It started like so very many Laker games have started this season. Easy buckets, poor transition D, offense that looks rudimentary and general malaise about the team. The Lakers seesawed back and forth with the Kings in the first half and would get within five before watching the Kings run out to a 12 point lead before the half. Then Malik Monk made a three point shot at the buzzer to close the first half. It all turned around after that.

1. Dwight Howard’s impact. This game is a perfect example of why I favor playing Dwight over DeAndre in just about every conceivable situation. His energy is better, he knows the frank Vogel defense inside and out, he compliments AD better and he’s never afraid to mix it up down low. If we are going to play a big is simply has to be Dwight and the arguments against are paltry and flimsy, at best. Dwight’s stat line won’t be going in any record books (12 points, most of those in the first half to help keep us close, 13 Union man rebounds with 5 coming on the offensive glass, 2 steals and 2 blocks) but his effort and intensity are what we need as much as his production. Unleash Dwight, Frank, you know you want to.
2. Malik Monk proving his worth and earning his role. Monk hit 6 of 10 threes, accounting for over half of the team makes from distance, played pretty solid defense and continues to be a solid guy to have on the team. If he plays like this all season he’ll likely play his way right off of our team and I, for one, hope he does. We need this kind of impact from someone other than the big three and after THT went out with a leg injury in the first half Monk really shined. His three to close the half started a Laker run that basically went on throughout the rest of the game. He isn’t just a three point specialist, either, Monk can get to the rim, score in the paint and make plays for others. Monk was stellar off the bench for the Lakers last night.
3. Laker bench showed up big. 58 points were put up by the Laker bench and that wasn’t the best stat, in my opinion. The bench also nabbed 30 rebounds and were a huge factor in a game that actually saw AD and Russ sitting on the bench in a win to end the game. I’m not sure that’s happened yet this season, if it has it hasn’t been often enough. The bench came to play, and we need it happen a lot more often.
4. AD and Russ leading the way, of course. Anthony was solid throughout the game, scoring more in and around the paint as has been his way this season. I’m all for it. Yes, he can stretch the floor and of course his three point shot is a weapon. There is just so much more to his game than that and when he relegates himself to spot up shooter or stands around on the perimeter our team suffers for it. Westbrook started slow and got hot to start the second half. While not his best shooting night (some of that due to questionable non-calls) we needed these guys to step up and play large with LBJ going into the NBA health and safety protocols for a minimum of 10 days.
5. 65-26 run to take control of the game, outscored the Kings 67-33 in the second half. The saying “A tale of 2 halves” is a common one and it certainly applied here tonight. The Lakers utterly dominated the second half tonight and hopefully this signals the end of our terrible third quarters. While it’s nice to see consistent effort and great production in every quarter if we have to choose one area to dominate in I will take the second half every time. You can’t win a game in any half, it’s a slow build to a finale’. But if you’re going to have a dominant stretch I feel like the second half is the place to make it happen.
   
   All in all, a solid win. Something to build on in terms of the defensive intensity in the second half. Beating a team we should beat in a convincing fashion is certainly something to carry forward. The next 5 games can really help to turn the narrative and the season around. It’s unlikely LeBron plays in any of them except for, maybe, the 5th as the King has 9 days, minimum, remaining in NBA H&SP. The Lakers have all the tools they need to start to turn this around and redefine a season that has, thus far, been defined for the things they lack rather than the weapons they have. Time to turn the beat around. Go Lakers!
   

This team isn’t going to make it easy, it would seem. Even when we get a big lead against a team we should manhandle we seem determined to let them back into the game. Whether it be sloppy execution, poor D, or a lackadaisical attitude in general this incarnation of Laker basketball lacks a killer instinct. It may come back to bite them but there’s fading hope it will change. After all, you are what you is.

1. Lotta donuts. Avery Bradley and Melo both put up scoring zeroes. Both added something to the box score but starters need to bring more and Melo is our best scorer off the bench. Against the woebegone Pistons who struggle nightly to score 100 points it ended up not resulting in a loss, however for a team that could use an easy win or three it only added to the rep of a team with banner aspirations playing down to inferior opponents. It wouldn’t hurt for us to be able to rest our star players in the 4th, either, as LeBron’s re-aggravated abdominal strain shows. It’d be nice to beat up on teams we should beat up on.
2. Lakers three point shooting remains an issue. The guy taking the most is the guy we want attacking the basket (LeBron) and the guys we brought in are either getting a low amount of shots and/or missing them in bunches. Last night saw the following players go 0-fer from three: Bradley, Melo, and Monk. Key reserves Ellington (1-3) and THT (1-4) made one but this isn’t a recipe for continued success against most teams in the NBA. AD has been so bad (20.5% for the season after last night, around 16% prior to) he’s taking more shots in the paint than ever. Again, no easy answer presents itself as the issue seems to be that LeBron would rather take threes than create them for guys like Ellington, Monk and so on. In some ways that makes sense since LeBron is one of three guys whom most of our cap is dedicated to. In reality I think the team would function better if all the tools were used to the best of their capabilities. Hopefully this works itself out over the course of the season but, so far, there isn’t a lot of evidence to support that notion.
3. Credit that Detroit Piston free throw defense. I kid, but LeBron and Russ need to be better. LeBron and Russ missed key free throws in the triple overtime loss to the Kings, and again missed key free throws down the stretch that could have helped us pull away earlier. We breathe life into teams in so many ways we have to look to cut down in some area or another and free throws seem the likeliest place to start. It’s nice we’re getting to the line more, but we need to make them for it to matter.
4. Small line ups score a little better, get killed on the boards. As Frank continues what one now has to assume will be a mostly season-long experiment we saw what was the only DeAndre Jordan at center line up. other than DAJ it was AD and LeBron manning the center position. In his 21 minutes Jordan managed only 6 rebounds and as a team we got killed on the boards 53-42 with the Pistons grabbing 12 offensive rebounds. This is unsustainable, especially against teams with true centers and a crash the glass mentality. We don’t box out, we don’t jump for rebounds, we simply stand there and hope. My biggest issue with LeBron at center with a bunch of guards isn’t the defense it’s the rebounding. Russ can’t do it all, somebody has to figure out what the phrase “put a body on him” means and box the hell out. Getting killed on the glass has become yet another constant issue in just about every game we play. More oxygen for inferior teams.
5. The ball was moving though! One super positive in my opinion was the 32 assists and the fact that all three superstars had solid and efficient games. This wasn’t a win to celebrate by any means, we should have beaten Detroit even more than we did. But when something goes right it starts to feel like you have to mention it since so little has thus far. So, in the spirit of that, the ball movement was exceptional last night. Also, Russ, LeBron and AD all had solid games without getting in one another’s way. So, if this si something sustainable and can be built upon I’ll take it.

The good thing is that rest of the west is kind of a mess, too. We’re lucky that Denver is this season’s walking wounded team, that Portland didn’t find new fire under Chauncy Billups and that teams slated to be rebuilding teams have, for the most part, played like that. We’re 6th in the west and we need to solidify that spot and look to push our way past the Clippers in the coming games. If we can fight our way into a top 4 seed by the All Star break and stabilize the ship I feel like we’ll be alright. If we keep up with this up and down play, stay around .500 we’re just as likely to have to go the play-in route, again. Nobody wants that.

The theme of the season is blowing big leads to inferior teams and/or giving up monster quarters to any and all comers. Team Oxygen gave the reeling Kings some life who are now coached by Alvin Gentry after a poor start to the season got Luke Walton fired. The Lakers in the 3 OT’s ran a nascent offense through LeBron which resulted in a lot of lazy threes, poorly executed plays and our now traditional defensive lapses. A win that got away in a season full of them.

1. Simple plays are easy to defend. When the Lakers start running their “LeBron dribbles for 19 seconds and jacks up a step back” offense we are a ridiculously easy team to defend. Star power? Wasted. Other 2 superstars? Unused. Motion or basketball plays? Nonexistent. It allows the defense to get set, makes it harder for us to rebound and is just plain bad basketball. When LeBron makes the shot we all go ‘yay’ but it doesn’t have to be this way.
2. 5 guys played almost an hour of basketball. I never understand when coaches let the guys who closed the 4th just keep on playing. And playing. And playing, as was the case last night. Get some guys a quick rest, change the look of the lineup, anything to get a fresh approach to winning the game. Looking at the box score it was team AARO and Monk who accumulated a ton of minutes. Bit a recipe for long term success.
3. AD has a terrible game shooting the ball. This team doesn’t work well if AD isn’t a force inside or lets himself be relegated to outside jump shot guy. We need him to score inside to open up looks for our three point specialists and open up driving chances for Russ and LBJ. Need AD to regain the form he showed when LeBron was out.
4. Russ finding his way. He’s racking up triple doubles, he was our most efficient player in the floor last night and we need him to have the ball in his hands more because Russ uses the team more often than LeBron. He gets guys moving, involves AD in pick and roll action. LeBron has a tendency to dominate late-game possessions and we need to better diversify.
5. Excuses have run out. We’re 21 games in. This team is playing the same whether LBJ, AD, Melo or whomever is on the floor. We need our younger guys to start stepping up which both requires them to succeed and for the older guys to step aside at times. Frank has the team’s ear on defense…kinda…but we need a more diverse offensive attack to close out quarters, halves and games. We’re a middle of the pack team right now, at best. That’s pathetic considering the talent level. There’s no way Jeannie and Co. can be happy with the results thus far and so the questions will begin. Frank needs to show them something or he won’t last the season. Offhand I can’t think of a coach that was fired a season removed from winning a title and yet here we are.

Too little, too late. After digging themselves into a 25 point hole the Lakers came all the way back to tie the game in the 4th quarter only to see it ultimately slip away. Once our again our 4th quarter execution looked more frenzied than focused and our defense wasn’t able to get the job done early. All in all the loss to the Knicks guaranteed that the road trip will be one with a losing record and tonight the Lakers are trying to avoid going 1-4 on the 5 game roadie.

1. If only we were fixing holes and cracks but it really feels like this team is treading water on a nightly basis. The injuries, new personnel, new offensive system and the new roles for AD and LBJ are all tough orders in the shortened training camp era and for Frank to have seamlessly implemented and integrated all those things off the bat would have been amazing. I’d settle for just one of those things above working and, really, none of them are, yet. Hard to see how it gets better other than from within. Had we changed LeBron and AD’s roles alone, kept most of the roster, that feels like it would have been an easy integration for the core squad from last season to adapt to. However we instead brought in 11 new faces, one a ball dominant guard, so that added a wrinkle to everything in that while AD and LBJ were learning their new roles at their new positions they also have to learn how to get the most out of an entirely new roster. Adding Russ in and of itself wouldn’t have been such a slog but then Frank also added a new offense so not only are Russ, AD and LeBron adjusting to one another, new roles, new teammates they’re also learning a new way to score. Then came the injuries. While not an excuse, it feels like the Lakers chose the most difficult path to get back to title contention they possibly could have.
2. That first quarter… The one thing this team does consistently is give up big quarters to, well, just about any team. Sometimes it’s the 3rd, it’s also happened in the 4th, last night happened to be to open the game. Regardless, no matter the opponent, the Lakers have a rep already of giving up 30+ point quarters and they usually come when we can’t throw it in the ocean. I don’t know what to say about this anymore, we seem to lose our focus and execution for a solid 10-15 minutes/game. If this trend continues it will be the defining characteristic to this Laker team as it makes it almost impossible to find a way to win consistently if you’re in the habit of giving up 1 monster quarter/game.
3. THT needs to find something that works consistently. We got a donut from THT last night and, if he’s going to be the starter and we’re going to see less of Kent Bazemore who is the better defender, he needs to bring a lot more on both ends. He was totally ineffective and had one of his most unproductive outings to date as he missed every shot he took, didn’t get to the line, and led the team with a -18 +/-. While some of that are the lineups he plays with but, as a starter, he needs to be a lot more consistent.
4. Lakers 3 point shooting woes continue. Other than Westbrook (3-6) and AD (1-2) the Lakers struggled mightily from three. It wasn’t like the Knicks shut us down, we just missed shots and a decent number of those came in the final five minutes of the game when any kind of score would have helped but empty possessions guaranteed the loss. I get it, the modern NBA is infatuated with the three point shot, 3 points is worth more than 2, and so on. the name of the game is still who ash the most points on the board, regardless of where they came from. When you have a player like AD and Russ it’s astounding to me we don’t run late-game offense through them more adeptly. Our late-game offense has consisted far too much of the laziest shot in basketball: the early shot clock three. Had we gotten a bucket or two from down low, run something through AD on the block I think we would have generated much higher quality shot attempts. For the Lakers I do not believe the answer lies solely in more, or volume, but in being diligent in ensuring the quality of the three point shot is high. That means doing more than passing the ball once or twice around the horn and jacking it up. That’s lazy basketball, not winning basketball.
5. Hey, we’re valuing the ball, though! Take away that first quarter and the Lakers would have had fewer than 10 turnovers last night. You can’t do that, though, and so we still ended up with a very manageable 12. That, beyond anything else, was what helped us claw our back into this game. That and a tighter defensive execution scheme in regards to our zone. Keeping turnovers low with Russ (2nd in the league currently in terms of turnovers/game) and LeBron (averages a round 5/game for his career) is a key to us winning consistently. Happy to see that the team is trying to at least create shots every time down and not coughing it up. Clean up a few more of those and we’re on our way in terms of getting the most out of time with the rock.

The bets we can hope is to come home a .500 team 20 games into the season. The trends are plain for all to see: play down to opponents, give up one monster quarter/game, lack of focus or intensity overall, especially on defense. LeBron coming back or trading for player X might help a little but we’re still a couple weeks away from even being able to trade guys we signed over the summer. Plus, THT has been pretty inconsistent thus far and I have a hard time seeing a team giving up an impact player for a project at his price. Lakers need to find the solution from within and the sooner the better.

Almost 17 years to the day was the infamous Malice at the Palace the Lakers and Pistons got together for an impromptu, unscheduled, old-timey re-enactment. While last night didn’t turn into a “one player against the world” kind of thing it was, by far, the most intense on-court brawl in a long time. At the time the Lakers were down and sinking fast. The Pistons came out after the scrum and scored the first bucket for a 17 point lead. Everything started to change after that and hopefully it’s a change for the better and on a permanent basis.

1. The LeBron James question. Both in the national media and on our Gerald Glassford’s Lakers Fast Break podcast the question has been raised: is Father Tim finally sinking it’s claws into LeBron James. The question is legit as James has been dealing with an abdominal strain that took an extended amount of time off the court to heal, and even when he did play nearly half his shots were from three point land. I actually thought the beginning of the Pistons game showed us that the true LeBron remains. While he was getting hit and slapped on a bunch of his drives he was more balanced in his shot repertoire. 1-3 from three but also three shots in the paint with one midrange step back that he drilled. I am of the opinion that James still has something in the tank and that he’s easing his way into the regular season. This is not only common for players his age who generally play more of a role than lead but it’s been LeBron’s traditional approach for some seasons now. The King will be fine if he can avoid contact injuries and get time on the court with the team. Now, he may end up getting a suspension as a result of his retaliation but that’s up to the League office.
2. Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook found a way. It sure wasn’t pretty but wrestling with a pig never is. Let’s be honest, Detroit’s plan was to junk up the game from the start and the number of free throws shot, the fight that added a 15 minute delay, and the overall feel of the game. Detroit has never been known to field a finesse team, it’s just not in the state of Michigan’s DNA. Piston teams are hard-driving, gritty and play in your grill. It’s why players like Bill Laimbeer and “Big” Ben Wallace are revered there to the degree they are. It took the best quarter of Russ as a Laker and a return to form for AD to pull this one out. Davis swatted 5 shots, Russ started attacking with the purpose to score and not figure it out in mid air. They both played like the superstars they are and we need them to be to have a shot. Davis shot 4-4 in the final frame and was stellar on defense overall. Russ carried the load offensively shaking loose for 15 points. Both guys found each other repeatedly for baskets down the stretch. This is how they have to play all the time, every game. With that intensity and fervor.
3. Carmelo shaking off his road woes. it’s no secret that Melo has mostly struggled on the road. Outside of his game against Boston where he wasn’t much involved but shot well, his road splits have been awful. Last night he came up huge on both ends in the 4th quarter with some aggressive close outs, his shooting and his overall presence which is still one of elite NBA pedigree. While he may not be the Melo of old, he has a ton left in the tank and the young guys react to that in a positive way. Melo is going to be a big part of this team’s successes and it’s been a thrill to watch. I’ve always loved me some Carmelo.
4. Dwight Howard’s monster 13 minutes. We lose this game without Dwight. He was the only one who, early on, rose to the level of physicality that Detroit was playing with. He wasn’t part of an effective unit but he played with the kind of focus and intensity this game required when he was out there. Oh, and he hit 2 threes within the flow of the offense. One to close out the first half as time expired. Clutch.
5. The gritty stats. While we can once again point to a plethora of first half issues defensively we still found a way to win. We outrebounded Detroit by a decent margin (51-39), and did a great job on the offensive glass with 12 boards there (4 of those by DAJ who got the start). Kept the turnovers low when they had crept up early, our defense in the 4th quarter is something I’d like to bottle and save for every single game from here on out and, in general, we found the right kind of hustle this team needs to play with. They stopped relying on talent, stopped begging the refs to bail them out and simply played harder down the stretch for a potentially season-saving and job-saving win. Had we lost (and should we lose either of the next 2 games on the schedule) this will be a losing road trip and ensure we come back no better than .500. Win these next 2 games and everything starts to look a little better: 11-9 with a .500 road record. While not elite, that works for a team that is still figuring out a lot of different things on the fly and waiting for key guys to get back.

The main thing for the Lakers is to avoid the play in which means a top 6 seeding. 4 or higher would be nice but it’s already looking like 1-3 are going to go to Golden State, Phoenix and Utah in some order or another. That means we have to knock one of Dallas, Denver or the Clippers out of the top 6. With 64 games left that seems doable. Who knows with some injury luck on our end and something unexpected happening to one of those 6 teams there is still more than enough time in the season to make a serious move up the standings. I think the team has enough as-is to compete for the title. If we do make a move it feels like this team plays better with a traditional big man, at least to start halves and play spot minutes leading up to crunch time so I would hope that we’d acquire a player to fill that role rather than split it up between Dwight and DAJ. Heck, one potential solution in my mind is to actually try starting Dwight and letting him play 20+ MPG and DAJ is there in case of foul trouble. Super Man has shown he can hit the three, after all.

I don’t see another move the Lakers can make that would have as positive benefits as trading for Turner, moving AD back to the four and LeBron to the three, and playing Russ and THT in the backcourt.

Lakers can’t continue to play Too-Small-Ball instead of Small-Ball-on-Steroids. Best way to fix that is to trade for Myles Turner. He would enable us to continue to play the same small ball five-out style but with monster size like last season.

A Russ, THT, LeBron, AD, and Turner starting lineup would be the biggest small ball team in the league. Thast’s exactly the physically dominating type of team Frank wants with two bigs. AD gets to play his preferred four and LeBron his preferred three.

Considering THT’s jump, he and Nunn and DJ should be enough and we can throw in a pick or Monk to close the deal. It’s the single biggest move the Lakers can make at this time and much better than trading for a bigger 3&D wing or power forward.

Well, with LeBron out we’re not at DEFCON 5 yet but man this is looking like a season of uphill battles thus far. Gone is any lofty talk of a 70 win season, at this pace the Lakers will be lucky to avoid the play-in. If this team doesn’t figure some things out, get (and stay) healthy and begin competing at a higher level you can kiss the banner goodbye and add another wasted season in purple and gold to LeBron James’ resume’.

1. Talen’s big game. The best Laker on the floor last night was THT. He attacked the defense in a variety of ways and his three point shot was on full display. With Vogel announcing that Kendrick Nunn is still “a way’s away” with a bone bruise we desperately need production from Horton-Tucker. The evolution of his three-pointer is a huge key to unlocking his potential as it will force teams to stay on him on the perimeter opening chances to drive the ball into the paint and attack. The next step is getting his teammates activated and involved and continuing to improve on defense. If THT is going to be a force he needs to bring that trifecta of impact.
2. AD getting tossed. This is becoming a theme: Lakers struggle for this reason or that, get into it with the refs, lose game and talk about how they need to stay better composed. Well the time to start that journey is now because this version of the Lakers really lets officiating bother them. From Dwight on the bench yapping to Melo every time down the court to DeAndre Jordan looking for touch fouls in the paint (hint: DAJ…they ain’t calling that stuff bro) the Lakers just need to suck it up and realize the refs aren’t bailing them out of their poor play. Everyone’s unhappy with the officiating so that indicates that at least there has been some level of consistency there. Now did AD deserve to be tossed and/or was he right about usually the refs give a a player a quick moment to re-shoe? Sure, but that ought not obfuscate the fact that the game was all but decided by the time he got tossed.
3. Play with some pride. LeBron alone won’t fix this. He’ll help but until this team comes together and starts sacrificing for one another, selling out for loose balls, and competing at a high level regardless of the opponent it won’t really matter who is on the floor. This team seemingly wants to be able to rely on talent, not get down on it in terms of defense, not focus on the minutiae and execute at a high level and in general has an air of laziness about it that simply won’t get it done most nights. Right now if 2 bench guys don’t get red hot from three, AD doesn’t pour in 30+ points and Russ have an above average game we have no shot to win against most teams. So when LBJ gets back we’ll see less of Monk and Bazemore, most likely. At this point that’s a good thing. While I’m high on Monk and his skillset it’s obvious we need someone to restore order and if it’s not LeBron it won’t be anyone. The trio talked a lot about sacrifice in their dinner where this was all envisioned, now is the time to start.
4. The question of Alex Caruso vs. THT. I mentioned this on the podcast. That i think this debate is absurd as it frames two guys who in and of themselves aren’t the reason the Lakers are in luxury tax land. The reason that happened is we traded for Westbrook and have two other max salaried players. So the idea that the smallish contracts that THT and Caruso signed respectively is just a false narrative that obfuscates the fact that the majority of resources available to the team are dedicated to 3 players. That in and of itself isn’t the problem. The problem is that, after committing so many resources to the three players and trading away the aspects of the roster we could easily retain we were left with 2 players whom we could go over the salary cap to keep, although the doing of that would be costly and those 2 players were AC and THT. If you’re going to build a 3 superstar team you have to do so with the correct mindset. 3 players does not a championship roster make and I hardly believe that could news to anyone inside the Laker front office war room. We needed the skillset of both THT and Caruso in order to field the most competitive team that also has some championship pedigree and experience playing alongside LeBron. So, in my mind, this debate is being framed all wrong. The issue is that the Lakers went big on 3 guys and cheaped out big time after that. End of discussion. Really the reasons don’t matter at this point either as this is the team we have.
5. How can we turn this around? Honestly, I don’t think any one thing can turn this around. James coming back re-creates the same problem we have now which is our offense is fine but our defense is not. We’re not elite in any way except roster payroll, at least we’re not playing elite. Russ doesn’t have the right kind of guys around him to be the best version of himself, but adding LeBron and THT will marginalize Russ (somewhat) so that may be the answer there is just having more guys who can get their won shot on the floor and hope Melo can keep his roll going on the road (although his last 2 games have been drop off games for him). We need 30 points from AD every single night, it would appear, because after AD and The King we don’t have anyone that can score in double digits consistently. Melo, maybe, but Anthony is old and isn’t going to have the mojo every single night. Russ will score in double-digits but the efficiency is a huge issue in regards to those points.

It’s certainly fair to say that I am now in the position of having to re-examine my opinion that adding Russ was the right move. At the time I could imagine how it could work, in reality I have yet to see anything consistent or organic from the team for the most part. This isn’t working, especially against teams that have an identity established or have gelled quickly. The Bulls in many ways were the perfect team to face at this crux of the season: they had a huge amount of turnover, have done the job early against a favorable schedule, and a re playing like champs already but with guys who haven’t won a thing (except Caruso). But thinking of a world where we could have had DeRozan and kept AC and THT is certainly a “hindsight is 20/20” kind of world. We didn’t go that route, nor did we trade for Buddy. We have Westbrook and now the guys have to find a way to make it work.

That was a needed infusion of youthful talent. Between THT and Malik Monk the Lakers have been able to send some guys out there that are both under 30 and have some decent game. Anthony Davis set the tone and the team followed in one of the more complete games the team has played to this point in the season.

1. Anthony Davis starting to assert himself in ways the team desperately needs. We can go on and on about how this role-player or that isn’t playing quite up to type or what-have-you but the truth is this Laker team is only going as far as Anthony Davis takes it at this point. LeBron has been hurt, Russell is the new guy and the team needs AD’s elite impact that only he can bring on both ends of the court. Not to minimize the contributions of any other player on the roster but Davis alone can massively change the tone of the game on either end. Last night he was dominant in the paint helping us to an (for this season) uncommon advantage in that department. He also canned 2-3 three pointers, grabbed a team-high 15 rebounds and dished 6 assists. His 34 points led all scorers and he looked like the unstoppable force inside and out that we need him to be. When AD plays with that much force, focus and intensity the Lakers are a lot tougher to beat. When he lets the game or his teammates dictate his aggression we suffer for it.
2. Welcome back Talen Horton-Tucker. I’ve written a lot of words about the advanced age of this Laker team and I likely will throughout the season as long as Frank continues to rely on the over 33 players. THT made his season debut following thumb ligament surgery and he looked like he hadn’t missed a day. The Lakers and the fans might have to live with some questionable forays into the paint, passed up shots and the learning curve any player who is still trying to reach his ceiling will have. I’ll take it because Talen is probably our most accomplished slasher other than LeBron James. He uses angles better than any other Laker and he has an array of finger rolls, floaters and mini-hooks to get his shot off over (or around) defenders. While it was only one game against the rebuilding Spurs he looked decent on defense, certainly no worse than the struggling Kent Bazemore.
3. Malik Monk building a case for a consistent role. Monk started the season with more questions than assumptions. Could he defend well enough to earn minutes on Vogel-coached team? Would his shooting transfer over from a mostly bench, mop-up duty role in Charlotte to a team with bonafide banner aspirations? Could he carve out a role amongst so many other more established p[layers? Monk is answering those challenges and he’s doing it pretty well. His 36.1% from three is weighed down by early season struggles and inconsistent minutes, of late he’s been shooting the ball better and is creative at getting his shot off in the paint with an array of floaters. He’s not really creating much for teammates (2 assists/game) but that’s not really his role on this team. He, like THT, are being asked to be Swiss Army Knives with a little D, some scoring and some playmaking while fitting in among HOF players. Monk has started to shine in the absence of Kendrick Nunn as one of our better young players.
4. Russell Westbrook taking it to the bank. I hadn’t realized until this season how many shots off the glass Russ takes. It makes a ton of sense because Westbrook is so strong, his shot so forceful, that using the glass to soften it just plain smart. Russ will never be Ray Allen efficient but he brings a lot of other things to the table. His bank shot has been solid thus far and, like LeBron, I think he’d benefit from shooting a step or from beyond the line on his threes. Russ had a solid game against the Spurs and seems to be trying to do a little less which has taken some of the pressure off of him with LeBron out.
5. Wayne Ellington making it happen. It’s been whispered and rumored of for awhile now: the Lakers are where three point shooting specialists come to die. Guys who shoot lights out on smaller market teams (or where there are coaches who devise plays specifically to get them their shots) come to LA and can’t throw it in the ocean. Wayne started his season playing that way but, of late, has started to look more like the gunner we need him to be to bolster our bench scoring. If THT is going to start that leaves it to Wayne, Malik and whomever else gets into the rotation on any given night to bring some firepower off the bench. Wayne took a few games to get his legs under him and has said that the new ball has taken some time to adjust to. That all sounds about right to me. Wayne was great in his role yesterday afternoon taking 7 threes and making 5.

It begins tonight. The easy portion of the schedule is, essentially, done. One could argue that no team in the NBA should be considered easy to beat but the truth is the Lakers didn’t do themselves many favors easing into the season (especially in regards to training camp where it feels like a lot of these questions could have been answered specifically “should DeAndre Jordan play at all?” NO! No he should not.) in the manner that they did. Sitting just 2 games over .500 with a 5 game road trip after the back-to-back tonight facing mostly eastern conference teams in the hunt for the playoffs the Lakers have some work to do to show that they’re better than their record suggests.

This road trip takes us through a struggling Milwaukee team that I’m sure would love to bring some oxygen to their season by beating us: don’t let it happen; we need to become the team that beats struggling or rebuilding teams. Don’t be the one that gives them a feather in the cap by running us out of the building. Our lone game in Boston to a similarly struggling Celtics squad gives us another chance to show we can take advantage of the issues other teams are having rather than let our own issues define the season. Can they make all this happen? I’m not so sure but tonight is a good test: the Bulls are coming off a win against the Clippers and it’s Alex Caruso’s first game against the team that cheaped out in regards to retaining his services and choosing the hopeful promise of THT over the proven defender and glue man that is Alex Caruso. While tonight will not be the end of that debate it’s sure to be fun to watch. Watch ACFresh go for 50, lol.

Go Lakers.

That was pathetic. Let’s get this over with.

1. 83 points, to date. That’s the amount the Lakers have been outscored in the 3rd quarter by the opposition to this point in the season. We come out of the half like the game is in the bag. It’s a bad habit that started in preseason and has been consistently displayed throughout the season.
2. Lazy basketball. In the 3rd quarter, after the Timberwolves had run out to a double-digit lead in a not double-digit minute span, the Lakers fell back on the laziest shot in basketball: the early shot clock three pointer. Most of those came within a Mike D’Antoni-esque 7 seconds or less in regards to the shot clock. The five out sets mean there are no rebounders for these lazy shots and it allowed Minnesota to get out on the break since we also chose not to really get back on defense after bad shots like we took in the 3rd.
3. No pride shown. This got so embarrassing so fast I was surprised the starters played as much as they did in the second half. If you’re not going to compete, if you’re just gonna jack up lazy shots (everyone, no one player did a good job of trying to make a basketball play, throwing inane passes out of bounds under little to no pressure, and basically choose not to show up then do the fans who shelled out over $100/ticket a favor and just leave your ass at home. Nobody wants to watch NBA level talent play lazy and silly. Nobody.
4. This Laker team is soft. Like Charmin soft. We get out-rebounded consistently. We play defense without moving our feet consistently. We settle for bad shots consistently. Those are the defining characteristics of this team, I don’t care what name is on the back of the jersey. We rarely work inside out, almost never run a set play unless it’s an inbounds (and even there it’s iffy) and have shown that we are more than willing to play down to lesser competition. Weak.
5. Kiss that banner good bye. AD called out the team in his post-game but even that, in my opinion, fell short of what this team needs which is a swift kick in the butt. We’re coming up on the 20 game mark which is generally a barometer for the kind of team you have. That being the case, welcome to the 2021-22 version of the Los Angeles Lakers: a collection of names, not playing cohesively, showing up for 2/3s of every game and trying to get by on talent alone. If I were the coach I’d bench every player who isn’t getting back, who grabs instead of moves and shoots a three with 14+ seconds left on the clock. Be better or go this will become one of the biggest collection of losers with HOF credentials ever assembled in any sport.
   
   This glass is full, 100% full of reality people. I’m sure this post could be considered more arm-waving and hand-wringing but we’re almost done with what was considered the easy part of our schedule and it’s only going to get harder. That doesn’t bode well for the LA Lambs, er, Lakers