CLIPPERS -at- LAKERS – 7-7-17 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 9:20 pm    Post subject: CLIPPERS -at- LAKERS – 7-7-17 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

Summer League!… It’s finally here. The first summer league of the season for the Lakers. It’s always an awful game as players have had very few reps together and very reps in their system. It’s never an aesthetically pleasing thing and this impacts some players more than others (see our No. 2 picks: Ingram last year, DLO the year before and Ball tonight). For the Lakers, the game tonight was made worse by a continual whistle that slowed the pace down.

Those second-year players have been through all this. Russell showed last year, BI tonight. The difference for Brandon Ingram was night and day. The kid is growing into a man and playing a man’s game the more we see him. He was dominant tonight, leading the Lakers in scoring and just general impact balling.

What you saw tonight from him was not just flashes of great play – glimpses of that next level talent – but BI putting it all together to get what he wanted, when he wanted it. Superb game.

Lonzo Ball finds himself where Ingram was last year – trying to get a feel for the game and what he can and can’t do and adapt to the next level. Tonight, he struggled with the shot, misfiring from three from start to finish (these are shots he can and will make). The slow pace hurt his impact significantly, as well.

Rounding out the headliners was also an excellent game from Thomas Bryant. Unfortunately, the Lakers came up short in OT, falling 96-93 as they sat Ingram for that overtime period.

A little light on the notes since this is all from memory after attending the game. Big crowd as usual tonight, but I think tomorrow night will top it. Hopefully, they guys show better (their opponent, however, has several games under their belt already so it will be tough).


Ingram -- -- Great game by Ingram. This time last year, he was a deer in the headlights trying to feel his way around. As the regular season commenced, he started to understand the things he could do on the court and began to play above the rim. Today, he was clearly the alpha on the floor in this one…and he played like he knew it. The first play of the game, they set him up for a lob dunk. The he settled into more of an iso attack as the game bogged down (he did have a brilliant pass on the break, no-looking to a big for the finish). He was able to get past defenders with his handle and first step and finish well at the rim. The whistle was steady in this game and he looked smooth from the line, knocking down most of his shots. They put the ball in his hands in the close of the game for a key iso, which he attacked right and scored at the rim. Late in the game, we put him defensively on Marshall and had him switch as the screens came. He was up for the challenge. He came up with a loose ball, hitting floor and calling timeout with a few seconds left. He imposed his will on the game, played like the man and that’s the big takeaway. Love seeing the progress. Don’t know how much he will play this summer league. You could see Magic giving the signal to shut BI down after regulation. The Stats: He scored 26 points on 9-17 shooting (1-4 from three, 7-8 from the line) to go with 1 board, 3 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, 5 turnovers and 6 fouls. He was a -9.

Ball -- -- On the heels of the July Fourth, this one was a bit of a dud. The crowd was amped up for him as expected. On the first play of the game, Ball reset the offense and lobbed to Ingram for the dunk and the place went nuts. The game bogged down and the pace was dead most of the night. In the warmups, I thought his shot looked off. It stayed off most of the night as he made just 1-11 from three. Take two of those away as buzzer beating chucks, but the rest were all good looks -- the kinds of shots he has shown he can make. As he started missing, the D even went under the screens to give him the shot. He’s just got to hit those. Different game if he knocks down an average percentage. That kind of flatlined his game. Vander Blue didn’t help the cause, either. I thought he missed Ball on some of his off-ball cuts early and that part of Ball’s game died as the night went along. The part of the game I think I’m most disappointed in was Ball’s inability to impact the game when his shot wasn’t falling. We never pushed tempo (a lot of foul calls and inbounding bogged things down). He rarely attacked until late in the game. In crunch time, he got to the rim twice, once overpassing, the other time blowing the finish. I mentioned after we drafted him, the things I wanted him to work on quite a bit this offseason were his handles, the PnR and FT shooting. Defensively, he was trying to ice the PnR early on and the bigs didn’t look on the same page. That usually makes the guard look bad. But his D was more disruptive as the game went along. We’d often switch, having him defend the post at times against a bigger player. Aside from giving up a big dunk, he held the line there pretty well and even poked some balls loose. If you watched UCLA’s first couple of games, they struggled a bit to find their identity and fit him in. The passing wasn’t contagious, just like tonight. The first summer league games are always ugly. Ball’s game should improve as the team gets more reps. He’s not going to be an iso scorer, which would translate early on. Classic that he had to go up with LG’s favorite name in bad player comparisons – Kendall Marshall. By the way, Ingram and Ball should have great chemistry together, especially once we get others moving the ball. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-15 shooting (1-11 from three) to go with 4 boards, 5 assists, 3 turnovers, 2 steals, 1 block and 4 fouls in 32 minutes. He was a -6.

Zubac -- -- He looked pretty awful to me tonight. Rarely on the same page offensively and defensively, he didn’t make any impact. Last summer league he looked much better. One of the big things I wanted to look at was if his mobility has improved from last year this time. I didn’t see it. What he needs to show is anticipation and timing to make up for some of that, but he was a step late all night it seemed. Bryant outplayed him pretty clearly. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-5 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 15 minutes. He was a -6.

Weir -- -- The idea with him was to help space the floor a bit and make things easier for everyone. He hit a couple of threes and watching the simple pick and pops with him on a couple of occasions let you picture how much easier Lope will make the game for Ball. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 4-8 shooting (2-6 from three) to go with 3 boards, 2 steals, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 23 minutes. He was a -2.

Blue -- -- Kind of a curious signing for summer league. I don’t think he’s a great match with Ball and that showed on several occasions early on as he missed Ball off ball on some plays. He kept you thinking about how DLO might look across Ball or how bad Clarkson could muck things up (if he’s the worst version of himself…ball stopping, getting caught in bad positions trying to hard to create, etc.) But you could also see how little dribble penetration our guards got and where JC could help improve some things. He had some good pressure D late in the game that I would have liked to see more from our team. If we really want pace to pick up, we can shift gears like that to try to open the game up. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 3-6 shooting (0-1 from three, 5-6 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 1 steal, 1 block and 6 fouls in 20 minutes. He was a +0.

Bryant -- -- One of my favorite picks of this draft with where the Lakers got him at and he didn’t disappoint. Right away, he showed the three range and soft touch. He looked very comfortable with NBA three range in warmups and in the game. That will be a weapon. His standing reach was on display (more important than height…and he has the same standing reach as Bynum). That allowed him to dominate around the rim when he had the ball. At Indiana, he always showed that fire and energy on the floor. That came to play in multiple occasions tonight and the crowd loved it. How can you not? You need emotional players like that to fire up the team. He was the best big on the floor. I thought the refs also had a couple of bad calls against him. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 4-5 shooting (1-1 from three, 4-7 from the line) to go with 5 boards (2 offensive), 1 block and 2 fouls in 17 minutes. He was a +6.

Hart -- -- Would have liked to see more than 13 minutes from him. Barely time to get his feet wet. He showed some of his effectiveness in transition with a short turnaround jumper in the paint as well as an And-1. Hope to see him starting and clocking more time. Defensively, you could see him communicating and telling players what to do. He was ineffective from three, missing all four attempts (I think one was a half-court heave, so pull that out). Love watching him board with the bigs, one of his strengths. Those little things will all add up for him and should make an impact with some generally steady play I’m guessing. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-8 shooting (0-4 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 3 boards and 3 fouls in 13 minutes. He was a +5.

Nwaba -- -- I was hoping for a bit more from him. I wanted some aggressive D as he imposed that part of his game on opponents. That in turn would help pick the pace up. It just never really stood out. He scored his only points on a strong finish at the rim as well as making one of his FTs. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-3 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 13 minutes. He was a +6.

Kuzma -- I’m anticipating some better play from him as the summer league goes along. He showed well in Chicago against similar sort of talent. I think he’s going to have to learn to play above the rim more on his drives. We’ll see how that plays out, but he’s got the mobility and athleticism to get to the rim. He’s always left me wanting that next level on his finishes in a crowd. He got some good run with 27 minutes and we went small late in the game with him to help get some stops. We’ll probably see more of that despite how well Bryant played…the team just seemed to lock in more with that unit. Offensively, I cringe at the pull-up jumpers off the dribble. I dig the passing game. If this team can get clicking this summer, we’ll see more of that. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 3-8 shooting (0-3 from three, 3-4 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 3 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 steal, 1 block and 4 fouls in 27 minutes. He was a -3.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 9:21 pm    Post subject:

Good to see the Lakers and you back!
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 9:34 pm    Post subject:

Blue
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 9:50 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB. Watched the first three quarters on DVR and then turned it off when I got past the spoiler alert.

What I saw was typical summer league where in the words of Drew Carey, "Everything is made up and the points don't matter."

What I saw was Ingram's summer transition from boy to young man! Wow. Some of those moves will still be shut down as the space on the court disappears with the larger faster better drilled NBA defenses. Still. Wow. Obvious NBA level talent during summer league.

Flashes from the rest.

But we have to remember . . . they are all very young. There are going to be some real frustrating moments this year as we continue to practice delayed gratification.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 9:58 pm    Post subject:

Great to see these again! Thanks!
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 10:34 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB!
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 10:52 pm    Post subject:

Hart should start next game
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 11:19 pm    Post subject:

DB:

AAAAA! (As Always An Awesome Analysis!)

Did you get any intel on why Hart got so little playing time 1) in general and 2) with Ball? [I want to say, from memory, they maybe played just a handful of minutes together]

It seems to me Hart is a vastly better fit than Blue for what works with Lonzo.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 11:25 pm    Post subject:

I'm just chalking it up to the usual thing in summer league...you might see roles reversed with minutes distributed the other way as the games go on.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 11:32 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB!
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Bench: Caruso, Hart, Bullock, Kuzma, McGee etc
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 12:10 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB.
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 12:19 am    Post subject:

It looks like Ingram grew. He looks to be at lease 6-10. He also looks like he bulked up. His body looks more like the current KD.
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 12:48 am    Post subject:

Great stuff, as usual, DB.

I have to say, when you watch Ingram play like that, this is why those that felt like his upside was higher than anyone's on the team feel justified to have thought that, with Dlo being included in that. Yeah, Ingram's stats from last season look pretty bad. But he really did start to seem to "get it" over the final few weeks of the season. We saw a continuation of that last night, and perhaps he's just simply maturing physically a little bit more now that he's, gasp, 19 years and 10 months old lol. (It's so important to realize that he is still only 19 years old, and will have barely turned 20 once the season starts.) I feel like the game has finally slowed down for him.

What's so exciting about Ingram is that, because of his height and tremendous length, he can get his shot pretty much anytime he wants to. He may not be a blur with his speed, but with that height/length, it allows him to get to where he wants on the court and shoot it. Is he going to be Durant as a shooter? Nope. But he looks really comfortable getting to his spot in the midrange, and he's still only 19; it's still possible that he can become a decent 3-point shooter with time. And, of course, he's taking the ball to the hole. His free throws last night looked much more "calm" going through the air, if that makes any sense at all, and if he continues to attack the basket like that and shoot free throws above 75%, he'll be a great offensive player even without being a great 3-point shooter. That steal with 4.9 seconds left in regulation was a great play, too. And at the end of regulation with that chance to win it, I thought he got a really good look for being put in a tough spot, catching the ball about 30-35 feet from the basket without his momentum going forward. He just got to his spot and rose up, and really put up a nice soft shot that almost bounced in.
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 12:49 am    Post subject:

scoobs wrote:
It looks like Ingram grew. He looks to be at lease 6-10. He also looks like he bulked up. His body looks more like the current KD.


Right? Also notice how he was able to initiate contact with a defender and drive into them / push them back versus last year where if there was any significant contact he just wasnt strong enough and would kinda just bounce backwards or onto the floor.
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 12:51 am    Post subject:

ChickenStu wrote:
Great stuff, as usual, DB.

I have to say, when you watch Ingram play like that, this is why those that felt like his upside was higher than anyone's on the team feel justified to have thought that, with Dlo being included in that. Yeah, Ingram's stats from last season look pretty bad. But he really did start to seem to "get it" over the final few weeks of the season. We saw a continuation of that last night, and perhaps he's just simply maturing physically a little bit more now that he's, gasp, 19 years and 10 months old lol. (It's so important to realize that he is still only 19 years old, and will have barely turned 20 once the season starts.) I feel like the game has finally slowed down for him.

What's so exciting about Ingram is that, because of his height and tremendous length, he can get his shot pretty much anytime he wants to. He may not be a blur with his speed, but with that height/length, it allows him to get to where he wants on the court and shoot it. Is he going to be Durant as a shooter? Nope. But he looks really comfortable getting to his spot in the midrange, and he's still only 19; it's still possible that he can become a decent 3-point shooter with time. And, of course, he's taking the ball to the hole. His free throws last night looked much more "calm" going through the air, if that makes any sense at all, and if he continues to attack the basket like that and shoot free throws above 75%, he'll be a great offensive player even without being a great 3-point shooter. That steal with 4.9 seconds left in regulation was a great play, too. And at the end of regulation with that chance to win it, I thought he got a really good look for being put in a tough spot, catching the ball about 30-35 feet from the basket without his momentum going forward. He just got to his spot and rose up, and really put up a nice soft shot that almost bounced in.


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PostPosted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 1:06 am    Post subject:

Thomas Bryant looks great!

Would love to see him pair with Randle in the frontcourt
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 4:34 am    Post subject:

Ingram looks like a completely different player. Seems thicker in the chest as well. I absolutely loved seeing him scream in Zubac's face after he allowed Johnson to work him in the post. Showing some real fire that we never really saw last year. The defense clearly zoned in on him as the game went along and he responded to the challenge.

Very disappointing game for Ivica. I was hoping to see him dominate. The very first thing that stood out to me was his body. Doesn't look transformed at all. As for his game, seems like he hasn't touched a ball in months. Very hopeful he has a bigger game to ight as he goes up against Zizic and the C's.
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 4:45 am    Post subject:

Showcase the guys we "NEED" to see: Hart, Kuzma, Bryant, etc. Blue and Wear can fall off a cliff for all I care! The team was rolling in the first half and the wheels came off in the second half. Ball's shot will be fine and he's learning his new teammates hence get the guys he will be playing with more time. Randle will flourish with Zo. Ball will get his rhythm in time and I can't wait. I'm not worried in the least.
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 5:03 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB. Yeah, terrible shooting night from Ball, and he has to find other ways to positively impact the game when that happens. He will b e more effective when the tempo slows once he gets a feel for his team, which may not happen during summer league.
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 5:15 am    Post subject:

Thanks, DB. Hope you guys have a great time in Vegas!
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 5:17 am    Post subject:

the only thing that i take away from this game is that Brandon Ingram needs a new haircut...man that looks terrible
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 5:33 am    Post subject:

Al13 wrote:
the only thing that i take away from this game is that Brandon Ingram needs a new haircut...man that looks terrible


I blame that on DLo's bad influence and lack of leadership.
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 6:47 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB!

I'm not worried about Lonzo. First SL game. Missed uncontested shots he normally would make. The foul fest disrupted things also. I agree, he needs to learn how to affect the game positively when his shot isn't falling and the pace is slowed down to a half court game.
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 6:56 am    Post subject:

One good thing is Ingram showed that he will be a star. And if his shooting comes around a super star. He is a keeper.

Having doubts about Lonzo. His awkward form makes it difficult to be consistent with his shot. Some tweaking my the coaches will help. And he has trouble stay in front of his man. But if his shooting comes around he
still has an upside.
Way too much hype and pressure on Lonzo now. And LaVar doesn't help with his big mouth. Lonzo needs to concentrate work on his shot.

Bryant looks like a keeper. He looks a LOT faster and more mobile than Zubac. His defense seems better.

It seems like the Lakers don't like good shooters. They lost their best shooters in Nick Young, DLO, and Lou Williams. Can't win without good shooters.
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 7:12 am    Post subject:

My thoughts

Lonzo - D

He ran the offense well but he had that deer in the headlight moment through out the game. Airball, Kendall sagging on him, was afraid to shoot for the most part but he let it rain at the end. Defensively, he's not putting any pressure and he keeps getting caught on picks and screens. He need to put more effort. Also he seems uncomfortable with contacts and he's shying away from it at both ends.

Ingram A+

He just dominated. He can score anytime he wants too. 3 ball looks good, just not falling. Also his Defense is starting to matter. He's like everywhere. He still need to get stronger to physical impose his will.

Zu F-

Out of shape, step slower on every play. Also need to get stronger and leaner. He looks like he's just jogging and too finesse down low.

Nwaba D

If he's ever going to develop a jumpshot, he need to just stroke it. In a couple of occasions, he was open for a 3 ball up yet he elected to drive. He can't do that if he wants to be part of rotation.

Kuzma C

Limited game but decent everywhere. Can't create his own shot bu he Can shoot, can move the ball, likes playing defense and does all the little things. Looks like a solid role player and could carve a lengthy career as a stretch 4.

Hart C

Limited game too. I don't see him as a guy that can make plays or create his shot but good team player. His shooting is off but looks good and I think he can stroke that 3 ball to keep the defense honest. His defense is also solid.

Bryant A +

Limited but very active and he's all over the floor hustling. I like his motor and his enthusiastic approach. He can run, he can shoot and has that athleticism that we need from his position. Magic should just sign him already.

Vander F -

Just take him off from the roster. He was like a cheap combo version of Bad Porn and Black Hole all together. No shooting and no intention of passing back.

Wear D -

Another waste of roster spot. He can shoot and nothing else.

Coach F -

I dunno why this coach giving a lot of minutes to Wear and Vander. There's nothing to see with these guys. Should just give it to Hart and Kuzma instead.


Last edited by CRoost on Sat Jul 08, 2017 7:21 am; edited 2 times in total
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