LAKERS -vs- PELICANS - 7-15-22 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

 
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DancingBarry
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 15, 2022 10:26 pm    Post subject: LAKERS -vs- PELICANS - 7-15-22 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

Summer League Team - Game 7... The game started out with some pace, but the Pelicans got a little separation after sinking multiple threes in a row in the first quarter.

The Lakers caught them again after Jay Huff entered the game for the first time since the health and safety protocols had sidelined him. In those 3 first-half minutes, he went a +11 and by halftime, the Lakers had built an 8-point lead.

Then Cole Swider flipped on the switch to open the third with 11 points in just 2 minutes. He sank a flurry of threes and a midrange jumper to break open the game.

The Pelicans never recovered, and the Lakers took the 102-94 win.


Christie -- -- He’s steadily improved. He sank a couple of threes in four attempts, but he was given the ball on some percentage buster shots early. One he had to side step his man to get some space on the sideline and he swished that tough attempt from three just before the clock went off. He’d sink another open three in the second half. He’d knock down a long two on the catch. So the perimeter shooting looked smooth. On the attack, he again got caught having to take a tough runner (this one with his left) because he couldn’t get good separation to the rim. But he also drew FTs on another drive. In transition he finished an And-1 layup, as well. He plays above his actual size out there. I haven’t seen a lot of guys scoring on him throughout summer league. We’ve seen a couple guys put some muscle on him to get past him, but even that’s been rare. (I don’t think it will be at the next level.) But that’s his most ready skill is competing on that end of the floor. If he can give you exactly what he did tonight offensively, as well? Then he’ll likely find his way into the NBA. What the Lakers are hoping is that they took a young guy who came out probably a little too early, and he grows into a first round pick by this time next year. That’s how you make up for not having a first-rounder. (That and do really well with your undrafted signings like Reaves last year.) The Stats: He scored 12 points on 4-8 shooting (2-4 from three, 2-3 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 2 assists, 1 turnover and no fouls in 23 minutes. He was a +7.

Pippen Jr. -- -- My concerns about his game are with his size (6-0 without shoes). He has shown a lot of struggles finishing at this level. It’s only going to get worse. That doesn’t mean he can’t be effective. Guys like John Stockton knew how to use their body and finish around athletic players, but right now SPJ has been noticeably psyched out by the bodies flying around him on layup attempts. He had a breakaway he should have scored on and threw up a brick because of a closing player. We’ve seen some consistently bad finish attempts throughout the games on layups. Where he does really well is getting into that midrange or short pull-ups before getting all the way to the rim. He had a couple tonight where he hung and scored on finishes that were a few feet out from a layup. On the three ball, I don’t trust it if he’s asked to create against the clock. He needs to get those extra few feet separation and shoot it further out from there (similar to the few feet he needs at the rim). And that makes for some tough chucks like we saw tonight. But like I mentioned previously, if he’s playing with another playmaker type and he can hit some off-ball threes, that’s where he seems comfortable. I like him ball handling with clock, getting into the paint and making decisions on shooting/passing. He had 7 assists today and did a great job playing at whatever pace he needed. He did have a turnover on an ATO where he forced the pass instead of improvising when it wasn’t there. That has happened multiple times this summer. Defensively, he’s got a nose for steals and good hands. If he’s playing with guys who can anchor and scramble behind him, he can find some effectiveness there (3 steals again today). Ultimately, his path is harder (with the current roster…and that can change) to find where he fits. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 4-12 shooting (1-4 from three, 2-3 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 7 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 4 fouls in 22 minutes. He was a +11.

Swider -- -- How does he fit on the team at the next level? He had a flurry of scores to start the second half that got the Lakers some separation. I picture this kind of role off the bench where he gives you some punch that occasionally helps break a game open. In 2 minutes, he had the Pelicans reeling. Better yet, he knew it and the team knew it and he got after it. Maybe picture him a little bit like the role Melo had. That kind of guy who can come in off the bench and make teams pay from the perimeter (but without the post ups). Defensively, he will also have the issues, which is why you want him going against other bench players. You may have to pick your spots with him. There are a lot of teams that put defenders on LeBron, who can’t really do much offensively. They space the floor and are low-activity offensive players. Swider can fit there on those types of guys defensively. Teams will look for the switch and try to hunt him, but that’s the role. Don’t pencil him in with the closing group like I’ve seen some try. It was a bad idea when Melo was out there, and Melo was stronger. It will likely be a bad idea with Swider in those situations. But all that said, he has a tremendous skill we are very, very short on currently. That shooting matters on any team, but especially one that is currently projected to be one of the worst shooting teams in the league. He sank 5 threes tonight on 11 attempts (one was a 60-foot chuck at he buzzer, so really 5-10 shooting). His first make, he side-stepped the closeout and hit the wing three. He sank another on a kickout. We then saw a rare attack off the three line where he finger rolled in a layup. To open that secondhalf, he hit a catch and shoot three on the first possession. Next time down just drilled another three right over his man. He then faked a handoff and hit a midrange jumper (rare we’ve seen that). We found the hot hand in transition and he buried another one. Just a flurry to open the second half and that busted the game open. As the roster stands right now, we need his shooting. He’s been so efficient that if you put him around some defenders, you could find minutes. The Stats: He scored 21 points on 8-15 shooting (5-11 from three, 0-1 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 1 steal and no fouls in 23 minutes. He was a +11.

Pierre-Louis -- -- Really quiet night from him. He’s most noticeable, of course, when he’s hounding guys up floor and on the perimeter defensively, which will wear on guys. He did set a couple of screens to free up Swider for threes. But nothing stood out beyond that. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-2 shooting to go with 4 boards and 2 fouls in 13 minutes. He was a +6.

Huff -- -- Finally back from the health and safety protocols. They didn’t start him and gave him some short minutes probably as a result. They let him work up to his minutes. He was a +11 in his 3:49 of action in the first half. Just an instant presence challenging (forced an airball from three) and blocking shots (had 4 on the night). The team looks so much better with him on the floor. Folks were complaining about the coaching, but the real issue we had from when Handy was coaching to now is that Huff wasn’t here to elevate the team’s play on both ends. Blocking shots and spacing the floor (2-2 from three). When you combine that three shooting with hustle plays (putback dunk) or the ability to attack off the three line (he’s consistently shown that up-fake and drive and had another nice finish over a defender on one tonight). That finds you minutes at the next level. Defensively, he’s been consistently in drop coverage and you may not always want that defensively, but he’s excelled at it. Whether you move someone off a two-way or sign him to a non-guaranteed deal, I think we need to find a roster spot for him. We have the same number of bigs as last year and I don’t want to be in a situation where we are forced to play LeBron at the C spot again. Plus, floor spacing bigs that can block shots work well around LBJ/AD/point guard. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 4-6 shooting (2-2 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 1 assist, 4 blocks and 1 foul in 15 minutes. He was a +10.

Killeya-Jones -- -- Some excellent energy out of the gates that caught the Pelicans on their heels. He scored on offensive boards on the first two possessions. He then also hit the floor for an offensive board on the third possession. That’s what he needs to bottle and bring every game. That extra gear was really noticeable and we hadn’t seen it. Naturally, it’s hard to bring that for long stretches, but that’s the role he needs to play if he wants to earn an NBA paycheck. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 3-7 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 9 boards (6 offensive), 2 assists, 3 blocks, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 18 minutes. He was a +5.

Brown -- -- He sank a three (I think it was a pick and pop) and had a couple offensive boards. But we had a stretch where we were looking small out there with some of our bench guys and it was generally tough minutes. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-6 shooting (1-3 from three) to go with 3 boards, 1 turnover and no fouls in 12 minutes. He was a -9.

Bass -- -- He just drives me nuts so much. The ball hog possessions just always stand out with him. Usually, he can at least be pretty effective scoring-wise doing that, but not tonight. And the team had an awful stretch with him in the middle of a bunch of those possessions. (I kind of can’t wait to not watch him play anymore. Sorry, but it kills my basketball soul at times.) Couldn’t wait until he sat. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-4 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 9 minutes. He was a -10.

Jones -- -- Solid outing from him. He sank three threes in four attempts, including a difficult off-balance corner three when Huff kicked out to him as well as a wide open three later. I bring up both because one shows he can make the tough shot. That’s why they lean on him a bit in crunch time. The other, though, is more like the shots he needs to hit if he has any chance at the next level. You’ve got to be able to just hit the wide open one that your stars kick out to you. You see him as maybe trying to fit that Jordan Clarkson role as bench scorer. That’s the way he plays in the G-League. Will he ever get that many touches and general usage? I don’t know. Seems doubtful. But if he can do something like this game, that’s doable. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 4-6 shooting (3-4 from three) to go with 3 boards, 4 assists, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 22 minutes. He was a +6.

McCoy -- -- Not quite as smooth in his sweet spots as he was in the last game, but he was still an effective scorer. He did hit a couple from the elbow areas where he’s been feasting and also had a nice And-1 on a drive to the rim, using his body well to shield the defender. He swished an open three and was also fouled at the three line just before the shotclock expired. He earned a couple more FTs on a jumpstop in the paint earlier. He did a good job moving the ball and played a little point at times (finished with 7 assists). Very well-rounded effort. He’s consistently produced and again hit some big points in the fourth. The Stats: He scored 14 points on 4-11 shooting (1-2 from three, 5-6 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 7 assists, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in 21 minutes. He was a -5.

Cole -- -- He banked in a floater and sank a wing three in the first half. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-3 shooting (1-2 from three) to go with 1 board and 1 turnover in 13 minutes. He was a +11.

White -- -- He sank a three (I think on a kickout). Not a lot of action. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-2 shooting from three to go with 1 board, 1 block and 1 foul in 10 minutes. He was a -3.


Last edited by DancingBarry on Fri Jul 15, 2022 10:57 pm; edited 1 time in total
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LakerDynasty6.0
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 15, 2022 10:56 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB, i too wonder if Pip Jr. can make it in the big league...but then again, i sure hope he follows the derek fisher trajectory which would be just FINE by me..
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 16, 2022 4:46 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB. Love your comments on Swider. Spot on as usual.
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 16, 2022 7:03 am    Post subject:

LakerDynasty6.0 wrote:
Thanks DB, i too wonder if Pip Jr. can make it in the big league...but then again, i sure hope he follows the derek fisher trajectory which would be just FINE by me..


Thanks, as well, DB!

Pip Jr's issue is that he didn't grow 7 inches in college like his dad.
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 16, 2022 2:09 pm    Post subject:

Dr. Laker wrote:
LakerDynasty6.0 wrote:
Thanks DB, i too wonder if Pip Jr. can make it in the big league...but then again, i sure hope he follows the derek fisher trajectory which would be just FINE by me..


Thanks, as well, DB!

Pip Jr's issue is that he didn't grow 7 inches in college like his dad.



There's that, and, he's a little out of control for a playmaker. he may be an
undersized SG...
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