TWOLVES -at- LAKERS – 9-30-17 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 10:28 pm    Post subject: TWOLVES -at- LAKERS – 9-30-17 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

Game Time… The Lakers ended the summer on a high note, taking the summer league championship. It has felt like forever without seeing some real ball again. Of course, the first game of that summer league was a miserable watch. Tonight’s first preseason game certainly had its own aesthetic challenges.

But, hey, who cares? We’re back to watching Laker basketball and it’s only going to get better from here. Like all first preseason games, you have to let a lot go…especially with a young squad.

The Lakers struggled from three, shooting a poor 5-30 from beyond the arc. They also sent the TWolves to the line 35 times. That slowed the pace down some, and the Lakers never quite got clicking.

“We got to get in much better shape for the way that we want to play,” Luke Walton said. “I felt like fatigue was a big factor when we had breakdowns, whether it was transition defense or not rotating over on the help side.”

The Lakers have been primarily working on defense and transition principles in training camp, but it’s a work in progress.

“A lot of them are in better shape than they showed tonight,” Luke said.

While Lonzo Ball will always get the buzz, it was Kyle Kuzma once again who showed fans this summer was no fluke. He led the Lakers with 19 points on 9-12 shooting off the bench, even if he didn’t always know what they were doing in specific sets.

For his part, Lonzo scratched out a few points to go with 8 assists and 7 boards in the Lakers 108-99 loss.

A lot of work to do in this shorter preseason, but looking forward to seeing this team start putting it together.


Ball -- -- Somewhat sleepy game from him compared to what we expect. He’s just getting warmed up. Looking down at the stat sheet you still see 5 points, 7 boards and 8 assists – there will be a lot of triple-double watches for him in his career. Felt like he was just out there kind of feeling things out a bit. With as poorly as we were shooting threes, he still got those 8 assists...that's probably the biggest takeaway from this one. Having Lopez to work with will probably focus that half-court offense more. Luke said they are looking for him to be a little more aggressive with scoring early on and then playmaking more later, so watch out for that as these games go along. Defensively, he was reasonable. “I thought he was really good with the help concept we’ve been drilling all week,” Luke said. He said some of the on-ball stuff is where he needs to improve, mentioning a lot of the issues were just knowing the personnel. That will take all season. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-9 shooting (1-5 from three) to go with 7 boards (3 offensive), 8 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers and 2 fouls in 36 minutes. He was a -13. The Action: He missed a wing three popping off the screen. He crashed the glass and kicked out to Ingram for the wing jumper. He found Ingram in the post for the quick turnaround. He got caught in the air and threw a kickout away. He bumped a man off coming off the screen and missed the floater (took contact with no call). He drained a three in early offense. He attacked, threw it away, hustled back in transition and knocked it loose to get the stop. He missed a deep three. He hit the floater down the middle of the lane as he worked off the screen. He airballed a three, really leaning forward on that one. Second Half: He missed a bank in transition. Attack in early offense and he hit Randle for the baseline score. He missed a step-back wing three. He swiped a post entry pass, stepping around the post man, then was stripped himself on the pushout to give up a dunk. Way short on a turnaround in the post.

Ingram -- -- “I loved his aggressiveness,” Luke said, mentioning that he thought Brandon also rushed some shots, though. The 15 FGAs contained a couple of tip attempts and a couple possessions where we missed and got it right back to him for another attempt. So if that looks like a lot of gunning in 22 minutes, it wasn’t quite that. What will be interesting is how much he can balance trying to create with keeping the ball moving. There were some definite ball stop sequences. Like Luke said, though, you can see the change in attitude with him. Last year, he would have been just trying to go with the flow and pick his spots. This game and in summer, he was in attack mode much more. Loved the drive in the first quarter where he had Taj on his heels and he changed hands to finish with his left. Hard to defend that speed and length. “First quarter was really good, especially on the offensive end,” Ingram said. He said he took a few more threes than he wanted to. He missed his last eight attempts in this one. Loved the charge he took on D. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 4-15 shooting (1-5 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 22 minutes. He was a -10. The Action: Wild drive in transition and he missed. He missed a turnaround in transition, we got it back to him and hit him for the long wing jumper. He took his eyes off a kickout and fumbled it out of bounds. He took another kickout off an offensive board and swished the three as he stepped into it. He flashed to the post and hit the quick turnaround. He got backdoored for a lob dunk. He picked up his second foul on an illegal screen midway through the first quarter. He missed a wing three. He iso’d and got Taj on his heels on the drive for a layup over him. He missed an open corner three in transition. He missed a wing jumper on iso, got it back and missed the three. He had 9 points on 4-9 shooting. Second Half: He missed the elbow pull-up jumper. Not close on a wing three on a kickout. He iso’d and missed the fade across the lane. He knocked a ball loose and hit the ground to force a jumpball on D. He missed a couple of tip attempts on the offensive glass. Great job stepping in front of Wiggins on the drive to draw the charge. All kinds of contact on the two-man sequence and finish attempt to draw FTs, he made one.

Randle -- -- “We have to get better on the defensive end,” Randle said. Luke said the team as a whole was in much better shape than they showed. Luke thought the adrenaline sucked some of the energy from the guys. That was probably Randle as he wasn’t quite flying around the court on the defensive end like we want to see. I’d like to see some shorter stints for guys with the pace we want to play to keep them rested and running teams out of the building as the game goes along. We’ll see how that all plays out. Offensively, I thought Randle looked really confident in the midrange. He had that feel like some of those shots looked like layups. The threes on the other hand? He said he rushed a little. Looking forward to seeing him start to lock in on that range. Big year growth wise for him as it’s really his third season. Can’t wait to see how it unfolds. Keep an eye on the screen setting, as usual. We need to see growth there, too. He was only tagged for 2 turnovers…thought he definitely had more. The Stats: He scored 15 points on 7-14 shooting (0-2 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 7 boards, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 22 minutes. He was a -14. The Action: He scooped up an errant pass that hit rim and scored. Short on a three, he followed his shot, got the board and scooped in a rightly layup between defenders. Great outlet off the defensive board to KCP to setup FTs. He missed a drive. He drew FTs on the screen-roll, he made one. He posted up, bumped his man and hit the fade. He missed an open three, short. He airballed a turnaround trying to beat the shotclock. He swished a stepback wing jumper on iso. Turnover on the outlet. He threw it away on a drive and dish next time down. He had 9 points on 4-9 shooting and 5 boards. Second Half: He attacked baseline for a score in early offense. He was rejected badly on the jumphook. He posted up and hit the lefty jumphook over Towns. He blocked a drive on the other end. He swished a baseline jumper without hesitation. He was blocked on a jumphook.

Caldwell-Pope -- -- Kind of an awful game from KCP. More structure will help everyone. The team needs to figure each other out a bit more for sure and that will help, but KCP just wasn’t stroking it from three tonight despite some good looks. Honestly, any kind of average game from him like we’re expecting to see and the Lakers probably win this. Luke played KCP for the first 6 minutes of each quarter before bringing in JC for him. Clarkson ended up playing 4 minutes than KCP despite coming off the bench. His only score was on a sequence where we quickly changed ends off a steal. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 1-7 shooting (0-4 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 19 minutes. He was a -18. The Action: He pushed out and missed a wild finish. Randle outlet to him for FTs on the breakaway, he made both. He missed a three from the top of the arc as he flashed to the ball. He missed a sideline three. He scooped up the loose ball, crossed over to lose the only defender and took it for the transition dunk. Way short on a corner three. Second Half: He missed a corner three on the kickout. He choked a point-blank layup on the break, uggh. He was then called for a turnover on a clear-out next time down and picked up a tech.

Nance -- -- Some good battling by Nance on the boards as we went to the smaller Randle/Nance combo with our two vet centers out for this game. Not much in his game offensively. He didn’t show anything in transition, and in the half court, he definitely needs those set plays to open things up for him. Defensively, there were some good moments of recovering and rotating. The team as a whole showed some small flashes, but obviously needs to get more games under their belt to play D on a string like they want. Kuzma is going to put a lot of pressure on Randle/Nance. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-7 shooting (0-1 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 9 boards (4 offensive), 1 assist, 1 block, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 25 minutes. He was a -17. The Action: Lots of work on the defensive boards early on. He missed a hook across the lane. He choked a point-blank layup, uggh. Second Half: He missed a wing jumper to start the second half. Over the back for a foul on a putback attempt. He drew a charge on a big in transition. He missed the open FT jumper. He hammered down a dunk off the interior feed from Bryant. He battled in a crowd for a defensive board and was fouled as he yanked it away from player all over his back, he made one FT. He missed a wing three.

Kuzma -- -- Probably like a lot of you, I’ve watched all those Summer League games multiple times and focused quite a bit on Kuzma. A little bit obsessed with him. That aggressiveness and confidence he played with in the Summer League carried over again to this first preseason game. He’s playing quick and decisive, and he knows what he wants to do whether that’s up-faking and attacking or getting off the quick release jumper. This was that same kind of game we saw from summer, he just missed a couple more threes than he did in Vegas. If you look at those games in Vegas and imagine him missing one or two of those threes per game, this is kind of what you saw. There were some remnants of offensive sets for him from the Summer League, but the team was winging it most of the night. It didn’t matter. He found ways to impose his will on the game. “He got lost a bunch out there,” Luke said. “We were playing him at some three and some four which was completely different coverages and he’s been in the NBA for a week really. So it was impressive just to see him go and the way that he scraps.” He led the team in scoring and did it efficiently and without ball stopping or high usage. That mobility with and without the ball and quick stroke translate. Got to love it. Defensively, you can see how the guys around him are just a little bigger, too, than in the Summer League. He got walked under the hoop on a defensive FT rebound to give it up. That strength will improve like it always does for rookies. “I’ve always been kind of the underdog through my entire career,” Kuzma said. “Not just here but in high school and college so I always try to play as hard as possible.” The Stats: He scored 19 points on 9-12 shooting (1-4 from three) to go with 5 boards, 1 steal and 2 fouls in 26 minutes. He was a +4. The Action: He missed a three short as he trailed the break after making the initial outlet. He threw down the lob on the break with JC. He drained a wing three on the kickout (such a quick release). He regained a possession with a foul crashing the offensive glass. He missed an open three in transition. He sank a 20-footer coming off a screen for the catch and shoot. Second Half: He got walked under the hoop to give up an offensive board on a missed FT. He lost the grip on a Lonzo feed, turnover. He sank a step-back 20-footer. He attacked off the three line and banked in the floater over Towns. He attacked off the three line and hit the lefty running hook. He attacked in transition a few seconds later, spun, and scored to force a timeout. He missed a corner three on the kickout. He slipped the screen off the double-drag screen sequence, took the pass and scored a layup. He stripped his man in the post to get a stop. He attacked from the corner and banked in the floater over the help D. He attacked on the pick and pop to hit Bryant under the hoop for FTs.

Clarkson -- -- Felt like he kicked some of the rust off and started to warm up as the game went along. One of the few reliable scorers out there tonight. If he watched how Vander played in the summer with Ball, that’s probably what we want from JC. Be that guy that gets to the rim for scores or hits the open threes with regularity. The Stats: He scored 14 points on 6-10 shooting (1-3 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 2 assists, 4 turnovers and 2 fouls in 23 minutes. He was a +4. The Action: He airballed a pull-up three in transition, wide open and wide left. He lobbed to Kuzma on the break for the dunk. Bad pass to Brewer cutting backdoor, turnover (telegraphed it and his timing was off). He lost his man on a hesitation dribble and scored the layup in early offense. He choked a dunk/layup attempt off a great feed from Ennis. He sank a wing three on a set play out of a timeout at the end of the half. Second Half: He sank a corner three right after entering. He missed a floater in transition. He was hit hard on a finish at the rim on the break for the And-1, he made the FT. He drained a wing jumper working behind a screen. He missed a wing three. We got it back to him in transition and he muscled in a layup over a defender.

Zubac -- -- He certainly looked more comfortable out there than anytime during Summer League. He wasn’t two steps behind everything. He wasn’t blowing easy scores. This was more like the Zubac we know. Good start in this one, getting several scores while working with Ennis. He was quieter in the second half. We put our C’s at the top of the arc with the ball all game long. Bogut with his passing and Lopez with his all-around game will make that a little more dynamic. Defensively, he had a couple of blocks. I thought he reacted much quicker on that end in this game than any time in the summer. He had some sloppy screens to clean up (think he had 3 fouls from screens). Definitely one of the players to take some positives from in this one. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 4-6 shooting (0-1 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 19 minutes. He was a +3. The Action: He up-faked on the baseline jumper, attacked right and scored the layup around the help D. He hit the short floater off the drive and dish from Ennis. Two-handed slam working off the two-man game with Ennis next time down. Wide open curling off the screen to start the second quarter and he dunked. He missed an open three straight way. He missed a baseline jumphook. He had 8 points on 4-6 shooting and 4 boards. Second Half: Nice job changing ends and Brewer found him on the pushout for FTs, he made one. XXX

Brewer -- -- I’ve been looking forward to seeing his speed on the floor with Lonzo. He changes ends quicker than most so he should thrive more in the up and down pace of the game. The 4 steals he had also helps the team get out on the break. Despite that, this team obviously will have a minutes issue for Brewer, assuming we see KCP looking more like himself than he did in this one. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-3 shooting (0-1 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 1 board, 4 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 16 minutes. He was a -3. The Action: He was fouled going after a loose ball to push it out, he made both FTs. He blocked a layup from behind on help D. He curled into the lane and flipped in a layup over the rim. He missed a corner jumper. Second Half: He pushed out the board and fed Zubac for FTs at the rim. He jumped a passing lane to swipe the ball and take it for the uncontested dunk (forcing a timeout). His interior pass was picked off.

Ennis -- -- He had some moments of chemistry with Zubac on his way to 8 assists. The game definitely slowed down some when he came in for Ball, despite Ennis pushing pace. He found some success getting into the midrange for scores, but did a good job setting the table for others. Very steady ball. I would have thought with as little as we practiced half court sets that would have hurt him some, but maybe having that collective experience from last year with Zubac, Clarkson and Brewer helped. Of course, Kuzma…just throw him out there anywhere with that more experienced unit. Late in the game he had to sit when his jersey was ripped in half by a grab as he started to push out on the break. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 3-5 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 8 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 12 minutes. He was a +4. The Action: He curled into the lane, drew the D and dumped it to Zubac for the score. He attacked baseline and whipped it to Zubac for the dunk off the sideline screen-roll. He hit Zubac curling off the screen on a set play for the dunk. He looked off the D as he came off the screen and hit the FT pull-up jumper. He missed a little bit of a forced three straight away. Second Half: Sloppy pass to Ingram who was trying to get post position, turnover. He attacked off the three line and hit the fade in the lane. He gave up a straight-line drive to force FTs. He sank a baseline pull-up after working the two-man game. He threw a pass out of bounds as Nance was running into a defender. His jersey was ripped in half on the break with no call as he fed JC for the And-1. He missed a forced floater.

Blue -- -- I’m definitely pulling for him. I wish he could have gotten in a littler earlier in this one. Hard to make an impact after sitting all game and coming in for the last few minutes. We needed some three shooting badly tonight. He hit one when the Lakers were threatening a little late. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 1-2 shooting (1-2 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards and no fouls in 7 minutes. He was a +5. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He missed a three in transition. He drew FTs attacking in transition off the Bryant block, he made both. He sank the corner three off the swing pass out of a timeout.

Bryant -- -- He had a great first game in summer league, then kind of faded away. We brought him in for some fourth quarter run. He imposed his size defensively with some nice challenges, including a block that ignited the break. I suspect he will spend most of the time in the G-League this year, but he definitely looked like he could hang with everyone out there tonight in his limited minutes. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-1 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 1 board, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 foul in 7 minutes. He was a +5. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He dunked off the lob from Caruso on the two-man sequence. A man bounced off him as he took the pass and he fed Nance for the dunk. He rejected a drive to ignite the break. He drew FTs on the drive and dish from Kuzma, he made one.

Caruso -- -- He gave the team a little late-game spark off the bench. You can see why they like him. He pushes the pace better than Ennis, but isn’t as polished as Ennis is. He’ll have the two-way deal of course. Not sure what the plan is right now if we can’t play one of Ennis or Ball for any stretch of games, but Caruso will be in the cards since he’s getting that two-way paper. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-2 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 2 assists and 1 foul in 7 minutes. He was a +5. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He snaked into the lane off the screen and lobbed to Bryant for the dunk. He collapsed the D, fed Bryant, who hit Nance for the dunk. He didn’t hit rim on a three. He hit a cutting Kuzma off the double drag screen for the layup. He couldn’t finish a layup across the lane in transition.

Walton -- -- JC in for KCP midway through the quarter… Zubac, Kuzma, Brewer, JC and Ball with 5 minutes left down 6… Down 6 still when Lonzo sat for Ennis with 3:21 left… Second unit balling behind Ennis, Zubac and Kuzma. They tied it up 31-31 heading into the second quarter… Down 2, he brought in Ball, KCP and Nance for Zubac, Ennis and JC… All starters back in midway through the quarter, Lakers down 6 again. Trouble with Shabazz defensively… Kuzma in for Ingram at SF, Zubac in at C to go with Randle, JC and Ball… Nice timeout with 3 seconds left to draw up a play for the Clarkson three as he came off the Zubac screen (he had Randle wide open in the corner, too)… The Lakers trailed 61-53 at the half. The TWolves were 17-21 from the FT line. The Lakers were 3-20 from three… Kuzma quickly in for Nance in the third… Lakers fading badly to start the quarter… JC in for KCP midway through the quarter, Lakers down 18… A one-man run by Kuzma to cut it to 10 and force a timeout… Ennis in for Ball out of that. So Zubac, Kuzma, Ingram, JC and Ennis… Zubac, Nance, Brewer, JC, Ennis to start the fourth… Ennis had his jersey shredded, so Ball came in for him… Lakers guards making a little push here, forcing at timeout down 8… With 6:41 left, down 12, he brought in the deep bench to give Blue, Caruso and Bryant minutes, running with Ball and Nance… Ennis in for Ball… Kuzma back in… The Lakers shot 16.7% from three (5-30)…
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OregonLakerGuy
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 10:30 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB.
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 10:33 pm    Post subject:

2nd
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 11:28 pm    Post subject:

Thanks for the writeup - as usual!!

The first part of the game seemingly had all the Lakers playing at a fever pitch that sapped their strength. It was a wakeup call of the needed NBA shape they needed to be in.

Obviously this is an important year for Randle and it will be interesting to see how he has improved his game. His defense will be the deciding factor on how much Randle will make next season - whether with the Lakers or somebody else.

Hopefully Nance will be able to make a consistent impact in games instead of disappearing for stretches.

Good to see Zubac making a positive impact in the game

Ball is Ball - excited to see his progress

Kuzma was/is/will be an exciting X Factor to watch
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 11:57 pm    Post subject:

TY DB
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 12:14 am    Post subject:

To be fair to Lonzo, he's not getting the rock back at all once he does his quick pass. A few guys need to learn to stop with the iso crap.

Just because you pound the rock forever and throw a pass, doesn't mean hyou're moving the ball idiots.

Any defensive rebound by someone other than Lonzo needs to be an immediate pass to him unless there's an obvious cherry pick pass on the other end. Seeing Randle/BI bring the ball downcourt was awful.


Some of our guys just need to realize that Lonzo doing the thinking for the team is the best for us.
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 1:10 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB. First preseason game, always sloppy. I like how just about every player on the second unit looked. Particularly Kuzma. Starters, well... on to the next game.
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 1:35 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB.
Lakers basketball. Sorry I can't help but get excited. It's Fall, the NBA season starts soon, hope springs eternal in the hearts of fans!
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 5:36 am    Post subject:

Thanks as always DB! I don't think we thank you enough for giving us the best internet fan site in the land. The time you spend, your hard work and depth of analysis, the quality of posters you have brought in, and your lack of ego make this a must for any Laker fan.

I almost choked when i read that Randle said “We have to get better on the defensive end.” He was very LAZY on both transition D (not getting back) and man to man D (not jumping out on his man and giving him wide open jumpers). I do not want to rag on him because I like him so enough of that.

Kuzma is the real deal and is much more than a outside shooter. He hustles 100% of the time (like LNJ), he has a great short game (he reminds me of Duncan in regards to how well he uses the glass), he plays good D, and always boxes out (something so simple, yet many players do not do it.

The best thing for this team is that Clarkson outplays KCP. I am worried that this is not the case and Clarkson gets buried in the rotation and becomes difficult to trade (which I assume will ultimately be the FO's intention).

The team really looks like they enjoy playing with each other. We do not have any prima donnas out there and its going to be a fun season. Teams are not going to like to play against us. Our kids are going to force teams to run hard.
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 6:01 am    Post subject:

OregonLakerGuy wrote:
Thanks DB.

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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 6:12 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB!
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 6:38 am    Post subject:

I’d like to see Randle and Caldwell-Pope work more of a two-man game, like how Randle set screens for shooters last season, to give Caldwell-Pope more options than being utilized as a corner three point shooter. I saw that he’s an exceptional pick and roll passer in his Detroit highlights.

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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 6:56 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB!

So many missed 3s and so many free throws conceded.
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 7:28 am    Post subject:

It seems like Kuzma is going to have to be a starter eventually.
His shooting is of the charts. He is probably the best shooter on the team. If he can play both PF and SF it would be great.

It would be nice if Lonzo could fix his shot just a little. Maybe some small adjustments from the coaching staff. But nothing to make him uncomfortable. He will get there as he gets more experience.

The lack of a big center to handle Towns was evident.

Randle's shot has improved especially his mid range. If he can improve his defense, he will be a good player.
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 8:28 am    Post subject:

I held off a bit on being down on Randle's defense mostly because of the mismatched lineups without Lopez or Bogut, and because the first game is usually so sloppy it's hard to draw firm conclusions just yet. He didn't stand out on defense though, we'll see. I saw him score very effectively from mid-range in, but I don't recall seeing him set any solid picks for other players. That's a concern for me, although there's no organization to the half court offense right now either, beyond winging it.

Nance had an off night, but asking him to play center against KAT is not exactly a fair backdrop for judging his game. I'd like to see what Nance can do with Lopez or Bogut out there before judging his effectiveness.

I hope the Brandon Ingram from early first half shows up more often. The BI we saw in the second half is a good reason to give Kuzma lots and lots of playing time. And Magic, Luke, Rob, need to tone it down on the "Lakers leading scorer" or "20 points per game" commentary until Brandon is ready to take on that role. If Kuzma doesn't get there first.
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 8:28 am    Post subject:

YAY T & R!

Thanks DB
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DancingBarry
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 9:10 am    Post subject:

JUST-MING wrote:
I’d like to see Randle and Caldwell-Pope work more of a two-man game, like how Randle set screens for shooters last season, to give Caldwell-Pope more options than being utilized as a corner three point shooter. I saw that he’s an exceptional pick and roll passer in his Detroit highlights.



I think Randle's kickback/DHO game would work great with both KCP and Ball. Hope we see it.
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venturalakersfan
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 9:22 am    Post subject:

TooMuchMajicBuss wrote:
I held off a bit on being down on Randle's defense mostly because of the mismatched lineups without Lopez or Bogut, and because the first game is usually so sloppy it's hard to draw firm conclusions just yet. He didn't stand out on defense though, we'll see. I saw him score very effectively from mid-range in, but I don't recall seeing him set any solid picks for other players. That's a concern for me, although there's no organization to the half court offense right now either, beyond winging it.

Nance had an off night, but asking him to play center against KAT is not exactly a fair backdrop for judging his game. I'd like to see what Nance can do with Lopez or Bogut out there before judging his effectiveness.

I hope the Brandon Ingram from early first half shows up more often. The BI we saw in the second half is a good reason to give Kuzma lots and lots of playing time. And Magic, Luke, Rob, need to tone it down on the "Lakers leading scorer" or "20 points per game" commentary until Brandon is ready to take on that role. If Kuzma doesn't get there first.
m

Randle matched up with KAT most of the time.
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Omar Little
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 9:31 am    Post subject:

laker50 wrote:
It seems like Kuzma is going to have to be a starter eventually.
His shooting is of the charts. He is probably the best shooter on the team. If he can play both PF and SF it would be great.

It would be nice if Lonzo could fix his shot just a little. Maybe some small adjustments from the coaching staff. But nothing to make him uncomfortable. He will get there as he gets more experience.

The lack of a big center to handle Towns was evident.

Randle's shot has improved especially his mid range. If he can improve his defense, he will be a good player.


Towns was actually only 1-6 from two point range (he had four free throws, two on a pretty iffy call, but even with them, he was pretty contained inside by smaller guys. Randle did a really good job there, he just didn't close out on a few threes well. But he was not physically overmatched at all.
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leor_77
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 9:44 am    Post subject:

Seems like there was more ball movement in summer league, as well as three point shooting. Our actual team definitely has less shooters.
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TooMuchMajicBuss
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 9:53 am    Post subject:

venturalakersfan wrote:
TooMuchMajicBuss wrote:
I held off a bit on being down on Randle's defense mostly because of the mismatched lineups without Lopez or Bogut, and because the first game is usually so sloppy it's hard to draw firm conclusions just yet. He didn't stand out on defense though, we'll see. I saw him score very effectively from mid-range in, but I don't recall seeing him set any solid picks for other players. That's a concern for me, although there's no organization to the half court offense right now either, beyond winging it.

Nance had an off night, but asking him to play center against KAT is not exactly a fair backdrop for judging his game. I'd like to see what Nance can do with Lopez or Bogut out there before judging his effectiveness.

I hope the Brandon Ingram from early first half shows up more often. The BI we saw in the second half is a good reason to give Kuzma lots and lots of playing time. And Magic, Luke, Rob, need to tone it down on the "Lakers leading scorer" or "20 points per game" commentary until Brandon is ready to take on that role. If Kuzma doesn't get there first.
m

Randle matched up with KAT most of the time.


Yeah that's right I did see Randle on KAT, and as 24 pointed out above KAT was 1 for 6 from 2 pt range. Would he have been able to close out on 3's more if we had Bogut or Lopez down low protecting the rim? This is a reason I think it's too early to judge the defense on one sloppy preseason game with a key part of our interior defense either resting a sore back or waiting out a Visa snafu.
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CRoost
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 10:22 am    Post subject:

laker50 wrote:
It seems like Kuzma is going to have to be a starter eventually.
His shooting is of the charts. He is probably the best shooter on the team. If he can play both PF and SF it would be great.

It would be nice if Lonzo could fix his shot just a little. Maybe some small adjustments from the coaching staff. But nothing to make him uncomfortable. He will get there as he gets more experience.

The lack of a big center to handle Towns was evident.

Randle's shot has improved especially his mid range. If he can improve his defense, he will be a good player.


Kuzma is much better suited to play with Lonzo in any pick and roll and pop. He should start along with Lopez/Randle or at least play more. The spacing is not really good with Nance and Randle and if you play a quality team like that tWolves, you can’t run these guys out of the building. I like Nance and his hustles and his defense and I believe he’s more suited off the bench.

I can see Randle improvement on his midrange. Hopefully he can develop that like Dieng. Defensively, I think he can be that small ball center.

Ingram and KCP had a lot of good looks but just could knock them down.

The refs kinda sucked the air out of this game. They were calling a lot of touch fouls that slowed down the game considerably which minimized Lonzo and Lakers running game.
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calistrtballr
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 10:27 am    Post subject:

kuzma should be 2nd option, set screens for him and let him go to work. Like nick young last year, get him open looks. He wont miss. Thank God kcp is only a rental, wow Godawful performance!
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Omar Little
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 10:29 am    Post subject:

calistrtballr wrote:
kuzma should be 2nd option, set screens for him and let him go to work. Like nick young last year, get him open looks. He wont miss. Thank God kcp is only a rental, wow Godawful performance!


I wouldn't put too much stick in the first pre season game for a guy with years in the league.
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Lakers#1Team
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 2:53 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB!
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