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5 Things: Lakers rout Warriors

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With everything that has gone down in Laker Land lately, the injuries, the heavy load on LeBron, the sluggish looking team vibe, there was ample cause for concern coming into last night’s game. The Warriors, inconsistent as they are, beat us with a stellar effort a few weeks ago. Steph is looking great and any number of his teammates can go off and make life hard. Last night Steph went off but e kept the rest of the Warriors under wraps. That and a monster of a game by Trezz was all it took for a comfortable win.

  1. Monstrezzl Harrel. That was epic. After getting T’d up for swinging his arm in a derogatory way at one of the officials Trezz took out his anger on the hapless Warriors. They didn’t have an answer. Like Godzilla rampaging through Tokyo Harrell annihilated whatever defense came his way. His activity on both ends created easy buckets for himself and the team, he shot 11-14, got to the line 6 times (making 5) and led a dominant Laker bench attack that Golden State had zero answer for. Game ball to Trezz.
  2. Kuzma continues to do it all. You can find seasons where Kuzma scored more or shot better, his rookie season being among his best. This is better. Not because he’s pouring in points but because he’s fitting in perfectly with everything the Lakers are doing on the court on both ends. He’s learned the difficult to master skill of fitting in alongside LeBron James. He starts when asked, and now is playing with that same intensity he brought as a starter off the bench. His rebounding and defense are what is setting him apart this season. Had it not been fir Trezz’s monster Kuzma would be walking away with the game ball.
  3. Oh yeah, LeBron had a triple-double. Which was actually big because we needed a little more from the King on a night Schroder never got out of first gear. The best stat in this triple-double? 30, thirty minutes played to secure the win and get a little down time on the bench.
  4. KCP surfaces! Like a blue whale breaching Caldwell-Pope turned in a good game! Kentavious had some extra energy on D, canned a lot of his threes and in general more resembled the player we all would like to see on a more consistent basis. The defensive intensity has been my biggest issue. He’s not a sink hole or a matador but he just hasn’t been as…pesky. Last night I thought he played with a more recognizable feistiness and here’s hoping it’s here to stay.
  5. THT getting some major burn. It’s been an up and down season role-wise for Talen. He broke onto the scene in “preseason”, saw a big role taken away altogether and then has had scant minutes more often than not since getting a more steady presence on the court. He scored at will in the paint, going 7-10 overall, but it was his playmaking that stood out to me. A career high 10 dimes paced the bench and helped blow the game wide open. Impressive considering how much LeBron and Dennis control the ball on most possessions.

No rest for the weary and it was good we won in the fashion we did: we got another one tonight. Go Lakers.

Lakers’ Championship Team Defense Blitzes Lillard and Shuts Down Blazers

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The champion Los Angeles Lakers may have rediscovered their swarming championship team defense in the second half last night as they blitzed Damian Lillard and shut down the Portland Trail Blazers in a 102–93 win.

Besides ending a season longest 4-game losing streak, the win showed the Lakers were still capable of playing the caliber of defense that won their 17th championship despite missing their defensive anchor Anthony Davis. That was something NBA pundits had started to question as the Lakers had lost 5 of the 6 games without Anthony Davis while posting an 18th ranked defensive rating of 112.8 and watching their #1 defensive rating decline.

Buoyed by the return of point guard Dennis Schroder, the Lakers finally displayed the attacking and trapping defense that was the trademark of last season’s championship run in the bubble and had been MIA this season. After struggling to contain Lillard in the first half as he exploded for 24 points, the Lakers tightened their doubles and blitzes in a second half and held Dame to 11 points and the Trail Blazers as a team to just 36 points.

It was the kind of dominating second half defense the Lakers unleashed on high-powered scorers like James Harden, Nikola Jokic, Jimmy Butler, and the same Damian Lillard during their elite championship run in the bubble. Noteworthy, it was also the kind of defensive performance that had earned the Lakers’ the #1 defensive rating all season long but had been completely missing during their last 10 games which included 5 losses and 3 OT wins.

The Lakers defensive rating last night was a stellar 98.9 for the game and 78.3 for the second half. The performance lowered their leading defensive rating to 105.8 and extended their lead over second place Jazz to 1.5 points. Last night’s defensive performance also ended a 10-game streak where the Lakers defensive rating had declined to a 10th rated 109.4 and a 6-game stretch without Anthony Davis were it declined to an 18th rated 112.8.

While the Blazers were missing key players, last night’s performance was by far the Lakers’ best defensive game without AD and showed their ‘attack dog’ swarming, doubling, rotating team defense was not dependent on him. One of the keys to the Lakers’ great defense was LeBron James assuming Anthony Davis’ role and responsibility as the team’s defensive anchor with 10 rebounds, 5 deflections, 4 steals, 3 blocks, and 1 drawn charge.

It’s easy to forget what a major part of the Lakers’ defensive dominance in the playoffs was LeBron James’ elite individual defense, where he matched Anthony Davis’ 1.2 steals and his 0.9 blocks per game was team second best. Last night was a reminder 36-year old LeBron James can still dominate at both ends of the court when needed. James’ mantra has always been to do whatever the Lakers need to . Last night, it was dominant defense.

As a team, the Lakers grabbed 37 defensive rebounds, deflected 19 passes, made 9 steals, and blocked 7 shots with the aggressive swarming ‘attack dog’ defense that dominated as the Lakers won 16 of their 21 playoff games. They held the Blazers to 19 points in the third quarter and 17 in the fourth quarter, highlighted by a dominant 18 minute stretch covering the third quarter and first six minutes of the fourth when they allowed just 23 points

The Lakers’ defensive heroics were teamwide. Caruso had 6 deflections, 6 defensive rebounds, and 2 steals. Schroder had 5 deflections, 3 defensive rebounds, and 1 steal. Horton-Tucker had 5 defensive boards and 2 blocks. Kuzma had 6 defensive boards, Harrell had 4 defensive boards, 1 block, and 1 charge drawn, Morris had 1 deflection, 3 defensive boards, and 1 steal, KCP had 2 deflections and 1 steal. Gasol had 1 defensive board and 1 block.

Individual player defensive ratings were also stellar for the game. Top defensive ratings for the game were 78.3 by Montrezl Harrell, followed by 87.3 by LeBron James, 91.2 by Talen Horton-Tucker, 94.9 by Alex Caruso. Markieff Morris posted 97.8, Wes Matthew 100.0, Kyle Kuzma’s 104.4, and Dennis Schroder 104.9. The only Lakers with subpar ratings last night were Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with 112.2 and Marc Gasol with 120.0.

The Lakers have three games before the All-Star break: Warriors on Sunday, Suns next Tuesday, and Kings next Wednesday. If they can play the same level of defense as last night, they’ll have a good chance to win all three.

All-Star Break May Be the Basketball Gods’ Midseason Gift for the Lakers!

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The 2021 NBA All-Star Game break could not have come at a better time for the beleaguered Los Angeles Lakers, who have now lost four straight games and five of six games since losing Anthony Davis to injury on February 14th.

Fortunately for the Lakers, they’re going to get a nine-day vacation after their March 3rd game against the Kings for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game break before having to return to the court against the Pacers on March 12th. That nine days off will give Lakers a chance to recharge their batteries, get needed practice time, and hopefully give Anthony Davis’ calf and Achilles a chance to recover fully and be ready to go the second half of the season.

Meanwhile, the 22–11 Lakers still have four games left against the Blazers, Warriors, Suns, and Kings before the All-Star break. Los Angeles now hopes to get point guard Dennis Schroder back for Friday’s game against Portland. The Blazers have lost 3 in a row and the Kings 8 in a row while the Warriors have won 2 in a row and the Suns 8 of the last 10. Hopefully, the Lakers can at least win 3 of those 4 games to go into the break with a 25–12 record.

The return of point guard Dennis Schroder should help reinvigorate a Lakers’ offense that’s struggled without having a second shot creator and playmaker besides LeBron who’s able to get a shot for himself or teammates. But none of this will matter these final four games unless the Lakers can start hitting their threes. The Lakers rank 5th in the league in wide open 3-point shots taken during the current 4-game losing streak. Need to hit those shots.

The initial prognosis for Anthony Davis had him out for at least four weeks. Although the Lakers are likely to be conservative in bringing him back, his injury happened on February 14 and four weeks would be over March 14. That means there’s a chance Davis could return at home against the Pacers on March 12, on the road against Warriors on March 15, or back at home against Timberwolves on March 16, Hornets on March 18, or Hawks on March 20.

The good news for the Lakers is all five of those games are winnable even if AD is not back or playing at 100%, which just adds to the breathing room of the schedule with which the basketball gods seem to have gifted the Lakers. The absence of Davis and Schroder and the recent losing streak have shown, the Lakers’ deep roster still has major holes, mainly a lack of volume 3-point shooters and players who can create shots for themselves and teammates.

With the ascent of the Utah Jazz, resurgence of the Los Angeles Clippers, and emergence of the Brooklyn Nets, the Los Angeles Lakers need to make some moves to improve their 3-point shooting and shot creation and playmaking. How successful VP of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka is at finding players to fill those holes in the Lakers’ roster could easily determine whether the team survive what’s looking like a tough gauntlet and repeat as champions.

At least for the moment, however, it looks like the basketball gods have come to the Lakers aid with a perfectly timed 9-day vacation for the 2021 All-Star game to gift the purple and gold with breathing room to get their mojo back.

Lakers Need Volume 3-Point Shooting If They Hope to Repeat as Champions!

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The 3-point shooting revolution has taken a sudden change this year that threatens the Los Angeles Lakers’ chances of repeating as champions. The key metric to winning games has suddenly become the 3-point differential.

NBA teams are not only focusing on taking and making more threes than opponents but also on playing better perimeter defense to limit opponent takes and makes and to generate an insurmountable 3-point differential. Suddenly, the 3-point differential has become the preeminent box score stat that determines who wins the game. The modern blueprint for winning in today’s NBA is to outscore your opponent from beyond the 3-point line.

The surprise team leading the league right now are the 24–5 Utah Jazz, who have won 9 straight games and 19 of their last 20. The Jazz also boast the league’s top ranked 3-point differential of 5.6 threes and 16.8 points. The reason the Jazz have the best record in the league is simple. They’re not only making a league best 16.6 made threes per game on 39.3% shooting but also only allowing a league lowest 11.0 made threes per game.

NBA 3-POINT DIFFERENTIAL AS OF FEBRUARY 19, 2021

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The Jazz even won the 3-point differential in the only game they lost of the last 20 games, hitting 20 of 47 threes for 42.6%. It took the Denver Nuggets hitting an incredible 18 for 28 threes for 64.3% to give the Jazz a rare loss. The league has been slow to give Quin Snyder and the Utah Jazz credit for being more than an early season surprise but the teams they’ve played understand their combination of 3-point offense and defense is daunting.

With Gobert protecting the rim freeing defenders to challenge threes and a cadre of dead eye shooters raining threes, the Jazz now have the 4th best offensive rating, 2nd best defensive rating, and best net rating in the league.

After making a change in defensive philosophy to prioritize defending the three over protecting the rim, the Lakers only allow 11.5 made threes per game, which is tied for the third fewest opponent threes in the league. Unfortunately, the Lakers only make 10.8 threes per game, 28th in the league, resulting in a negative 3-point differential: they allow 0.7 more threes and 2.1 points per game than they make, 18th out of 30 teams.

Alarmingly, the other three teams with the top four 3-point differentials are also teams the Lakers may end up facing on the road to the championship: the 2nd ranked Blazers, the 3rd ranked Nets, and the 4th ranked Clippers. The Portland Trail Blazers have a scary 3-point differential of 3.1 threes and 9.3 points, the Brooklyn Nets a differential of 2.6 threes and 7.8 points, and the Los Angeles Clippers a differential of 2.5 threes and 7.5 points.

What’s unnerving about the Lakers’ negative 3-point differential is there is limited room to improve defensively, which means the only way to close the gap is offensively, which may be impossible without major roster changes. Changes in the roster may be needed because the Lakers simply do not have the high volume 3-point shooters needed to increase the number of made threes and points generated to create a positive 3-point differential.

Right now, the closest the Lakers have to a high volume 3-point shooter is LeBron who’s taking 6.6 threes per game. Next in 3-point shot attempts are Kuzma with 3.7 per game, KCP with 3.7, Wes with 3.3, and Dennis with 3.1. None of these players, LeBron included, are legitimate volume 3-point shooters. Frankly, if the Lakers want to increase made threes and points, they’re going to need to change their roster and upgrade their offense.

Otherwise, they’re going to see more and more teams dominating them from deep like the Nets did last night, hitting 10 more threes for 30 more points. But they’re going to face a 3-point differentiaL gauntlet this year. The Jazz’ Mitchell and Clarson are averaging 8.7 and 8.6 threes per game, the Blazers’ Lillard and McCollum 10.8 and 11.0, the Nets’ Harden, Irving, and Harris 7.9, 6.8, and 6.6, the Clippers George and Leonard 7.9 and 4.9.

Last regular season, the Lakers took 31.6 threes per game and shot only 34.8%. They improved dramatically in the playoffs, taking 34.2 threes and shooting 35.4%. Defensively, they allowed 32.7 opponent threes per game. They made 12.1 threes and allowed 11.8 opponent threes in the playoffs, giving them a differential of 0.3 threes and 0.9 points. So it’s not impossible for the Lakers to win a championship with a low 3-point differential.

But the Lakers’ options are still limited. To start with, they need to make some basic changes in their offense to create more open threes and they need to encourage their players to take those shots when they’re available. Their 3-point attempts have declined over 10% the last 15 games. They took 31.9 threes per game the first 15 games but just 28.3 threes per game the last 15 games. While they’ve continued to win, the margin has gotten slim.

The Lakers best option is to look to move low 3-point volume starting guards Dennis Schroder and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for a pair of high volume 3-point shooters to help improve their 3-point differential. Candidates the Lakers could target include Buddy Hield (10.3 3PG), Malik Beasley (8.7 3PG), Devonte Graham (8.1 3PG), Lonzo Ball (7.6 3PG), JJ Redick (4.6 3PG), Lauri Markkanen (7.2 3PG), Victor Oladipo (7.3 3PG).

The Lakers’ 3-point differential depends more on the volume than the percentage of threes made. While it’s not impossible for the Lakers to repeat as champions, their negative 3-point differential will make that difficult. The last thing they want is to play the four teams who have the best 3-point differentials in the league: Blazers in the first round, Clippers in the second round, Jazz in the conference finals, and then the Nets in the Finals.

The good news is the Lakers will have an opportunity at the trade deadline for moves to improve their rim protection and 3-point shooting. Let’s hope they recognize their negativer 3-point differential is their Achilles heel.

Three Reasons Kyle Lowry Mega Trade Guarantees Lakers the Championship

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The Lakers don’t need a trade to repeat as champs but the chance to make a mega trade for All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry, modern young center Chris Boucher, and young shooting guard Terrence Davis is too good to pass up.

Here are the details of the proposed trade. The los Angeles Lakers receive Kyle Lowry, Chris Boucher, and Terrence Davis. The Toronto Raptors receive Dennis Schroder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Montrezl Harrell.

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While giving up three proven young stars like Dennis Schroder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Montrezl Harrell is an expensive price to pay, landing Lowry, Boucher, and Davis could fill three major holes in the Lakers’ roster. The Lakers need a third superstar to reduce reliance on LeBron James and Anthony Davis, proven shooters willing to take and make more threes, and better rim protection and 3-point shooting from the center position.

This trade would give the Lakers a highly coveted third superstar in Lowry, three accurate and prolific 3-point shooters in Lowry, Davis, and Boucher, and a modern young center in Boucher who can rain threes and block shots. With the Clippers, Nets, 76ers, Jazz, Bucks, and other competitors looking for ways to improve their rosters at the trade deadline, this is a dream trade opportunity the Lakers should jump upon immediately if available.

Few trades are wins for both teams but this could be the exception as the win-now Lakers get the third superstar, shot blocking, and 3-point shooting they need while the rebuilding Raptors land three promising young stars.

1. LONG NEEDED THIRD SUPERSTAR

Kyle Lowry is a perfect fit as the third superstar to complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The 34-year old,16-year veteran All-Star guard is the playmaking, elite 3-point shooting point guard the Lakers need.

The 6′ 0,” 196 lb Lowry would be a major upgrade over Schroder at both ends of the court. He’s averaging 17.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 6.6 assists on 34.7 minutes per game while boasting 3-year best 43.3 /38.2/87.3% shooting. Meanwhile, Dennis is averaging 14.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in 31.5 minutes per game, shooting 44.1/31.0/82.5%. He’s special but not the proven playoff tested 3-point shooter and defender Lowry is.

Lowry’s championship resume and playoff experience, gravity as a prolific and accurate 3-point shooter, and across-the-board superiority are exactly what the Lakers need as a third superstar to optimize LeBron and AD.

2. MORE 3-POINT ATTEMPTS AND MAKES

The additions of Lowry (38.2% on 7.5 threes per game), Davis (40.3% on 3.5 threes per game), and Boucher (43.8% on 3.6 threes per game) will go a long way towards improving the Lakers’ weak 3-point shooting performance.

Right now, the Lakers rank 26th in 3-point attempts at 30.3 per game and 13th in shooting percentage at 37.1%. Lowry, Davis, and Boucher took 14.6 threes per game compared to just 6.9 threes for Schroder, KCP, and Harrell. Taking 7.7 more threes per game would elevate the Lakers attempts to 38.0 per game, jump them to 7th in the league, and create needed spacing for LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the other teammates to attack the rim.

The biggest weakness of the Lakers 9th ranked offense is 3-point shooting. Swapping Lowry, Davis, and Boucher for Schroder, KCP, and Harrell could give the Lakers a top rated offense to go with their top rated defense.

3. RIM PROTECTION AND SPACING AT CENTER

Chris Boucher is exactly what the Lakers need to fix their center problems. He’s the perfect modern center who can stretch the floor to create spacing on offense and protect the rim and defend on the perimeter on defense.

The 28-year old, 6′ 9,” 200 lb Boucher is averaging a career best 13.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 23.2 minutes per game. He’s the perfect center to backup Marc Gasol and eventually take over as the Lakers’ starter. While he’s only played 116 games in his career, Chris is enjoying a breakout year with the Raptors, shooting a red hot 43.8% from deep on 3.6 threes per game, which is a monster jump from the 32% he shot before this season.

A bouncy athletic jumper, the untested Boucher is a totally different kind of small ball center than the proven Harrell but his ability to protect the rim and shoot the three ball make him a better center prospect for the Lakers.

Trading Schroder, Harrell, and Caldwell-Pope would be a dramatic move for the Lakers but worth it to acquire a third superstar in Lowry, three great shooters in Lowry, Boucher, and Davis, and a modern center in Boucher.

With a starting lineup of Lowry, Matthews, James, A. Davis, and Gasol and a deep bench of Horton-Tucker, Caruso, T. Davis, Kuzma, and Boucher, the Lakers would be heavy favorites to repeat as 2020–21 NBA champions. Meanwhile, the Raptors add a lightning quick point guard in Schroder to replace Lowry, a dynamic young center in Harrell to replace Boucher, and a proven shooting guard in KCP to upgrade Davis off the bench.

While the Raptors revitalize their team with proven young talent, the Lakers get what they need to optimize LeBron’s championship window and repeat this season as NBA champs and possibly threepeat next season.