Aloha,
As the banged up Lakers exceed expectations game after game it is becoming crystal clear that is a deep and talented team. With LeBron being cleared for contact it will be even better soon. Just a few thoughts.
Even with a bad shooting night Luka continues to dominate. While it is his offense that generally gets the attention, it is his defense that has improved the most with his new body. While he may never be a lock down defender, he is moving so much better on the defensive side that he can no longer be considered a liability. His increased mobility has allowed his high IQ take over and the result is a lot more steals and blocks.
Ayton just maybe our center of the future. He is playing as well as any center in the league with only exceptions. When you watch his activity on the court and you listen to his interviews it’s clear that he has completely bought into his role. It is a long season but I think all the concerns about his motor and desire are fading away. I think he feels like he has found a home.
Rui had 15 points on only 9 shots again. Would love it if they found him a little more because the dude can shoot. But it was his defense that caught my attention last night. He defended Wemby at a high level. Rui is so freaking strong that it is hard to move him and Wemby isn’t strong enough to do it. Ayton is very mobile on defense and Rui allowed Ayton to roam and he is quick enough to get out on shooters. Rui gets a bad rap when it comes to defense. He really improved last year and has continued this year. He still needs to rebound a little better but he has become solid on the defensive end.
It’s rare to see a player struggle shooting the ball but still have a major impact on winning. Marcus has been doing just that. And with the injuries to our play makers this year he has been so important. He may not be flashy but he keeps the offense organized and makes the right reads and his defense has been as advertised. If he can stay healthy he will be a huge piece of our success.
While I would like a little more scoring from our bench, we have so many offensive weapons that it is easy for JJ to keep a couple of scorers on the court at all times. And when LeBron returns it will be even easier.
While I was sad when we lost Finney-Smith we turned him into Ayton, Marcus and Jake. That loss turned into the best thing that could have happened to the Lakers.
We won’t know for sure what our championship chances are until we get to see this team with LeBron. But what they have proven with games like last night, all season really, is that they already have championship level grit as a team. They play harder than I have seen the Lakers play in a long time. Keep this up and I may start dreaming about championship number 18.
Well said, Michael! The first thing I want to say is that Rui has rediscover his midrange jump shot just like when he was with the Wizards. Second, I thought we lost big when DFS left, but having Smart, Ayton, and LaRavia was the best we have done. This team is reminding me of what a championship team looks like. They are showing us “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts ” You all feel me?
Rui has always had good basketball skills. He just needs the game experience, without being the 4th option. DFS missed games as a Laker, and I think that continues wherever he is (Houston?). Intitially I didn’t agree with the move for Marcus Smart. But he’s playing fantastic defense, and can bring the ball up the court under pressure, and can set up the offense and keep things flowing. His experience and his vocal leadership may not show up in the stats…but watching the past few games he is obviously keeping the team organized and keeping other players focused. LaRavia is still pretty raw, despite being in the league for a few years, but he is 6 months younger than Dalton Knecht. Ayton does lose the ball in traffic at times, and he doesn’t use his strength or energy to go after balls and to keep defenders from stripping him of the ball. Vanderbilt did hit one or two threes the past few games, however he’s barely a 50:50 player….he still makes mistakes, and he is often in highlight clips, where he has been beat defensively. He really needs to crash the offensive boards with 110% effort, and get the offensive rebound or slow the other team from transitioning to offense easily, stick with the ball handlers of the other team to slow their early offense. If Nick Smith Jr continues thru the season….up to 50 games total on the two way contract…the Lakers will have an issue…he could be this season’s Jordan Goodwin…..they still need a big man, because I have zero faith in Maxi Kleber (who played with Luka since Luka was a rookie…so maybe Luka and the Lakers know more about his value than I do. His stats look good, and his highlights show him as fairly mobile, compared to a player like Brook Lopez. Dalton needs to continue to get his confidence back up. Laravia has basically taken his role from last season.
Wow, what a post! Great all around analysis, @ Humanomaly. You nailed everything in your post. I can’t agree more.
Great job, man.
We’ve been a good early season team, which is great considering the schedule and the injuries. I don’t think anyone would have been surprised if we had been closer to .500. Having said that, this team still struggles with turnovers on awful passes/plays. Smart and/or Vando look to be hard to play in the playoffs because they can’t/don’t score consistently enough which will force the players who can to play against more defenders and packed paint.
As the regular season goes, we look good. Top 5 in the NBA most nights. But we’ve also done it against teams who aren’t as established as we are. Portland, San Antonio, Memphis and the Kings are teams in flux or with major identity issues. We’ve only beaten the Timberwolves without Edwards.
I like our grit. I like how Luka has attacked the regular season and how Reaves seems determined to join the ranks of All Stars and potential superstars. I like what Rui is doing and Ayton seems like a great fit, so far. After that, for me, the results are mixed and the returns too early to make a clear determination. If Rui is hitting shots like this in the playoffs that could bode well. Same goes for LaRavia. I worry about guys we rely on in the regular season getting benched in the playoffs because they can’t be relied on to score when needed. That list contains Smart, Vando, Hayes and all of the young players (Bronny, Knecht, Nick Smith Jr.) and so that’s what I’m tracking this season: whose game can find a level of consistency similar to Rui’s where you can reliably pencil him in for 15 points and stout D. If your highs are offset by your lows, that’s not winning basketball in the playoffs.