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Can the Lakers ‘Flip the Switch’ and Get Back to Playing Like Champions?

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Just 4 games ago, the world champion Los Angeles Lakers were cruising along with a league best 14–4 record, 7th ranked offensive rating at 113.6, top ranked defensive rating at 103.9, and top ranked net rating at 9.7.

Then the Lakers’ juggernaut ran aground, losing a 1-point heartbreaker to the Sixers and a 15-point dispiriting loss to the 3–14 Pistons before pulling out a 1-point win over the Celtics and a late 8-point win over the Hawks. During those 4 games, the Lakers’ 107.2 offensive rating was 23rd, 108.8 defense rating 6th, -1.6 net rating 18th, 46.0% field goal shooting 18th, 34.0% 3-point shooting 27th, 39.3 rebounds 28th, and 22.3 assists 23rd.

Whether you write off this 4-game stretch of subpar play as just an anomaly in a long regular season or the Lakers as a team regressing to the mean, the concern is the sudden collapse included almost every player on the roster. For those 4 games, every single Lakers’ starter except for LeBron James and every single reserve except for Alex Caruso had a negative plus/minus. This was a team wide collapse we never saw in last year’s championship run.

Tonight, the Lakers face a major test to see if they can flip the switch and get back to playing like champions in a rematch with a red hot Denver Nuggets team they dominated on their way to their 17th championship last season. The 12–8 Denver Nuggets are fresh off a big win that ended the 16–5 Utah Jazz’ 11-game winning streak with center Nikola Jokic matching a career high 47 points in a 128–117 win where their lead was as high as 28 points.

The Lakers need more than great play from leading MVP candidate LeBron James and bench GOAT Alex Caruso. They need the entire team to get back on track and play with the true focus and fervor of a championship team. That means Anthony Davis needs to start playing like the second best player on the planet, slumping starters like Marc Gasol and KCP need to shed the cobwebs, and key reserves like Kuzma and THT need to contribute more.

It also means the Lakers need to start playing more like a team instead of just throwing the ball to LeBron or AD and standing around. They also need to play faster as they played at the second slowest pace the last 4 games. The offense is stagnant. The team needs to run plays rather than relying on isolation basketball and LeBron James passing. The coaching staff needs infuse some diversity in the plays as the offense has become predictable.

Right now, the Lakers no longer look like the best team in basketball, which is something I never thought I would be saying after just a 4-game stretch early in the season. The truth is the problems we’re seeing are not surprises. They’re issues that everybody had before the season started but have been covered up by a strong start, unsustainable elite 3-point shooting, and unbelievable MVP quality play from 36-year old superstar LeBron James.

Time to find out if this new Lakers squad is for real. No more excuses about the short turnaround, compressed schedule, challenge of being on the road, not being able to bond or have fans in the stands cheering because of Covid. The Nuggets are ready to rock and roll tonight and knock the Lakers off their throne. They’re primed to for revenge and eager for redemption from their 5-game bludgeoning in last season’s Western Conference Semifinals.

How the Lakers respond tonight will tell us whether the last 4 games were just a glitch in a long season or an early sign Lakers fans should recalibrate their championship expectations. Tonight’s a game the Lakers need to win.

5 Things: Lakers end on a high note

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The Lakers kept a lid on Trae Young, didn’t allow any of the non-stars to play like one, and Anthony Davis was unstoppable on the block and from distance as the Lakers beat Atlanta and set their sights for Los Angeles.

  1. Vogel sticking with what works. The short rotation was back and the result was another W. Might not see Wes or ‘Kieff save for back-to-backs or if someone needs a rest day. Maybe they just want to try and get a practice in and iron out the issues they’ve seen in the film room. Regardless the same 9 guys who played in Boston finished the roadie by beating the Hawks. This rotation has a lot of defense and selfless play to it and I have a hard time coming up with reason why Frank ought not to go with it.
  2. Laker defense fueled our offense and helped give us a big advantage in fast break points. That advantage may well have helped swing the game in our favor. On a night where Clint Capella was a man on a mission and our own transition defense couldn’t quite get a handle on the transition three game the young Hawks play we were able to get key stops and get easy buckets as a result.
  3. Anthony Davis is fine. He hit shots on the block, lob dunks, hooks and step back jumpers from everywhere. He didn’t make a three and the Lakers struggled from that distance all night, but AD had that shot falling and nobody on Atlanta could get him off his game. Inspired effort from AD.
  4. KCP’s continued struggles and how he’s going to get out of them. You could tell from the get go the Lakers wanted to get Caldwell-Pope going. They force fed him jumpers, tried to find him on the break, and mainly seemed to make a little extra effort to involve him in the offense. While he didn’t respond with the best game of his career he did shoot 50% from three and was solid on D. The only way you get out of a slump is to keep shooting, playing hard, and filling your role to the best of your abilities.
  5. The bench mojo. I like this version of the Laker bench for a lot of reasons. Kuzma is playing so cool, so within himself. If he gets minutes he produces, if he only plays 19 minutes he does what he can with the minutes he gets and moves on to the next one. Kuzma is becoming a pro before our very eyes. Caruso kind of came in with a pro mentality but it took his game a lot longer to get the minutes it needed to show what it can be. It’s defense and smart offense. No flash, no highlights (for the most part) just tough defense and make the play in front of you. Trezz is like the living embodiment of a body blow. he just punishes you inside mercilessly.

Day off, maybe a practice. Tough one against Denver on Thursday, Jokic comes into town with a decent MVP campaign hype machine in tow and playing out of his mind. The Nuggets are tough and will be looking for a little playoff payback. Here’s hoping we hold our own and get a W at home for once.

5 Things: The Dreaded “Switch”

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You know the one I’m talking about. The one that all, and I do mean all, sporting teams utilize when they look down on an opponent. The one that allows for little mental mistakes, half-hearted effort, and sleepwalking through quarters (or innings or rounds). The Lakers have been living with that switch a lot this season and, of late, it’s been coming back to bite them.

  1. Unforced turnovers. As a team the Lakers are averaging a little over 14 turnovers per game. That’s too many and it’s one of many little things that have added up to some of our tougher losses. James is right around his career average (3.6 for the season, 3.5 for his career), as are all most of the key Lakers. It’s not so much the number but the manner in which they are created. The Lakers are a team with many new faces and even the old ones are being asked to fill different roles on this incarnation. I expect that, when the games matter more, the screws will be tightened a tad.
  2. The disappearing, re-appearing KCP. The Lakers rewarded KCP for his troubles with a 2 year, $16.5 million deal this summer. He’s come out this season, like others as a Laker, a little flat. His numbers are right in line for his career. That’s good and I’ve always thought of Kentavious as a slow starter. With such a short turnaround it’s expected the guys who were here last season are going to have some dead leg days. But what I find more of an issue are his almost career low shot attempts thus far. The good thing? He’s making a creer high of them from everywhere. Therefor reason stands that the Lakers need to work to get KCP open more often, get him a couple more shots and keep him engaged.
  3. The issues at center. This is not a condemnation of Marc Gasol, frankly the issue might be that we’re not playing Marc enough as he’s averaging a career low in minutes played (19.5) which has resulted in other career low numbers across the board. The bigger issue is Anthony Davis who plays plenty of minutes per game is also averaging career lows in key stats, as well. His scoring, rebounding and blocks are all down. A lot of that might be the same ‘dead legs’ from the turnaround and the season being as early as it is this is certainly an incomplete portrait of what his season will end up looking like. Having said that, as it currently stands AD will not be in the running for any of the major benchmark awards this season. We need AD to be a little more aggressive, poised and focused for us to climb that mountain to bring home another banner.
  4. Unlocking the best version of Dennis Schroder. This one’s a conundrum, his numbers are right about where they were last season, his three point shooting is down. Maybe it’s a matter of adjusting to playing off LeBron along with a whole new team, who knows. It just feels like there’s more for him to bring to the table. Just a feeling, I guess.
  5. Learning the lesson from a loss. Last season’s squad was pretty damned adept at taking the good from the bad. They won the second game after losses in back-to-backs, were stellar on the road and in the Bubble, and didn’t lose 2 in a row until the seeding games which I hoped were more for tuning up than establishing an identity. This team hasn’t shown me that ability to take the good from the bad, yet. I couldn’t begin to fathom why that is: lack of hunger since we just won, the audacity and difficulty in repeating, the new guys. Whatever the case may be this Laker team lacks some of the fire we saw last year. i hope they find the spark.

The loss to Philly ought to have been a lesson in full game effort and buttoning up the little things. The Pistons game was the inspiration for this post. An unforgivable second half team wide absence of heart or spirit. No movement, no grit, nothing that showed us the team’s identity we grew accustomed to. So let’s hope that game is the wake up call (hopefully the only one) this team needs to work these nitpicky kinks out and reestablish their dominance. Go Lakers.

How the Legend of Kobe ‘Bean’ Bryant Inspires LeBron James and the Lakers!

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For millions of Kobe Bryant and Los Angeles Lakers fans, there’s no doubt the Black Mamba somehow watched over and inspired the team’s successful quest for their 17th NBA championship in the bubble in Orlando, Florida.

Nor is there any question Kobe’s Mamba Mentality and iconic Lakers’ legacy was passed to LeBron a year ago today when Bryant, his daughter Gigi, and seven others perished in the tragic helicopter crash in Southern California. Bryant’s ghost has been hovering over and driving the Lakers’ greatness from the moment LeBron took the leadership mantle from Kobe a year ago to the ‘Mamba on Three’ cheer the team still uses to break every huddle.

You can see it in the way every single roster move Kobe’s agent and best friend Rob Pelinka makes seems to be golden and every major strategic adjustment head coach Frank Vogel makes seems to be work out perfectly. The Lakers are on a roll. Coming off a dominating championship run that overcame unprecedented challenges, the Lakers look poised not only to repeat but also to position themselves for another championship dynasty.

The Lakers are and will always be Kobe Bryant’s team and that’s a legacy LeBron James has full heartedly embraced, still wearing Mamba’s number 24 on his left ring finger for every game for the year after Kobe’s tragic passing. While LeBron’s never struggled to find reasons to self motivate, his love and respect for Kobe and everything he meant to the Lakers and the game of basketball is straight from the heart and not just another motivational ploy.

There will always be something mystical and celestial about how the torch of Lakers’ basketball greatness was passed from Kobe Bryant to LeBron James at Staples last January as if it were a scene from the movie Heaven Can Wait. Maybe it’s just coincidence but it’s hard not to imagine the basketball gods balancing the scales and infusing the spirit of Kobe Bryant into the heart and soul of LeBron James and telling Father Time he’ll just have to wait.

How else can you explain how a 36-year old, 17-year veteran like LeBron James, who has played in 1,283 regular season and 260 playoff games, can continue to be the best player on the planet and leading MVP candidate? What’s even more surprising and unbelievable is LeBron may even be better right now than any time in his long career. He’s currently on pace to enjoy the best season in his illustrious career shooting the three-ball at 41.2%.

Last night, we saw King James go off for 46 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 7 threes, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in leading the Lakers to a 115–108 road win in his first visit to Cleveland since donning the purple and gold two years ago. This followed superstar teammate Anthony Davis’ scintillating 37 point, 6 rebound, 3 assist, 2 steal, and 1 block game in Saturday night’s game in his hometown Chicago as the Lakers bulldozed the hapless Bulls 101–90.

Tomorrow night, the Lakers seek to remain undefeated and win their 11th game on the road in a statement matchup against Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and the 76ers in Philadelphia, the hometown of Kobe Bryant. Look for LeBron James to do something special to honor Kobe Bryant, like wearing a Lower Merion #33 jersey when he walks into Wells Fargo Center. The Lakers won’t forget that Philadelphia is Kobe Bryant’s hometown.

Games like tomorrow night’s against the Sixers are the games LeBron James and Anthony Davis mark on their calendars. Expect the Lakers to bring their A-game and the legacy of Kobe Bryant to inspire them to pull off the win.

Lakers Trade Machine: Talen Horton-Tucker for Raptors’ Chris Boucher?

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Trying to find a trade for the champion Lakers that makes them better is a major challenge, especially since Kyle Kuzma’s extension included a poison pill provision and the rest of the trading chips are critical rotation pieces.

Frankly, I’m a huge fan of Talen Horton-Tucker and believe he’s going to be a future star. The idea the Lakers might consider trading him seems like a nightmare only a Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak front office would consider. Honestly, I’m not even sure as I write this article whether it’s an idea I will endorse or reject by the time I publish it but I do think Chris Boucher could be a rare commodity that might be both an attainable and catalytic target.

It’s rare for teams trade promising young prospects like Talen Horton-Tucker and Chris Boucher but the Lakers need a young rim protector and the Raptors need a young star guard to replace 34-year old Kyle Lowry.

WHY SHOULD THE LAKERS TRADE HORTON-TUCKER?

The decision whether to trade Talen Horton-Tucker ultimately relies on two assumptions:(1) the Lakers do not need him to repeat as champions and (2) trading him could give the Lakers valuable front court depth and diversity. While Rob Pelinka and the front office have done a terrific job upgrading last season’s championship roster and Frank Vogel and his staff an equally superb job revamping the defense, the Lakers still lack elite rim protection.

There’s an argument the Lakers don’t need to add a third center or can sign one for the veteran minimum once the prorated annual salary falls below their hard cap but neither of those options are how you win championships. While the 20-year old Horton-Tucker has star potential, he’s still years away from that right now whereas the 28-year old Boucher is ready to contribute immediately at a position the Lakers desperately need a long term solution.

Boucher is enjoying a breakout season and is a leading candidate for Most Improved Player. He not only is third in the league with 2.3 blocked shots per game but is also shooting 48.3% from deep on 3.6 attempts per game. While it’s early, the 6′ 9,” 200 lb center is averaging 14.8 points, 6.5 boards, and 1.1 assists as the Raptors’ backup behind Aron Baynes and would give the Lakers a modern center who can stretch defenses and protect the rim.

While the Lakers would be giving up an elite prospect in 20-year old Talen Horton-Tucker for a relatively unproven 28-year center, Boucher could be the perfect long-term center to pair with Anthony Davis in a Lakers dynasty.

WHY SHOULD RAPTORS TRADE FOR HORTON-TUCKER?

With their championship run now in the rearview mirror, the Raptors have a decision to make before the March 25th trade deadline: Who’s going to replace Kyle Lowry and is Chris Boucher the answer as their starting center? Now that the Raptors have locked up Siakam, Anunoby, and VanVleet, they need to find a future star guard to replace 34-year old veteran free agent Lowry and a quality center to replace departed veterans Gasol and Ibaka.

Masai Ujiri has been a master at keeping the Raptors competitive while still building a talented young roster but his contract is up at the end of the year and there will be several franchises looking to lure him away from Toronto. Adding a guard with elite star potential like 20-year old Horton-Tucker to a nucleus of 26-year old Siakam, 23-year old Anunoby, and 26-year old VanVleet would give the Raptors a bright future and competitive present.

The Raptors were hopeful Aron Baynes would be able to fill the void left by losing Gasol and Ibaka to free agency but the results have been mixed. Baynes has played well defensively but has struggled shooting the three. While Boucher has played well, he’s undersized and seems destined to coming off the bench to back up Baynes and Anunoby at the five and four. After cutting Alex Len, the Raptors may be seeking more size at the five.

While Chris Boucher has developed into a valuable player off the bench, he does not project as a future starter for the Raptors. The time may be right to sell high and bring back a player who could a future star for the franchise.

Trading a budding star like Talen Horton-Tucker for a promising unproven undersized center like Chris Boucher is a gamble worth taking for a Lakers team looking to win multiple NBA championships before LeBron retires. Boucher’s an elite shot blocker who’s pogo stick hops would be a perfect fit as a small ball center alongside Anthony Davis at power forward and give the Lakers a pair of pterodactyls to stretch the floor and protect the rim.

The Lakers would have to include Wesley Matthews as salary filler for the trade to work but swapping two guards for a center would not only balance the roster but also allow Frank Vogel to finally settle on a 10-player rotation. While there likely would come a time when the Lakers might regret trading a future star like Talen Horton-Tucker, the hope is the three or four more championships won in the meantime would serve as fair compensation.

While I love the long term upside Talen Horton-Tucker represents, the immediate reward of adding a modern young center who is an elite shot blocker and 3-point shooter like Chris Boucher is worth the gamble.