NUGGETS -at- LAKERS – 10-4-17 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 04, 2017 9:42 pm    Post subject: NUGGETS -at- LAKERS – 10-4-17 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

Just Ugly… No Lopez, Ingram or Ball tonight. That’s a big chunk of the starting lineup … and it showed.

Instead, we went with Bryant, Deng and Ennis as their replacements. Denver sat key players, as well. The Lakers fell behind quickly, going scoreless for the first several possessions as the Nuggets started working on their target practice.

The Lakers would give up 41 points in the first quarter and 103 by the end of the third.

“Unfortunately in the first half we might as well throw that tape away,” Luke said of the defense. He didn’t like the effort. “I don’t think that’s who this group is.”

Once again the bright spot in the 122-104 loss to the Nuggets was once again, Kyle Kuzma, whose killing it out there. He led the team with 21 points on 7-9 shooting.

(Note: Some limited stats below as an accurate boxscore was hard to find.)


Randle -- -- When you compare Kuzma and Randle production-wise on offense, Kuz makes it look easy, Randle makes it look hard right now. This is the kind of game where you’ve got to have bigger production from Julius with all the other starters out. That’s not saying he was terrible. I liked some of the things he did out there and his leadership so far this season. If you’re paying attention, he’s actually doing a lot more this season in several areas. He’s challenging shots on D much better and much more consistently. Some nice blocks tonight. He’s getting up for finishes a little more. That’s not to say he doesn’t have problems around the rim, but we saw that lob finish the previous game and a massive flush over a big in this one. He did have some troubles holding onto lob passes or finishing them in this one, but teammates are looking for him a ton more on that, which leads me to believe in practice he’s finishing those well. Definitely some of the little stuff to appreciate from Randle in this game, as well. He put some good screen work in. He hustled down court without the ball to make himself an option on the break. And he even confidently took and drained a three. He still had some sloppy moments finishing around the rim, charging in transition, setting sloppy screens or traveling. So issues for sure, but good signs from him despite our struggles as a team. “They broke down our defense and got every shot they wanted the whole game,” Randle said. He said he challenged everyone to tighten it up in the second half. A lot of ownership by him on that end of the floor, which I like. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 3-8 shooting (1-2 from the line, 1-2 from three) to go with 4 boards, 1 assist, 3 blocks, 4 turnovers and 3 fouls. The Action: He posted up and missed badly with the righty jumphook (wide open and wide left). He couldn’t finish a lob in transition (great job changing ends by the way), he pulled it down and drew FTs instead, he made one. He traveled trying to power up under the hoop. He was called for a charge in transition. He rejected a drive on help D to ignite a break. He was called for a carry on iso. Sloppy screen, offensive foul. Great job getting up to block a shot on one end, then he knocked down a three on a kickout on the other. He choked a lob finish. Second Half: He took the bounce pass in the lane, sized up the defenders and hammered a monster dunk. He missed a wing three, a little off balance on that one. Great recovery to reject a shot at the rim. He dunked, trailing the break off the Ennis steal. He missed the elbow pull-up short, got to hit those.

Caldwell-Pope -- -- He made three of his four threes, but man you could tell when he missed his other shots with those rims tonight. That noise. Thuddddd. Thuddddd. Clank. Throw in some very wild drives (make that many, many wild drive) and yuck. Not a pretty game at times. Great to see him drill from three. Hopefully, he’s starting to warm up there. Definitely liking the effort on D so far this preseason. He’s getting after it. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 4-13 shooting (3-4 from three, 0-2 from the line to go with 4 boards, 2 steals, 1 turnover and no fouls. The Action: He threw a pass away on the break after getting OC. He missed an 18-footer curling off the screens. He attacked the closeout and scored the layup around the help. He stepped around a post player to swipe a pass and then hit Randle in transition. He rattled in a three in transition. He missed a wing three. He drew FTs and clanked both. He was blocked on a drive but recovered it. He clanked a corner three badly. He swished a three taking a pass behind a screen (finally didn’t hit any rim on a shot). Way short on a wing three. He couldn’t finish a layup in transition. Wild drive again next time down and he couldn’t finish, ugh. Second Half: He took the tech and clanked, missed FT (Ennis needs to run to that FT line faster). He swished a three a few seconds later when Bryant found him. He clanked, way short on a pull-up wing jumper next time down. He gambled for a steal and lost, his man was able to lob for a dunk. He was blocked going one on four in transition.

Ennis -- -- He got the start with Ball out with the ankle sprain. The team tried to maintain their tempo, but he’s obviously not as effective in the first 3-4 seconds off a possession like Lonzo. Still he’s steady and generally sets up the offense well. Not a lot of creating for others in this one, however. I really didn’t like how we utilized our half-court sets tonight compared to the last game. I’d also like to see a little more three ball dropping from him like the end of last season. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-4 shooting (0-1 from the line, 2-3 from three) to go with 1 assist, 2 steals and no fouls. The Action: He attacked the rim and drew FTs for the Lakers first scratch, he made both. Cross-court feed to KCP who attacked and scored. Second Half: He missed a wing three. He attacked from the wing and hit the layup. He slithered into the lane in transition but choked the finish. He probed off the screen and hit the floater over a big. He drew FTs on the break and made both. He swiped the ball, sealed a defender on the attack, drew another and hit Randle for the dunk.

Bryant -- -- I guess he earned the start with the good passing and hustle from the last one. It would really be nice to have Lopez out here so we could figure out the starting lineup a little more. Not as much impact in this one. He did have a good look to a teammate for an assist. We still haven’t seen him take a perimeter shot yet, which is a little odd. The Stats: He didn’t score or shoot and had 3 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal and 4 fouls. The Action: He posted up and hit Deng cutting for a layup. He fumbled away a post entry. Second Half: He hit KCP for the three.

Deng -- -- Not sure why Kuzma didn’t get the start. Maybe because it would be hard to pull him back out of the starting lineup for someone not playing as well as him? Without Lonzo out there, Deng wasn’t getting into transition like we saw in the last one. He scratched out a few random buckets in his time out there. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 3-5 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 1 board, 2 assists and no fouls. The Action: Not close on a pull-up three. Nice cut from the weakside off Bryant’s post and he scored a layup off the interior feed. He attacked and hit a cutting JC for the score. Second Half: He hit the pull-up 18-footer. He hesitated on a pull-up and missed.

Kuzma -- -- Ridiculous efficiency in this one – 21 points on 9 shots. He’s outplayed all of our other SFs so far. I mean it’s really not even close. He’s led the team in scoring every game off the bench. He’s showing a wide variety of scoring skills regardless of whether he’s at the 3 or 4. He posted up smaller players for jumphooks. He showed footspeed on spin moves or first steps to attack baseline. He got into the open spaces to create clear passing lanes and finished with speed. If there’s an area to improve upon it’s the rebounding right now. It could be part of playing a chunk of time at the SF, but could also be the size of guys as well at the PF spot. The Stats: He scored 21 points on 7-9 shooting (7-8 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls. The Action: He filled the lane with speed, took the pass and finished the And-1 layup, he made the FT. He pushed out the break and was fouled for FTs, he made both. Tough 21-footer off the dribble and he knocked it down. He attacked baseline, stopped on the dime, spun one way, back the other and easily banked after losing his man. He faced up Arthur, attacked baseline and drew FTs, he made one. He missed a quick-fire wing three in transition. He missed a tough turnaround from 20 feet with the shotclock low. Great job changing ends after a miss and Caruso outlet to him for the breakaway layup. Nice hustle in transition after a turnover to prevent a layup. Second Half: He attacked off the three line and soared over Plumlee on a massive throwdown attempt to draw FTs, he made both. Quick attack off the bounce pass from JC to score a layup down the middle of the paint (excellent job getting into open space to get the pass). He took the post feed, attacked immediately and hit the short jumphook. He drew FTs on a spin move, he made one. He telegraphed a pass trying to find Zubac down low, turnover. He faced up, blew past his man baseline with the quick first step and reverse jammed, wow.

Clarkson -- -- Offensively, the numbers look reasonable after the game. Again, a bit of a choppy game with him. The offense wasn’t flowing well, so he looked to create off the dribble and got to the line a few times. Defensively, he was a non-factor. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 4-8 shooting (0-1 from three, 4-6 from the line) to go with 2 boards. The Action: He clanked a pull-up three on one end, then gave up a layup on the other. He missed a floater in transition. He dribbled through a crowd and was blocked. He cut off Deng’s drive, took the pass and scored the layup. Quick attack off the catch and he drew FTs on the drive, he made one. He attacked a mistake by the D and drew FTs at the rim, he made just one again. He attacked a seam and hit the runner. He missed a wing pull-up jumper. He pushed out the break and took it the distance for a layup. He probed too soon at the end of the half but earned FTs, he made both. Second Half: He split defenders and hit the floater down the middle of the lane.

Nance -- -- Man, this has been an ugly start to the preseason for Larry on both ends. Some of that may be when he’s not out there with a true big. He just has problems (like when Plumlee dunked over him). Nance bit on pumpfakes too much tonight. He’s just off in most aspects of the game. Really not a lot of impact. We did see him get out in transition some early on tonight, but was unable to finish cleanly. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-4 shooting (0-1 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 1 steal and 3 fouls. The Action: He attacked in transition and couldn’t finish. He took a pass from Caruso at midcourt and was fouled on the finish attempt, he made one FT. He tipped in a missed Clarkson floater. He bit on an up-fake and gave up a layup. No hesitation on a three in transition, but he missed. Second Half: He got dominated on a drive by Plumlee and gave up an And-1 dunk. He sank an 18-footer off good ball movement.

Zubac -- -- He played about a quarter’s worth of action. Again, no real chemistry offensively for the second game. This time Zu is on the bench and Ennis is starting despite the good game they had together out of the gates. He got his points when his man gambled on a pass, missed and Zu attacked. He also had a tip in on a drive. Really not much action for him. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-2 shooting to go with 2 boards, 1 steal, 1 block and 1 foul. The Action: His man went for a steal, came up empty, Zubac attacked and scored with his left (you reach, Zu teach). He blocked a drive on help D. Second Half: Looked like he tipped in a missed drive by Vander

Blue -- -- He got to start the fourth quarter. Really wish he could be part of the earlier rotation, but with KCP and JC the minutes are tough. We’ve used him when we’ve gone small and start playing three guards. Good job defensively again. He scored his points at the rim. I have a lot of faith in his ability to finish. He always seems to earn FTs or finish layups at a high clip on his drives. Not enough of that in this game from some of our other guards out there. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-5 shooting (0-1 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 1 steal and 1 foul. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He swiped the ball on the perimeter, pushed it out and drew FTs, he made one. He attacked strong to his right and scored the layup with ease. He missed a tricky three off the quick bounce up off the cross-court feed. He attacked to his right, went high off the glass and Zubac tipped it in. He attacked in transition and scored a layup. He attacked a seam and finished a layup on the rim. He forced his man into a turnover and we scored on the break.

Brewer -- When we’re playing our game, you see Brewer changing ends with speed off turnovers to turn those into transition points. This was a choppy game in general for us and that’s how Corey looked out there. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-2 shooting (0-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards and no fouls. The Action: He reversed on his first touch. He missed a chuck from midrange in transition. He strayed too far off his man and gave up a three at the end of the half. Second Half: He was fouled on a baseline drive and bricked both FTs.

Weber -- -- Weber finally got some quality time on the court to make his case. But his defense betrayed him in this one. A good way to get yourself cut is by getting caught ballwatching a couple of times to leave your man wide open for easy scores. That wasn’t pretty. We had a lot of those kinds of plays and that was, unfortunately, the lasting impression I had of his game. Just a negative factor on D in this one. Offensively, he was able to find teammates for threes on some kickouts. He had a couple finishes at the rim. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-5 shooting (0-1 from three, 1-3 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 4 assists and no fouls. The Action: He pushed out the Zubac block and took it for a layup. Loose ball foul to earn FTs, he made one. He got backdoored badly to give up a layup. He attacked and missed a floater. He hit Randle on a kickout for three. Ballwatched again and lost his man to give up a three. Second Half: He attacked to his right, took contact and scored the And-1 layup, he missed the FT. Way short on a wing three. He kicked out to Hart for the three.

Hart -- -- Great to see him on the floor again. “He’s a tough young man,” Luke said, “and that’s something we need on our team.” He entered the game to start the second quarter. Probably a lot of rust to get rid of since he hasn’t played any real games since going down with injury in the Summer League. “Trying to get back into shape,” Josh said. Defensively, Luke said he had a couple of gambles, but thought he was solid overall. He got better on both ends as the game went along. “We’re just trying to piece everything together. There are just so many new guys in this lockerroom,” Josh said. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-6 shooting (1-3 from three, 0-1 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls. The Action: Nothing to report. Second Half: He forced a drive into space that wasn’t there and then threw it away. Nice perimeter D to help force a fumble and airball. He ballwatched and got backdoored badly for a layup. He missed a corner three, short. He came up short on an elbow pull-up against the shotlcock. He gave up baseline and a layup. He fought over the screen to draw a moving screen call and get a stop. He sank a pull-up off the floppy sequence as he curled back into the lane. He banged down a wing three off the kickout. He missed a wing three. He filled a lane on the break and threw down. Strong on the finish in transition to score the layup.

Caruso -- -- He was close on a few plays where he came up empty – a missed dunk down the lane, a missed steal at midcourt that gave up numbers. He had some real hit and miss moments on D. Sometimes he was great fighting through screens, staying in front of his man. Other times, he’s was lost not covering his man. Just couldn’t put it together. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-5 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 1 board, 3 assists, 3 steals and 3 fouls. The Action: First possession of the game out of a timeout and he got picked and midcourt. Nice pressure himself on the perimeter to steal the ball and hit Nance breaking for a score. His layup attempt was spiked out of bounds on the breakaway. He pushed out after a made basket, stepped on the gas as he saw and opening and scored. Not sure who he was covering with 5 seconds left on an inbounds and we gave up FTs as a big picked up a foul. He pulled up off the screen and hit the elbow jumper. Long Lonzo-like outlet to Kuzma changing ends for the score. Second Half: Awful advanced pass right to the Nuggets, turnover. He missed a sideline three. His pass was deflected, turnover. He couldn’t finish a two-hand flush on a drive at the end of the third. XXX

Zimmerman -- -- A big body mostly needed for practice numbers, he got in late tonight and scored a layup on the break. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-1 shooting, had 1 board and 1 assist. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He finished the layup getting down court on the break.

Beachem -- -- In late for some garbage time. He scored a layup and assisted on another. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-2 shooting and had 1 assist. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He missed a wing jumper on a kickout. He hit Zimmerman for a layup. He took a feed in the lane and scored the layup.

Walton -- -- The Lakers fell behind 8-0 to start the game… Deng out for Kuzma after 5 minutes… The Lakers trailed 23-10 midway through the quarter when Luke called a timeout. Getting torched early… Luke brought in Zubac, Nance, JC and Caruso out of that, who promptly turned it over… Zubac out for Deng, Lakers down 10… The Lakers trailed 41-30 after the first quarter. Way too many points… To start the second quarter: Nance, Kuzma, Deng, Hart and Caruso… Weber and KCP in after a couple minutes. Kuzma out with 12 points on 4-6 shooting with 9:31 left. Caruso out, too... Randle in for Nance… Zubac back in for Deng… After a couple wild KCP drives that came up empty Luke called a timeout, down 15… Kuzma back in for Zubac out of that timeout. Randle, Kuzma, Brewer, JC, Weber lineup… The Lakers trailed 74-52 at the half… Lakers falling back big to start the third… JC, Kuzma and Caruso in. Lakers down big still… Nance in for Bryant, Lakers down 22… Just ugly… The Lakers trailed 103-75 heading into the fourth… Nance, Kuzma, Hart, Blue, Weber to start the fourth… Down 24, Zu in for Nance at the C…
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Omar Little
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 04, 2017 9:43 pm    Post subject:

First
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 04, 2017 9:45 pm    Post subject:

Kuzma was definitely the bright spot.

Thanks
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 04, 2017 9:48 pm    Post subject:

Not sure how people feel about these loses in the pre season but the fact that we might have 2 20PPG scorers this year in Kuzma and Lopez, that's a lot of offensive output, we are gonna be a fun group to watch with wins in our pocket.
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 04, 2017 9:53 pm    Post subject:

Next game is Sunday, right? So plenty of time to address the many, many defensive woes we've had. If we look just as bad against the Kings, then it may be time to start panicking a little.
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 04, 2017 9:55 pm    Post subject:

mhan00 wrote:
Next game is Sunday, right? So plenty of time to address the many, many defensive woes we've had. If we look just as bad against the Kings, then it may be time to start panicking a little.


Bogut and Lopez will combine for 5-6 blocks per game, our D will be Improved unless there is a lazy attitude with these guys
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 04, 2017 10:19 pm    Post subject:

Quote:
Not sure why Kuzma didn’t get the start. Maybe because it would be hard to pull him back out of the starting lineup for someone not playing as well as him?


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PostPosted: Wed Oct 04, 2017 10:52 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB.
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 12:37 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB

Acknowledge your observations on Randle

Given his experience, physical skills and recognition that this is his contract year - in every game, he is making Rob an Magic's decision easier and clearer regarding offering him a contract and at what amount.

Remembering that Randle was the veteran of the group that failed miserably in providing the minimum effort Luke expects. You have noted that Randle spoke up during halftime. Might it be more effective to correct these mistakes with the rookies on the court?

Given Kuzma's impact as a comparison, the differences are revealing

How will Luke maximize JC's production

Is it reasonable to expect to be the role models on how to play defense?
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 12:53 am    Post subject:

i remember del harris saying something similar db regarding the clamor to put kobe in the starting line up - never coming out once he gets in...
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 1:32 am    Post subject:

Of individual performance two things are plain and clear:
- Nance or Randle at C just does not work.
- Kuzma will have a bright career
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PG Johnson / Goodrich
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 2:32 am    Post subject:

Least depth at PG. Ball will be inconsistent, and any time without him would be worse.

Poor D and lack of shot creator, it will be another long season. The team is selling nothing but hope(young talents and FAs) now.
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 3:20 am    Post subject:

OregonLakerGuy wrote:
Thanks DB.

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PostPosted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 3:56 am    Post subject:

Your write ups are better than any paid or unpaid content on the Lakers I've ever read.
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 5:20 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB! This is what preseason is for, to uncover the ugly truth to all the preseason hype, and in the process maybe find a couple gems as we figure out who starts, who plays, and who goes to G League.

Amazing what a difference there is between the Denver squad and the Laker squad in terms of the simple ability to shoot from outside. Denver has about 12 players who won't miss if you leave them open, we seem to have about 12 players who won't hit even if left open.

It'll be interesting to see how the dynamic changes with Brook Lopez and Andrew Bogut finally playing, how this affects the way Randle is used, and where Kuzma fits in versus Nance, Ingram, and apparently Deng too.

I would hope we see Kuzma swapping between 3 and 4 all game long, and we almost never see Randle and Ingram on the floor at the same time.

I liked how Josh Hart finished the game. Once he chipped a little rust off he had the look of the kind of 2 way player we need on this squad. Granted, against the bottom of Denver's lineup, but I'd like to see him on the floor more, and earlier in the game soon.
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 5:21 am    Post subject:

Wow. What an ugly game.

First, thanks DB for watching the whole game because there were a lot of cringe worthy stomach turning sequences that were hard to watch.

Agreed on Randle. He is doing the little things better (defense, leadership, communication) but his overall game has not stepped up especially tonight with so many starters out.

Liked the fact that Kuzma and Clarkson stepped up. They have the potential of being a solid 1-2 punch off of the bench. Stats were all over the place (CBS Sports had Clarkson with 24 pts and Kuzma with 17 pts last night). Ennis is a career backup and should not be starting. Luke should have given Caruso a run with the starters and allowed Ennis to work more on chemistry with the second unit.

I am concerned about a couple of things. With all of the emphasis on "world class athletes" we sure do looked winded too many times during the first three games. And no one was playing in the high 20's low 30's as far as minutes go.

For all the emphasis on defense we sure are giving up a lot of points (particularly from three).
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 8:07 am    Post subject:

its blatantly obvious and I hope the coaching staff finally realizes: Larry is no center, and most importantly, Kuzma has earned a starting spot. Who cares about Ingram's feelings. He had all summer to get better, no excuses for his anemic performances. On the flip side, Randle has shown some improvement. He's just not a 1st or 2nd option, and he can forget about that max.
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 9:51 am    Post subject:

Laker7 wrote:
With all of the emphasis on "world class athletes" we sure do looked winded too many times during the first three games. And no one was playing in the high 20's low 30's as far as minutes go.


I will say with Lonzo, we are running transition plays at an epic percentage of our total offense. It's early and we really only have two games with Lonzo, so two isn't a trend...but what we saw in summer league was an extremely high percentage and that carried over to the first two games. It may take a bit for them to get where they want to, but eventually they have potential to run opponents into the ground. I think we'll need to see low minutes and lots of subs to keep that going.
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 10:10 am    Post subject:

DancingBarry wrote:
Laker7 wrote:
With all of the emphasis on "world class athletes" we sure do looked winded too many times during the first three games. And no one was playing in the high 20's low 30's as far as minutes go.


I will say with Lonzo, we are running transition plays at an epic percentage of our total offense. It's early and we really only have two games with Lonzo, so two isn't a trend...but what we saw in summer league was an extremely high percentage and that carried over to the first two games. It may take a bit for them to get where they want to, but eventually they have potential to run opponents into the ground. I think we'll need to see low minutes and lots of subs to keep that going.


Agreed.
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 11:36 am    Post subject:

Thx DB great write up as always.

Unfortunately at this point, preseason or not, they look like a bottom-5 lottery team again.
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 11:36 am    Post subject:

DancingBarry wrote:
Laker7 wrote:
With all of the emphasis on "world class athletes" we sure do looked winded too many times during the first three games. And no one was playing in the high 20's low 30's as far as minutes go.


I will say with Lonzo, we are running transition plays at an epic percentage of our total offense. It's early and we really only have two games with Lonzo, so two isn't a trend...but what we saw in summer league was an extremely high percentage and that carried over to the first two games. It may take a bit for them to get where they want to, but eventually they have potential to run opponents into the ground. I think we'll need to see low minutes and lots of subs to keep that going.


Good point. However, I see 2 potential issues:

1. Lonzo’s durability
2. Alarming inability to shoot well. The SL team was really good at hitting shots.

Cross fingers and hope on #1 not being an issue, but #2 is going to be a major issue this season and will probably be the reason the lakers struggle for anything over 30 wins. With better shooting I could see 35+ but certainly don’t see it with the current group Lonzo is feeding the ball to. Only Kuzma and Lopez really provide confidence right now with respect to perimeter shooting.
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DancingBarry
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 11:43 am    Post subject:

By run into the ground, I just meant the transition game. We may be elite in the first few seconds of a possession. After that, yeah... we've got challenges. And when it's winning time, and the game slows down, it will be interesting to see what's up with this team.

Lonzo's health and foul trouble are going to be key to everything in this regard.
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LakerSD
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 12:01 pm    Post subject:

DancingBarry wrote:
By run into the ground, I just meant the transition game. We may be elite in the first few seconds of a possession. After that, yeah... we've got challenges. And when it's winning time, and the game slows down, it will be interesting to see what's up with this team.

Lonzo's health and foul trouble are going to be key to everything in this regard.


No doubt. I’m sure they will get their good chunk of transition points when it’s a layup or path to the basket. I just meant there were times in SL where Lonzo found the open man ready to shoot a 3 (i.e. Thomas, Blue, Kuzma). In that sense I see a major struggle unless it’s Lopez or Kuzma shooting.

Half court will definitely be a struggle.
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 2:49 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB!

I'm also left wondering where we are going to find enough shooting. Lopez will help and hopefully Ennis, JC, Blue and Caruso will step up and improve their 3-ball.

It's been hard to build teamwork and chemistry with the injuries and different rotations. That should improve once we get a steady rotation going.

I assume they are working every day on rebounding and defense. Improving on those two items will give us many more transition opportunities.
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foreveralakerfan
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 3:01 pm    Post subject:

An overall dismal game.

The problem is, the way Luke wants the lakers to play up-tempo, it just doesn't work unless you have the talent (See GS). This style of play encourages Clarkson to play OC, take rushed shots, and take 3's, the problem being that aside from KK, no one is consistent from there. Randle shooting 4 of them this game is a crime and he should be benched, same for Nance ever taking them. Not only does this style of play force more defensive possessions on the lakers, they play D for more time than they play offense. And when they miss it encourages run-outs...all in all, not a good style of play for this team and if Luke insists on speeding up the play, it will only hasten the speed up of his own demise.

If I am able, I will run a watch on the time the lakers play D vs O next game. My guess is it will be bad for them...
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