Lakers’ LeBron James will sit out his first game of the season on Wednesday at the Sacramento Kings on the back-to-back, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. The absence won’t impact his All-Star Game appearance Sunday in Atlanta.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 3, 2021
LeBron James
Lakers’ Championship Team Defense Blitzes Lillard and Shuts Down Blazers
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.
Los Angeles Lakers Extreme Makeover to Fix 3-Point & Rim Protection Woes
While it’s highly unlikely Rob Pelinka would consider risking an extreme makeover of a defending NBA championship team, you could easily argue LeBron James and Anthony Davis are the team’s only untouchable players.
You could also suggest the Brooklyn Nets with their Big Three of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden have raised the bar and upped the stakes for what it’s going to take to win the 2020-21 NBA championship. Throw in the league leading Utah Jazz, crosstown Los Angeles Clippers, resurgent Phoenix Suns, and physical Philadelphia 76ers and suddenly the idea of the Lakers needing an extreme makeover doesn’t seem so silly.
A makeover could be just what the Lakers need as they’re mired in a 4-game losing streak without superstar center Anthony Davis for the next three weeks and with their once top five 3-point shooting now last in the league. The Lakers supposedly deep and talented roster was flawed. Anthony Davis’ unfortunate injury loss and Dennis Schroder’s untimely contact tracing loss have exposed the Lakers’ lack of capable rim protectors and shot creators.
So where does Rob Pelinka start? The Lakers need volume 3-point shooting, a modern center who can protect both the rim and perimeter, and dynamic guards and wings who can create quality shots for themselves and others. Pelinka won’t find players with those skills and talents on the waiver wire so they have to be willing to trade core members of their championship team if they want to fill the holes in their roster and repeat as champs.
Here are two trades that together would solve all of the team’s pressing roster needs and comprise an extreme makeover to transform the current struggling Los Angeles Lakers roster into the championship favorite:
- TRADE FOR CENTER KRISTAPS PORZINGIS
The Dallas Mavericks have apparently become disenchanted with 25-year old 7,’ 4″ 240 lb center Kristaps Porzingis and have been testing the waters with teams to see what they might be able to get back for him in a trade.
The above trade would immediately upgrade the Mavericks’ depth and talent and give superstar point guard Luka Doncic a trio of talented young starter or rotation players who can score the ball and defend at a high level. Caldwell-Pope or Kuzma, both on favorable 3-year deals, would be strong candidates to start at shooting guard and small forward while Harrell, who’s a free agent, would be an instant offense option off the bench.
The Lakers would get the perfect modern two-way stretch five center in Kristaps Porzingis to play alongside superstar Anthony Davis and give Los Angeles the third star they need to match Brooklyn Superstar Big Three. Porzingis is averaging 20.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 29.9 minutes per game while shooting 47.3/35.2/80.5%. Most importantly, Kristaps is volume 3-point shooter who averages 6.4 threes per game.
While Porzingis averages 1.6 blocks per game, his defensive rating has been extremely poor and the Mavs’ defense is much better without him on the floor, which is why Dallas no longer believes he is the right fit next to Luka. Playing for a defensive coaching guru like Vogel and alongside an elite defender like Davis could be the perfect situation to redeem Porzingis’ defensive chops and take advantage of his 7′ 4′ height and 7′ 6″ wingspan.
The Lakers are giving up a pair of proven championship contributors in Caldwell-Pope and Kuzma and the reining 6MOY in Harrell but they’re also getting the perfect young modern center to complement LeBron and AD.
2. TRADE FOR POINT GUARD DEVONTE GRAHAM
With LaMelo Ball now the Hornets’ point guard of the future Terry Rozier enjoying a career season, the Hornets can afford to move Devonte Graham to land a potential future superstar in 20-year old Talen Horton-Tucker.
The above trade gives the Hornets the equivalent of a top five draft pick in the uniquely talented 20-year old Talen Horton-Tucker, who forced his way into the championship Lakers’ rotation and has legit superstar potential. Talen will be heavily pursued next summer as a restricted free agent but the Hornets will have his early Bird and Arenas rights, which will let them match any offer and limit his first two years’ salary to the league average.
A 3-year veteran, Devonte Graham is the perfect starting backcourt mate to pair with Dennis Schroder. His ability to create shots for himself and others along with his volume 3-point shooting are exactly what the Lakers need. Devonte’s averaging 13.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 5.7 assists in 32.8 minutes per game. His strength is his playmaking and 3-point shooting. He takes 8.1 threes per game, 11th most in the league, and shoots 34.7%.
A starting backcourt of Schroder and Graham would give the Lakers two lightning quick guards who can create plays for themselves or teammates. They’d turbo charge the Lakers’ offense when LeBron was not on the floor. The biggest benefit would be the Lakers ability to stagger their minutes like Vogel does LeBron’s and AD’s minutes to enable the team to always have a dynamic point guard and superstar on the court all 48 minutes.
While they give up 20-year old budding superstar Talen Horton-Tucker to acquire 25-year old point guard Devonte Graham, the move would give the Lakers’ offense the dynamic shooting, playmaking, and scoring it needs.
The Lakers have experienced first hand just how valuable Anthony Davis and Dennis Schroder are to the team. The goal of the above two trades was to duplicate the skillsets and talents that make AD and Dennis so valuable. While giving up Caldwell-Pope, Kuzma, Harrell, and Horton-Tucker is a huge price to pay, Porzingis and Graham make the Lakers a more dangerous team and give them a stronger starting lineup and more diverse bench.
LAKERS DEPTH CHART
— — — — — — — — — —
PG: SCHRODER, Caruso
SG: GRAHAM, Matthews
SF: JAMES, McKinnie
PF: DAVIS, Morris, Dudley
CE: PORZINGIS, Gasol
The Lakers still have four proven starter quality reserves in Caruso, Matthews, Morris, and Gasol who can fill minutes and create lineups to match anything contending teams might come up with to challenge them. They also have four open roster spots for a third point guard, shooting guard, small forward, and center for possible buyout candidates like Isaiah Thomas, Wayne Ellington, Trevor Ariza, and Dewayne Dedmon.
The Lakers’ new starting lineup could be the best offensive and defensive lineup in the league, with two new volume 3-point shooters, two lightning quick point guards, and a pair of modern 2-way centers to protect the rim.
All-Star Break May Be the Basketball Gods’ Midseason Gift for the Lakers!
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 Fast Break- TJ Johnson Talking Lakers Woes!
TJ Johnson returns to talk about the issues the Lakers are dealing with and if it’s time worry, the possibility of signing DeMarcus Cousins, and more plus the conversation turns to thoughts on WandaVision episode Seven (SPOILERS!)…
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