38 times by multiple teams all of which are in contention and even some, like the Hornets, who are not. We are currently 18th in offensive rating and 16th in defensive rating. 16th in total wins. This is a middle of the pack team, has been all season long, and there are few, if any, indications that this will be changing any time soon.
2. Some guys didn’t take AD’s message to heart. Russell, Rui and Reaves (my three R’s) are all playing like they enjoyed the break. DLo needs to get greedier, 14 shots when you’re shooting like he was is not enough. We needed DLo, and desperately need every game, to take 20 shots. Anything less deserves a stern finger-wagging from the coach. Reaves and Rui need to rebound better and make the hustle plays. They’re the grit guys until we get Cam or Vando back and they need to get down and dirty even if we’re fully healthy. Rui, who tends to disappear when the rebound goes up and not do, well, much of anything except stand there has to start making 10 rebounds a nightly goal. Get greedy on the glass and it will have a direct and dynamic impact on winning. I am singling out Hachimura because, were he to put his mind to it, I feel he could be a really good rebounder. Just needs to box out and track the shot better. Reaves being a glue guy needs to walk the finest line. Do I need to shoot more, pass more, or just make grit plays. The answer my good fellow is all three. Every night. For forever (ok, just until you retire).
3. Spencer looks more lost as the games go on. Not sure what the coaches had him work on over the All Star Break but it’s not working. On offense we’re not letting him be his best self where he’s making plays to guys for easy scores. With no Gabe Vincent on the horizon it’s imperative we get some kind of backup guard support from either Dinwiddie or Max, best would be a lil something from both.
4. Blaming the refs? Please. Look, there was a huge disparity (big enough to account for the amount of points we lost by) but there are just so very many other reasons we lost this game. Let’s start with the most obvious to me and that’s the rebounds. Nurkic made more hustle plays than the Lakers as a team combined. 54-31 rebounding edge to the Suns is all you really should be looking at and the 14 to 3 difference on the offensive glass tells an even more complete story. The bench, those that got to play more than 6 minutes…was a non-factor on the glass. That can’t happen. Durant alone matched the Laker bench in rebounds. Some of that is Ham went away from Hayes in favor of more Prince minutes. Some of that was because of the craptastic first quarter but a good coach doesn’t just coach the moment, he coaches the team and if you’re getting murdered on the glass it’s not really fair to expect the dude you station 30 feet out all the time who is not a good rebounder to begin with to take up the slack. FWIW the difference in fouls was just 14-12, Lakers took that stat by 2. So it was as much the timing of the fouls as anything else. Sad excuse no matter how you frame it.
5. I’m-a-gonna keep saying it until it sinks in: offense alone is not enough. The defensive intensity has to come up, especially with the guys we have out. We scored with great efficiency last night: 52.2% from the field overall, 42.9% from three. Those are not sustainable numbers for this team and they will not impact winning as expected when the defense fails to come up to the same level. If we’re waiting for the injured players to come back and fix this then the coach and front office has failed already. It can’t be just one or two players, although they do make a big difference. Boxing out isn’t a one man job. Fighting for loose balls isn’t a one man job. Everyone needs to stop whining to the refs about non-calls, we look more like Devin Booker these days than Kobe and that’s sad to type. Go talk to the ref and throw your hands up on your own time and get you ass back in the play. AD can’t be the only one giving his all on D and that’s what is happening now.

Doesn’t get any easier on Wednesday with an “away” game against the Clippers. These are the teams we need to prove ourselves against. So far we’re looking like a C/C+ team. Mediocre.

Well that wasn’t how any of us wanted to start this last slate of games. Such as it is the Lakers get generally walloped by the Warriors at Chase Center last night. While Curry didn’t explode like he did in the last contest he did look largely unfazed by whatever Lakers defender he happened to find in front of him. Thus the Lakers find themselves one game closer to .500 and one game further from their goal of breaking into the top 6 in the western conference.

1. No offense to AD, whom I sure was under the weather with something because it’s going around, but Coach Ham’s excuse for the defense was beyond silly. I find it hard to believe that the defensive collapses we watched all night were simply a result of AD’s inability to call out from the back line. Players could, maybe, use that excuse but when crap like that comes outta the coaches mouth it’s just a bad, lazy look. For everyone. Be better, coach.
2. Rui regresses. It took DLo getting benched for him to find his aggressive self. Rui’s been back and forth all season and still looks way to passive when the ball finds him. We needed his scoring last night in a big way, especially LeBron out and he was pretty much a non-factor. There is no scenario the lakers will face that I can imagine where we wouldn’t want an aggressive, engaged version of Hachimura on offense (and defense, for that matter). Be better, Rui.
3. One and one. With the Lakers and the Warriors locked in a battle for Playin positioning the tie breaker has the potential to loom large. The Lakers and Warriors have each one a game now so the last two are going to be real battles that should matter to the players on both teams. Hope LeBron plays for those.
4. Don’t care how much better the offense has looked, defense still wins games. We saw that last night. Go down the list of any stat you choose. The Lakers were competitive, if not solid. We’re not an elite three point shooting team, the Warriors are. They shot nearly 40% from three and seemed unbothered by our attempts to contest and on top of that matched our 58 paint points with 58 of their own. That can’t happen. You need to take something away on defense, you can’t let them match you in the paint and shoot unbothered from three. The intensity and focus on that end needs to improve team-wide and it’s not about AD’s soar throat.
5. Jalen Hood-Schifino played! Still don’t know why we picked that dude. Feel for the kid as he came into an impossible situation but the list of impactful players that were selected after him, including Brandin Podziemski just makes the choice the Lakers made look all the more foolish. He may have a bright NBA career in him somewhere but I have a hard time seeing it come to light in purple and gold.

Well, here we are. The ASB, trade deadline and ASG (mercifully the latter) are behind us. While it would be wrong to call this the home stretch (that feels like it should the last 10 or so games) we have come to a defining stretch of games for this Lakers team. Again. With a slew of solid opponents but playing mostly at home the Lakers have yet another opportunity to distinguish themselves from the Playin herd and break into the Playoff pack. In short, it’s business time.

1. A defining moment for The Three R’s. Russel, Reaves and Rui in that specific order. Each has had their moment to shine and each has had some stretches of truly dud-style play. We need each of them to rise up to the level that gave the front office a reason to hand them a big money deal last summer. For the remainder of games, regular and playoff, we need these three to be the best versions of themselves. That means Russell needs to stay aggressive and hunt his own shot like he has been. That means Reaves needs to keep being one of the best glue guys in the association. That means that Rui needs to play with both power and grace like we know he can. It’s imperative that they take, and hopefully make, the open three point shots the offense creates for them fairly naturally. It’s also imperative that they make their presence at least felt on the defensive end. Most importantly they need to stay on the floor so no more injuries, especially for Hachimura whose season has been defined as much by his availability as his on court impact.
2. AD and LBJ just need to keep on playing. Not for any awards but because we have little hope of winning when they’re both out. Against some teams we can have one of either James or Davis out, although our defense takes a mighty big step back when AD is out, We can ill afford either one to go down with a serious injury and miss extended time. So I’m all in favor of an extra day or 3 for LBJ to try and get that ankle as right as it can get. Both guys might need a maintenance day here or there, especially with five more back-to-back games on the schedule. It’s on the rest of the squad to man up and fill the shoes as much as they can when one of their star players needs to tune up because we ain’t going anywhere in the playoffs with out them.
3. Speaking of health we could use some good luck moving forward in that regard. I hate excuses, everyone in the locker room is an excellent basketball players by the standards of planet Earth and needs to put their best foot forward on the daily. Even I can see what effect injuries have played on how this season has gone thus far. So with that it’s welcome news hearing that Cam and Max should be available tonight, that we should hear something in the next week or two regarding Vincent. It’s not so great hearing Wood is out with a knee issue and we know LeBron is just getting his mind and body as right as he can. I find it no small coincidence that, should LeBron miss exactly one game around each back-to-back remaining, he would still fall within one game of qualifying for the All NBA, MVP, etc. awards at season’s end. Gives him a one game buffer in the event the final game doesn’t really matter standings-wise.
4. We need to figure out how to squeeze more out of the small forward position. Taurean Prince, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Cam Reddish have all given it a go. In my opinion the best fit is likely going to be out for awhile longer, if not the whole season. If that’s the case and Vando’s season is in the books already we need to focus on how to maximize the contributions of our remaining small forwards. I like Prince as a stabilizer off the bench but expect him to get the starting nod coming out of the break. While I prefer he and Dinwiddie coming into the game together with either Hayes or Wood to bring a veteran presence to the second unit that’s high on execution I can easily see Coach ham turning to his most durable player down the stretch. If Hachimura gets the nod I think that allows the Lakers to bring in the best mix of defense and offense and if they wanted to tilt more towards the defensive side I could see Cam getting the nod, just not after this lengthy time off recovering his ankle. We saw the same thing happen last season with LW4 in that he had to re-crack his way into playing time after months off dealing with a bum ankle. Currently Hachimura is listed as the starter and so here’s hoping that sticks. You just never can tell with our coach, though.
5. Define yourself, don’t let the opponent define you. AD hinted at the team (finally) discovering it’s identity. Defense-induced transition, paint points and efficient, in the flow threes. While you can’t control how many times you get to the free throw line you can make it a point to attack the defense and put yourself in the position to be rewarded with free throws. That does not mean hunting contact but rather attacking the rim and overly aggressive perimeter defenders. Where the lakers need to re-commit themselves is on the defensive end. Relying on AD is fine and good but augmenting his elite defense with NBA-average defensive effort will help the Lakers immensely. Finding another gear above average has the potential to transform the Lakers into something elite, although I’m not sure we can get there sans Jarred Vanderbilt.

All in all the season has been mostly defined by missed opportunities in a one step forward, two steps back kind of way. If we can change that, not go 6-4 over the next 10 but go something 8-2 we can start to redefine our season and maybe move up in the standings, too. Need to show we can beat Denver, the Suns and the Clippers in the next few games. You know they’ll be gunning for us. let’s do this. Go lakers.

Well that was an expected letdown, at least for me. Didn’t have a lot to work with in terms of assets that offer cap relief or future building blocks so I was perfectly fine watching the trading deadline come and go. Of course i would have been happy if we had won a lopsided trade but that’s not the norm and it’s not to be expected every season. We didn’t have a massive RESET button contract like Russ’s and even though we had decent players on decent contracts it would have cost to move them and that cost was too high for the Laker FO.

1. No trade made. While I’m sure LakerTom was bummed (although he’s in the process of moving out of he and his wife out of their house and into a new place and that’s an arduous task for anyone so hoping it goes super-smooth, LT, and also sorry about the 49ers) I doubt even he was too surprised. The single 1st round pick several years out and mediocre players on multi-year deals isn’t the kind of trade package that makes the opposing GM swoon. It’s more like when your cat shows up on your back porch and drops a dead bird or mouse there and expects a vast reward. Just not reasonable and when one considers what those same players could bring back this summer on draft day with up to 3 first rounders attached it makes even more sense why the Lakers didn’t go all-in now. They’re looking for a bigger fish to fry.
2. The Lakers didn’t come up empty. Winning the Spencer Dinwiddie sweepstakes feels like a good thing. Nice that he didn’t end up on Dallas where I had thought he would go. His fit on this team still has some issues, however. Fewer if Vando and Cam don’t make it back or can’t get back to the best version’s of themselves for a playoff push in time. The Lakers best lineups have usually had some combination of LeBron, AD, and either Vando or Cam in them. This will be challenged by the inevitable and highly debatable (not to leave out dreaded) “three guard lineup” I wholly expect to see deployed as early as tonight. This would mean we’ll be seeing a DLo, Reaves, Spencer deployment no later than the 2nd quarter and probably will finish the game. From a defensive standpoint this is nothing short of a nightmare. I would honestly consider Dinwiddie the best defender of the three which is mildly terrifying. Of course, had Vincent been healthy, we would have been treated to this vapid line up for weeks already so there’s a silver lining.
3. What does Dinwiddie bring to the Lakers? A backup guard who can create for himself and others. Streaky from three, decent midrange and in the paint, Spencer’s best seasons were about 6-7 years ago when he was a 6 man of the year candidate and a most-improved candidate. Since then he’s been a solid backup guard for a bevy of teams who can shine at times. Feels like insurance for the guard spot and that the FO is assuming that Vincent can’t be counted on to return to a meaningful role this season.
4. What this changes? Honestly? Very little. if anything it could mean less time for Rui or Prince but we’ll see. Dinwiddie slots best next to but one of DLo and Reaves, IMO, with an able-bodied defender to help AD out when LeBron is given his own “zone” to defend. To me this is code for “one of the corner three spots and the baseline”. So that means the other 4 guys need to be able to hold their own. AD handles 2/3 defensive assignments/possession and cleans up a ton of mistakes other guys make but even he has limits so my hope is that one of Rui, Cam or Vando plays well enough to force their way into lineups that end up deciding the game. Whether Dinwiddie closes or not is, to me, immaterial. Same goes for Austin or DLo, as well.
5. Let’s cut to the chase. This entire season looks more and more like the band-aid being ripped off of the dominance that LeBron James has embodied for over 2 decades. He alone hasn’t been enough to make a team an instant contender since he came to LA, injuries and time have reduced his impact from legendary to merely superlative-laden. He and AD not being enough for a top 6 seed is a calculus for the off season mainly because nobody truly believed that if AD and ‘Bron played major roles in the majority of the games, as they have done, that we could be merely a .500 team. This reality is both sobering and refreshing. Sobering in that there are major roster questions the Lakers will face as soon as this summer and refreshing in that the path forward must increasingly contain younger talent. So, while I wholly expect the lakers to drop their 3 first round picks into the water as bait and possibly walk back Reaves untouchability I don’t see a player like Young or Spyda Mitchell coming here in a package built around those 3 picks. There are teams that can top our offer on that front, best we might manage would be Kyrie which would be a hot mess but maybe fun to watch? At any rate, as long as the Lakers focus on getting better AND younger, regardless of how the talent is acquired, it bodes decently for the future with, as always, not one single guarantee.

Big back-to-back tonight and then the ASB. Need to close out this last chunk with style and prep for some big games to close this baby out.

That’s pretty much all a Lakers fan needs to see to perk them and put a lil pep in their step. And so it was that, without AD, LBJ and Vando 9after he left with a serious foot injury) the Laker still managed to hand the Celtics an L. In a word: radical.

1. Woo0hoo indeed. Nothing not to like about this game except for Vando going down. We dominated in pretty much every area and we did it with heart and effort. Other than Reaves and maybe Hayes nobody even had an other-worldly game. Everyone just did what they were supposed to have been doing all season long.
2. Reaves went OFF. Career highs, clutch baskets, and everything you could hope from the guy we saw flourish this summer in the FIBA games and played spectacularly down the stretch last season. There’s no reason why he can’t be this aggressive every single game, at least no reason i can think of. Shot’s not falling? OK then but you still keep on attacking and shooting, that’s how you get out of a slump anyhow.
3. DLo’s offense did not dictate his impact. One of my main gripes regarding Russell is how he generally lets the success of his offense control his overall in-game impact. Last night that wasn’t the case as we saw Russell struggle mightily from the field but still almost came away with a triple-double and was a leader on the court. Need more of this DLo going forward.
4. Hayes turning a corner? Sounds like he’s been putting the work in with the coaches, practicing defensive techniques to bring his fouling down. We saw it all on display last night, and in his defense he got some calls that went against him early on, as well. Jax stayed ready for his number to be called and had the best game of his young NBA career.
5. Vando out for several weeks. The one gloomy thing about this game was watching the Vandolorian hobble off. X-rays coming back negative didn’t provide the usual good news as it sounds like he’s seeking further medical opinions as to why his feet are killing him. Could be done for the season right when he was playing his best ball ever.

Incredibly we can still salvage this shit-show of a road trip and come back 4-2. Had you told me that was possible after back-t-back blunders against Houston and Atlanta without AD and LBJ going into the garden i would have laughed in your face. We;;, good on you for believing (if you did) and good on the Lakers for playing with ferocity. Now keep doing just that.