You don’t pencil this game in as a loss, you get it engraved on a silver plaque and mount it on the schedule: No Luka, no LeBron, no Reaves, no Vincent, and still no Adou. Back-to-back…in Portland…against the defense that just schooled you on getting the ball across the timeline, let alone into an offensive set. Team lands at 2 AM, checks into the hotel at 3 AM. Call it an L and head home content with the split. And yet… These Lakers found a way to keep their composure, adapt to the uber-physical Trailblazers, and pull out possibly the highest quality win of Coach Redick’s young coaching career. Something’s happening here.
- Nick Smith Jr. While it wasn’t a career night for the young man from Jacksonville, Arkansas it was a much needed and stellar showing. Nick got hot early and rode that heat all the way until the end of the game. His line was solid: 25 points on 10-15 FGs (5-6 from three…scorching). 1 defensive rebound (which led to a highlight assist), 1 steal and 6 dimes to 3 TOs. All in a tidy 27 minutes. Next man up indeed.
- Rui Hachimura. Rui is approaching untouchable folks. He’s shooting 59.3% from the floor and the majority of those are jump shots of some kind or another, 45.5% from three and is a real stabilizing and consistent threat for this Lakers team. Other than the Memphis game where he only got 4 shots off, he’s been a major component in our offensive attack. Could he rebound more? Sure, maybe, it’s also a function of his role since the staff has him stationed out at the three point line on every play. Could he defend better? Sure, that goes for pretty much the entire team. But if you ask me what you want from your 3rd/4th option (which is what his role on this team is defined as) this is it: be consistent. I’ll take a guy who scores 10 ppg in that role vs. a guy who scores 5 one night and 15 the next. That’s not consistency even though both average 10 ppg. Rui has become a foundational piece for this team and it’s harder and harder for me to see a trade that brings back a better player that fits into that role.
- The Laker bench. It was only 4 guys (Vando, Hayes, Smith Jr. and Bronny) and we lost Hayes to a rolled ankle in the 2nd half. The Laker bench was able to help break the Portland pressure and build a blueprint on how to beat the incessant full court press Portland deploys. The starters struggled with it as they kept trying to screen there way to the rim rather than match speed for speed. Every single guy off the bench brought the ball across the timeline from the backcourt at least once. Once we adapted to their physicality (which was aided by some surprising calls, IMO, but evidently it was an off-night for NBA officials in general if Jaylen Brown has anything to say about it #tatumkarma) we got and stayed in the game. The scoring was handled by Nick, Bronny matched his career high with 6 assists (and more impressively z-e-r-o turnovers) and Vando brought the D and the intensity we need from our bench. Hayes looked like he was moving around OK so hoping he’s good to go moving forward.
- Marcus Smart’s leadership. Like Vando, you can’t always discern Smart’s impact from the box score. His value won’t always be measured in points, assists, steals or rebounds. Smart had another awful game from the field (3-11, 1-5 from three), had as many turnovers as assists. only had 2 rebounds but brought the D with 4 big steals. He was a +10 in 32 minutes (Vanderbilt was a +1 in 21 minutes). What stood out from me in this game was when Avdija elbowed him in the head (foul on Smart), you could tell Marcus had reached the tipping point but instead of losing his cool he walked (and the Trailblazers tried to make it more than it weas by crowding the moment and got everyone shoving which led to the refs trying to break it up, and quite calmly asked Deni “Do you have a problem with me?” before subbing out like a pro and getting his mind right to close out the game. Pro move, one that diffused what could have the been the moment the Lakers lost their composure and the game. Playing it cool is always the right move, especially on the road when the other team’s game plan is to push the envelope of physicality.
- The vibe. Watched the post game interviews from both Redick and Smart, good stuff. The vibe around the team is great right now. JJ is pushing a lot of the right buttons, guys who are in the wings are rising to the occasion, and the stars shine both individually and in tandem. The only question is what impact adding LeBron will have to this. Does it move Smart or Rui to the bench? My current guess would still be Smart because Rui’s shooting is so key to everything we do. When Vincent comes back he’ll need to show he can contribute at the same level he was during preseason because some of these young dudes are starting to find a solid niche. I won’t say he’s lost his role…yet…but his struggles scoring when the games matter isn’t a part of a winning equation for us. All in all, we’re approaching games the right way and that’s a big thing for us this early in the season with so many new additions that also play fairly large roles. Credit to the staff for keeping the ship steered in the right direction and the players for getting it done on the court.
