LeBron James

The six games the Lakers have played in the bubble have been a Jekyll and Hyde roller coaster ride for Lakers fans who expected their team to pick up where they left off five months ago when they were on top of the world.

Instead, the Lakers are struggling, their two superstars suddenly appear mortal, their shooters can’t shoot, their coach can’t coach, and the needles on most Lakers fans’ ‘worry meters’ are hovering near the danger zone. While they’re still the #1 seed in the West, the team has lost three straight and four of six games played and ranks dead last in offensive rating and three-point shooting among the 22 teams playing in the Orlando bubble.

With just two regular season games left to play before the playoffs start, poor play, nagging injuries, and the challenges of the bubble are raising concerns about the Lakers’ ability to coalesce and win the championship. How teams were playing five months ago has become irrelevant, the road to the Finals longer and steeper, and the future more difficult to predict. Here are the five ‘big’ questions every Lakers fan is worrying about right now:

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1. Will We See Playoff LeBron in Purple and Gold?

While there have been glimpses, we haven’t seen the usual signs of James donning his cape and transforming himself into Playoff LeBron. That could still come but right now LeBron’s looking rusty after a five month hiatus. The lingering groin injury, moments of mortality, and comments about things he can’t control have cast doubts whether 35-year old LeBron will still be able to elevate his game to carry the Lakers to the championship.

The only thing certain is pursuing this championship in the bubble will be the greatest challenge LeBron James has faced and winning it the greatest accomplishment he has achieved in his long and storied NBA career.

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2. Will Anthony Davis Learn to Beat Double Teams?

The Lakers need both of their superstars to win a championship and they have rarely seen that in the six games since the regular season restarted. Like LeBron James, Anthony Davis has not regained his pre-hiatus form. Opposing teams have started doubling AD and it’s clearly affected his play. He’s been held to less than 10 points twice in the last six bubble games compared to just twice in the 55 games before the coronavirus suspension.

The NBA is a copycat league and Davis is going to see a heavy diet of teams doubling him throughout the playoffs. He will need to learn how to beat double teams and play like the superstar he is for the Lakers to succeed.

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3. Will Our Role Players Shoot Well Enough to Win?

The acknowledged blueprint for winning championships with LeBron is surrounding him with elite shooters. Poor 3-point shooting has been the Lakers’ Achilles heel and could be their downfall in the upcoming playoffs. The Lakers have made only 50 threes in their 6 games and are shooting just 25.4% from deep, both of which rank dead last among the 22 bubble teams. Teams simply cannot win in the modern NBA shooting threes that poorly.

As long as the Lakers shoot poorly from deep, teams will continue to double Anthony Davis and clog the paint to slow LeBron James. The Lakers’ role players must dramatically improve their 3-point shooting to win the title.

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4. Will Frank Vogel Make the Right Playoff Moves?

Lakers’ head coach Frank Vogel has done an admirable job leading the Lakers to the #1 seed in the West but the challenges of these bubble playoffs may require him to make adjustments that are uncomfortable. Stability is critically important during the long haul of the regular season but the willingness to make unconventional moves and innovative adjustments on the fly is often the difference maker in the playoffs.

Is Vogel willing to sacrifice defense to jumpstart his sputtering offense? Is he willing to forego his season long reluctance to start Anthony Davis at the five and Kyle Kuzma at the four? He must make the right moves in time.

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5. Can Lakers Overcome the Challenge of the Bubble?

Instead of an asterisk, the winner of this NBA championship should receive a gold star for overcoming the challenges of the bubble. No fans, no home court advantage, and new play-in tournament have redefined the playoffs. The five month hiatus and unprecedented bubble conditions have made it impossible to predict who has advantages and who doesn’t as the teams scramble to to get ready for a playoffs like the NBA has never before seen.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ road to the Finals may end up going through the Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, and Los Angeles Clippers so the Lakers will need legendary play and good luck to win the championship.

If there was a silver lining in the Los Angeles Lakers’ discouraging loss to the Houston Rockets last night, it was continued good play of Kyle Kuzma, who posted 21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in 30 minutes.

As Frank Vogel and the Lakers look for a way to break out of the shooting slump they’re currently mired in and allay doubts about their ability to win the championship, the obvious solution is to start their three best players. The only positive development the Lakers can take away from their first five seeding games has been Kyle Kuzma’s emergence as the team’s third best player, who should remain to be in the starting lineup with LeBron and AD.

Kyle Kuzma’s team-best three-point shooting and dramatically improved defense are perfect fits to play alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis and what the Lakers’ starting lineup needs to recapture its lost momentum. In the five bubble games played, Kyle’s averaged 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks in 27.3 minutes while still shooting a strong 46.0% from the field, 46.2% from deep, and 70.0% from the line.

Kuzma has earned the opportunity to start for the Lakers. Along with Waiters and Caruso, he’s one of only three Lakers’ players to have posted a positive net rating and cumulative plus/minus for the five seeding games. His improved shot selection and defense also show Kyle’s learned how to play off the ball and allow the game to come to him, which are critical traits to be able to play with superstars like LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

With just three ‘warm up’ games left for the Lakers before the playoffs begin, Vogel needs to make final decisions on his rotations and give his playoff lineups some time on the court to get comfortable playing together. If the coach is going to start his three best players — James, Davis, and Kuzma — then the big question then becomes who should be the other two Lakers starters? I think that decision should depend upon the matchups.

If the Lakers play a team with a traditional center, then it could make sense to start McGee, keep Davis at power forward to limit his low post banging and pull the opposing center out of the paint, and bench KCP or Green. LeBron is essentially playing point guard on offense and Kuzma continues to show the athleticism and ability to defend bigger shooting guards as he demonstrated defending the Rockets’ James Harden in last night’s game.

If the Lakers play a small ball team like the Rockets or a team with a stretch five center like the Nuggets, then it could be smart to start Anthony Davis at the five since he has the skill set to defend players out to the 3-point line. The Lakers would then start Caldwell-Pope and Green at guard, keeping Waiters and Caruso as the guard tandem off the bench, which would need their productivity since Kuzma would mostly be playing with the starters.

Dwight Howard and Markieff Morris would also get minutes off the bench and maybe Talen Horton-Tucker. Based on the results so far, Quinn Cook, JR Smith, Devontae Cacok, or Kostas Antetokounmpo will likely be DNP’s. That means a 10 or 11 player rotation of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, JaVale McGee, Danny Green, Dion Waiters, Alex Caruso, Dwight Howard, Markieff Morris, and maybe THT.

The Lakers have not played well in the bubble so far, which puts them in a worrisome position with just three ‘warm up’ games until the playoffs. The team’s 3-point shooting and once great momentum has abandoned them. They’re still waiting to see Playoff LeBron and questions about his groin are concerning. Anthony Davis’ play has been a roller coaster and the team’s offensive stats for 3-point shooting and team offense rank dead last.

Right now, the Lakers’ championship hopes are in serious danger. They need something to shake them out of their malaise and inspire them to play better. Starting James, Davis, and Kuzma could be the spark they need.

While the Lakers’ coaching staff and players say all the team needs to do to solve their current dilemma is start hitting their shots, they’re running out of time to fix their offensive woes with just four games before the playoffs.

Adding urgency to the situation, the frigid shooting Lakers have to take on the three-ball crazy Houston Rockets tonight without superstar LeBron James, who’s taking a load management night off to rest a strained groin. Tonight’s game will be a major challenge for the poor 3-point shooting Lakers as they are going to have to make a reasonable number of threes just to keep pace with Rockets and have any chance of winning the game.

The good news is LeBron’s night off should give head coach Frank Vogel the opportunity to start Kyle Kuzma, the only Laker who is shooting the three-ball well, having made 11 of 22 threes during the first four games for 50%. Kuzma’s hot hand from three could be the boost the Lakers’ starting lineup needs and could pave the way for head coach Vogel to finally make the decision to start Anthony Davis at the five to win the championship.

JaVale McGee has been a major bubble bust. He has a team worst -19.6 net rating the first four games and has seen his points, rebounds, steals, and blocks decrease while his minutes, personal fouls, and turnovers increased. There’s a case to be made that starting McGee against the small ball Rockets would be unwise even if he were playing well. Imagining a struggling McGee trying to defend one of Houston’s stretch fours is totally ludicrous.

While Frank Vogel’s still likely to start McGee, this could be the first step towards a new lineup for the playoffs. It could even have been a way for the coach to tinker more with a Davis at the five and Kuzma at the four offense? Vogel may have hinted at that yesterday when he was asked if Lakers were considering a possible lineup change. The frustrated coach responded: “We’ll see. We’re looking at everything, but it’s bigger than that.”

Moving Kuzma into the starting lineup could be the spark that jumpstarts the Lakers’ starting lineup’s shooting woes and ignites the fire to move Anthony Davis into the starting center role as the team starts the playoffs. While Vogel’s been hesitant to change his starting lineup, Kuzma’s hot shooting and greatly improved defense could force him to make the move. It’s a smart move that could make the Lakers a more dangerous team.

I’m looking for the Lakers to shoot lights out tonight. While 3-point shooting has never been their strength, they’re certainly a better shooting team than they’ve showed so far in the bubble. Law of averages should rule here. Meanwhile, the defensive matchups are going to force Frank Vogel to play Anthony Davis at center more than usual because neither McGee or Howard are comfortable or effective guarding players beyond the 3-point line.

This game against the Rockets could be a harbinger of what’s to come for the Lakers. They need to come out hungry and poised and play and shoot well. Hopefully, Kuzma and AD will excel and show Vogel the path forward.