AD said his primary focus when teams are playing aggressively against him and frequently double-teaming is just to find the open man. Tonight, they didn’t hit shots. He added that his legs feel good at this point despite the long layoff. He’s just happy to be playing games.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) August 2, 2020
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Patience
Thanks for this great post, Michael. I have noticed that you and I are always on the same boat when it comes to the make up of Lakers roaster.
For a team that came together for the first time to start the season and embarking on a defensive journey that will eventually propell them to the top of the Western Conference, the idea of rushing to make changes to the roaster just right after they won a championsip is frivolous. In fact, keeping the team intact would be more fruitfull and tangible as it will allow for more keenness, continuity and a well polished defensive acumen.
Dynasties are built on continuity and if this team comes back together as is, they will be more potent and dangerous. The team is just about to start feeling the hunger for more championships and they have just scratched the surface. Therefore, I am not in favor of any wholesale changes or trades that will compromise the versatility and size of the team. I will certainly look to add one or two sharp shooters if they fell on our lap without tearing down the team, and that will do it for me. I totally agree with you.
AD said focus when doubled is find man open for high percentage shot
AD said his primary focus when teams are playing aggressively against him and frequently double-teaming is just to find the open man. Tonight, they didn’t hit shots. He added that his legs feel good at this point despite the long layoff. He’s just happy to be playing games.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) August 2, 2020
The Clippers Are Built to Beat LeBron, Not Anthony Davis
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are two elite NBA defenders—but not against Anthony Davis.@JonathanTjarks: https://t.co/OV1oEADhXV
— The Ringer (@ringer) August 2, 2020
Everything opened up when the Lakers went small. When they swapped McGee and Green for Kyle Kuzma and Alex Caruso in the third against the Clippers, they were plus-10 over the next seven minutes. Playing the 5, Davis had 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting with two assists during that span. His only miss came on a heat-check 3.
That has been the story for Davis all season. His production skyrockets when he’s the only big man on the floor. He has a true shooting percentage of 65.8 and a usage rate of 28.8 in 749 minutes without McGee or Dwight Howard next to him. That is the type of efficiency you expect out of a big man who does nothing but catch lobs. To give you an idea of just how incredible AD’s numbers are in that role, no one with a usage rate higher than 28 (the workload of a primary option) has a true shooting percentage above 62 this season. He’s completely unstoppable when the Lakers give him the space to play one-on-one at the rim.
That was true even when LeBron went to the bench Thursday. The Lakers were plus-5 in the final five minutes of the third with Davis, Kuzma, KCP, Caruso, and Dion Waiters on the floor. They had no traditional point guard, so they ran everything through their other MVP-caliber big man.
Should the Los Angeles Lakers Think about Changing their Starting Lineup?
While basketball experts would think it crazy to change starters after just two games, the Lakers’ starting lineup has been a statistical nightmare in the season restart with just six games remaining before the playoffs begin.
While a veteran coach like Frank Vogel is unlikely to make a drastic move, all five Lakers’ starters posted negative net ratings while all five Lakers’ reserves had positive net ratings the first two games of the season restart. While the Lakers won’t make wholesale changes to their starting lineup, it would be foolish for the coaching staff to ignore this red flag and not start considering possible changes in who starts or at least in minutes played.
After all, the clock is ticking and the Lakers only have six more regular season ‘seeding’ games to make changes to get ready for the playoffs. Here are the Lakers’ player net rating for first two games per NBA.com:
The challenge for Frank Vogel and his staff is to create a starting lineup that complements superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, which requires more than anything else players who can hit open shots and play defense. From the above stats, we can see the problem with the Lakers’ starting lineups the last two games was offense, not defense. Per NBA.com, Lakers’ starters had a poor 66.7 offensive rating and good 102.2 defensive rating.
The Lakers’ 3-point shooting stats the last two games confirms the problem. As a team, the Lakers’ shot just 27.6% from deep, 29th worst out of 30 teams. Opponents scored 27 more points from deep in the last two games. The Lakers’ poor 3-point shooting allowed the Clippers and the Raptors to clog the middle and keep LeBron James and Anthony Davis from getting to the rim, which was a big factor leading to their subpar performances.
Lakers’ superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis as a duo average 52.1 points per game on 50.1% from the field but in the last two games were held to just 42.0 points per game and just 38.3% field goal percentage. While it’s easy to write off the outcome as James and Davis having subpar games, the truth is the poor shooting performances of their teammates in the Lakers’ starting lineup was likely the reason for their subpar games.
So what are the options the Lakers’ coaching staff should consider? The obvious solution is surround LeBron and AD with better shooting. Here are Lakers’ players 3-point shooting stats the last two games per NBA.com:
It’s obvious the problem with the starting lineup the last two games has been the shooting of guard Danny Green and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Combined, the two have made only 6 of 28 threes for a dismal 21.4%. Caldwell-Pope and Green are the Lakers’ best 3-point shooters so it would be foolish to replace them as starters but the team shouldn’t hesitate to put them on a short lease or fewer minutes if they continue to shoot poorly.
The NBA is a copycat league and the problem facing the Lakers is teams are going to increasingly clog the middle and challenge the Lakers to make shots from beyond the arc so 3-point shooting is going to become critical. The Lakers cannot afford to give players who aren’t shooting well extended time to fix the problem. The playoffs are right around the corner, which means Green and Caldwell-Pope need to start hitting their threes right now.
Should Green or KCP continue to miss their threes, Frank Vogel should not hesitate to start or give Dion Waiters more minutes. While he’s only shot 3 of 12 from deep so far, he’s been a 37.7% 3-point shooter the last two years. While the Lakers envisioned Waiters as the playmaker and shot creator for the second unit when LeBron rests, Dion has posted a better two-player net rating with both James and Davis than either Green or Caldwell-Pope.
Finally, the other option the Lakers have should consider if KCP and/or Green don’t start hitting their threes is moving Anthony Davis to the five to replace JaVale McGee and inserting Kyle Kuzma into the starting lineup. Kuz has already earned a role in the Lakers closing rotation and is playing the second most minutes after LeBron. At some point, Kuzma and Waiters are going to become key players in the Lakers championship quest.s0-
Frank Vogel’s been steadfast in keeping the same starting lineup all year but the playoffs are different and the Lakers need to watch Green’s and KCP’s shooting woes closely and adjust sooner rather than later if necessary.