HEAT -at- LAKERS - 11/8 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 2019 11:05 pm    Post subject: HEAT -at- LAKERS - 11/8 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

Seven Straight... Miami was the league’s best three shooting team heading into this one. They were lucky to make it to 80 points tonight as the Lakers shut that down, holding them to just 17% from three in the 95-80 Laker win.

The Miami zone slowed the game down as it tried to keep the Lakers perimeter oriented instead of getting to the rim where they dominate. A halfcourt grind-it-out game is something the Lakers can do.

“We’re going to hang our hats defensively, and that’s what we did tonight,” LeBron said.

The Lakers held the Heat to just 14 points in the fourth quarter (and 34 total points in the second half) on their way to their seventh straight win.

They contested 88% of the Heat shots throughout the game, according to their analytics department.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever heard of that, but that was just really an exceptional effort on the defensive end by our guys,” Vogel said.

Meanwhile on the offensive end, the Lakers assisted on 30 of their 40 shot attempts. The basketball gods appreciate those kinds of stats on both ends and W’s will follow as a result.


LeBron -- -- “There’s going to be one of these games where our offense catches up and it’s going to be scary,” LeBron said. Very little action from him in the first half. He had 5 points on 2-7 shooting and was stuck on the perimeter quite a bit against the zone. He got his first FTs in this game midway through the third quarter (taking an unintentional flagrant-1 to the face). He’s core 20 points in that second half as the team attacked the zone much better. LeBron got into seams and helped to pick it apart. The Lakers started floundering to start the fourth quarter as he sat. Once Vogel brought him in, LeBron started to impose himself. A couple of big threes late in the quarter, including one with 2:05 left that ended up being the dagger. We only scored 17 points ourselves and he had 12 of those. “We don’t get rattled and that’s not common for a team that’s only been together for a short time,” LeBron said. He certainly doesn’t. The offense got clunky that fourth, but he was able to continually manufacture points. When he comes off those Howard screens and has space to work and get into his spin move in the middle of the lane, it’s over. Just a machine. This was his 1,000th 20+ point game. The Stats: He scored 25 points on 10-19 shooting (4-7 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 6 assists, 3 turnovers and 2 fouls in 36 minutes. He was a +16.

Davis -- -- He set the tone tonight. His defense to start the game was superb, blocking shots on recovery, challenging jumpers on help, breaking up passes. We didn’t block too many shots tonight, but the rim protection was there all night and the Heat couldn’t finish. His first two shots were also something we’ve been missing from his game -- he had the iso midrange finally looking automatic. He led the team in the first half with 16 points on 7-8 shooting. No one else was sniffing double figures at that point. In the second half, we got the ball to him in the middle of the zone. He can either hit short ones there or cover a lot of ground in a couple of steps to score at the rim. He was the key to breaking up that zone. He also did it with the pass (and led the team with 7 assists). I think he missed his last four shots in this game, but was 11-13 up until that point. Nice to see the midrange and finishing around the rim. No attempts from three tonight (which we didn’t need with how we were being defended). The Stats: He scored 26 points on 11-17 shooting (4-4 from the line) to go with 8 boards, 7 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks, 2 turnovers and 4 fouls in 35 minutes. He was a +27.

Green -- -- Man, so foul prone. It seems like most games he’s in trouble with that. That had him sidelined in the first and third quarters. Not a good game from him offensively. He made his first three, but couldn’t connect on anything else. We leaned a little more on Daniels and Kuzma some as a result. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 1-7 shooting (1-5 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers and 4 fouls in 23 minutes. He was a +17.

McGee -- -- I’ve wondered what his wind has been this season and if it had been an issue. Late in the third quarter, we called a timeout because it looked like McGee was huffing and puffing. He was walking to the bench, done. But this was different. It was after a long 10-minute stint, longer than he’s had this season. The Lakers were putting it together and his impact was all over the game during that stretch. This is the McGee we’ve been wanting to see, but he was feeling it. Some great effort in that third quarter. You can see it in the rebounding numbers tonight (10 in just 16 minutes...excellent). He was also very good against the zone in that third quarter. We played a little over the top at times using his length to our advantage. He even had a great no-looker himself to KCP cutting for a score. A lot of assists and hockey assists tonight (only one Laker didn’t have an assist). The Stats: He scored 9 points on 4-7 shooting (1-1 from the line) to go with 10 boards (3 offensive), 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 16 minutes. He was a +20.

Bradley -- -- Very glad to have him back after the leg injury. I definitely think we should be conservative with his recovery and health since he’s been banged up the past few years. He had the team high +12 in the first half as the Lakers got off to a strong start before he picked up foul trouble and had to sit. He got a couple more cheap fouls and sat midway through the fourth. Some very nice guard plays tonight...wish we’d see more of that. He attacked the paint, through traffic and got the rim for a layup. He also had a lob to AD for a dunk and another interior feed to him for a score. Combine that with a couple of jumpers and his usual solid D and you have the excellent +24 in 25 minutes. The difference between him and KCP is that Bradley seems to give you some consistency on both ends of the floor. When he has to sit and KCP comes in, it’s a wild card. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 4-9 shooting (1-4 from three) to go with 5 boards, 3 assists, 2 turnovers and 4 fouls in 25 minutes. He was a +25.

Kuzma -- -- Oof. The zone didn’t really do him any favors in trying to get his game going. After he ball-faked and clanked a three over the zone at the end of the half, LeBron was telling him not to shoot over the zone as that was playing into the defense’s hands (especially with Kuzma’s horrid three shooting to start the season...at that point of the game, he was 1-5 from three). Once we got the Heat out of that zone, we did try to go to some of the stagger screen options that Kuzma can work out of, but he never got into any kind of positive flow. Some overpassing by Kuzma tonight. You thought he’d try to finish a couple of easy ones around the rim, instead he was kicking it out. I appreciate the ball movement, but you’ve got to try to finish the good looks around the rim. Not only didn’t he shoot the ones he should have around the rim, he also interfered with a layup to erase a hoop from a teammate. Definitely an awkward game again and that three shooting has been MIA. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-9 shooting (1-7 from three) to go with 5 boards, 1 assist, 4 turnovers and 2 fouls in 25 minutes. He was a -11.

Howard -- -- In the first half, we didn’t see any time on the court with the trio of Howard, AD and LeBron all together. It lasted only about 40 seconds in the fourth quarter. I really want those three to get more minutes together whenever possible. They lockdown, they’re big, they’re relentless. He was mic’d up tonight and telling the bench they needed to get a little more energy. “We’re the Bad News Bears, we got to be up. What are we doing?” Big time cheerleading effort tonight. I don’t know how usual that is or if it was just for the mic, but that’s exactly the guy you want to see, showing he can be a great teammate. He only played 15 minutes, but was enthusiastic throughout the night. Really looks like he’s loving the game right now. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-2 shooting to go with 6 boards, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 15 minutes. He was a -10.

Caldwell-Pope -- -- His first shot of the game, he attacked from the corner and airballed a layup, right over the top of the rim to the other side. Sigh. He’d then miss a series of jumpers and open looks. Throw in a missed rotation on defense that forced a timeout and no one seemed real happy with him after his first stint. I would hope if both Bradley and Green weren’t in foul trouble, we would have given him the hook sooner in the first half, but it was frustrating to watch. He had the team-worst -9 in the first half and the eye test agreed. When he entered the game in the second half, Staples was less than thrilled. He got backdoored a couple of times for scores in the second half. Vogel limited his action tonight in that second half. Nice to see. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-6 shooting (0-3 from three) to go with 2 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal and no fouls in 18 minutes. He was a -3.

Caruso -- -- He had defenders getting out of the way as he attacked the paint for a two-handed dunk in the first half. Some nice cuts off ball tonight. Geeter keeps going with the Bald Mamba nickname in the post game show, so that might be what catches on. He finished with 4 assists tonight, including a nice give and go to LeBron for a dunk and another drive and dish to AD for a dunk. In the second half when he came in he got the team going with a nice drive off the three line for a layup and then he immediately put pressure on the inbounds in the backcourt to force a 5-second call and Heat turnover. You don’t see that too often. Love it. “For this point of the season where our defense is at, it’s phenomenal,” AC said. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 3-6 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 3 boards, 4 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 19 minutes. He was a +1.

Daniels -- -- With the Lakers struggling to hit threes (and taking a lot), Vogel threw him into the rotation in the first half. It looked like he’d go the half without playing despite how badly KCP was on the floor, but did get in the rotation. In the second half, he went to him a lot sooner. He’d make one three in the game. Not a big impact, but the D was definitely concerned with him. The Stats: He scored3 points on 1-3 shooting from three to go with 2 boards and no fouls in 13 minutes. He was a -1.

Cook -- -- The Lakers shot 8-32 from three, 25%. Not great. The bench combined for 2-16 shooting from three. Cook missed his two attempts from beyond the arc. He’s sink a floater against the shotclock for his only score. He had two of the bigger bonehead plays of the night. The first was trying to pass under the hoop to AD with 10 seconds left instead of holding for the last shot of the quarter. Bad turnover there. The other was one of those unforced errors where no one pressured him and he just fumbled the ball right to the opponent trying collect a pass he thought better of. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-4 shooting (0-2 from three) to go with 2 assists, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 15 minutes. He was a -5.

Vogel -- -- The Lakers had three shotblocks on their way to an 11-2 lead to force an early timeout. That’s how you start a game… Bradley picked up two fouls and sat with 5:35 left for KCP. Kuzma in for McGee, Lakers up 10… Timeout Lakers, lead down to 6… Cook in for LeBron with 4 minutes left, Lakers up 4… Up 1 when Caruso came in for Green with 2 minutes left. A couple nice plays from AC helped them finish strong… The Lakers led 28-21 after the first quarter… Howard, Kuzma, LeBron, KCP, Caruso lineup… Lakers struggling to attack the zone… The lead was trimmed to 3 after KCP blew a rotation so Vogel called a timeout… He went with Howard, AD, Green, Cook, Bradley lineup up 1… Dwight out for LeBron, Cook out for Kuzma, Lakers up 1 with 3:20 left… Daniels in for Green a possession later… Cook in for Bradley… The Lakers led 48-46 at the half. They shot a poor 4-19 from three, trying to shoot over the zone (and just 2-2 in the process as they weren’t attacking the paint). No doubt at halftime the coaches were reviewing how to attack the zone with the team... Green picked up his fourth foul just 4 minutes in and sat for Daniels… Lakers doing a better job getting into the middle of the zone and scoring to start the half… Bradley picked up his fourth and KCP entered to some boo’s or groans, Lakers up 6… Lakers up 11 shortly later, forcing a timeout… Up 12 with McGee huffing and puffing off a long stint, so we called timeout. AD, Kuzma, Daniels, KCP and Cook in with a couple minutes left… Lakers led 78-66 heading into the fourth. A longer stint for LeBron in that third quarter, wonder if we sit him like last time to start the fourth… Yep. Howard, Kuzma, Caruso, Daniels, Cook lineup to start the fourth. No KCP with Butler sitting… They sucked, Lakers up 7 after 2 minutes and Vogel called a timeout, so only a couple minutes rest for LeBron before we brought him back in for Daniels… Lakers brought in Green and Bradley up 6 with 7:20 left for Caruso and Cook… AD in for Kuzma with 5:50 left, Lakers up 8… Only a possession with that unit before Caruso came in for Howard, Lakers up 8… Up 15, Kuzma in with 1:18 left for LeBron… Too much LBJ and too much Laker D...
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 2019 11:09 pm    Post subject:

First!

Thanks, DB!
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 2019 11:17 pm    Post subject:

Great recap thanks 👍
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 2019 11:22 pm    Post subject:

Thanks a lot for the recap, DB.

Notable is that KCP received some boos the last time he was subbed in.
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 2019 11:22 pm    Post subject:

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PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 2019 11:30 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB!

Kuz pick it up! Lookin like Kris Kross out there
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 2019 11:36 pm    Post subject:

Thanks again DB! Some great quotes from LBJ and Vogel about this team. A team that shuts opponents down is a team that can advance in the playoffs. I really like what I'm seeing on defensive effort and hustle out there.

Great win!
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2019 12:08 am    Post subject:

Game vs raps should be interesting as they’re sorta built the same way: d, length, size. Siakam can be an issue and they have Marc gasol at center and did have ibaka too but he got hurt. Regardless their front court will be a challenge- Lakers 3 ball will hopefully drop better on Sunday
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2019 1:56 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB.

Lakers will eventually get their act together and get much more consistent three point shooting. Can you imagine if Kuz, Cook, Daniels, Green, and Bradley begin to start making more threes on a consistent basis?

The Lakers don't necessarily need everyone to make threes, but if 2-3 of these guys can be consistently counted on to make threes, this team becomes even harder to beat.

KCP is feeling the pressure and looks and plays terrible. I think he eventually find his game and start to contribute a lot more.... I hope. Iggy would REALLY help this team out a lot. I hope he comes here rather than the Clippers! I hope Kuz gets his act together as well. We could use his offensive input. There is a spot on this team just waiting on him to shine. I hope he finds it and starts playing much smarter ball. Take what the defense is giving him. He passed up on a few easy baskets tonight.

Overall the Lakers just need to keep beating all the teams they should be beating. So far, so good.
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2019 4:37 am    Post subject:

7-1
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2019 5:36 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB!

Your recap is the first thing I check after the game.
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2019 6:23 am    Post subject:

Team numbers

Offense

Lakers scored 95 points
Lakers shot 40-89 from the field (45%)
Lakers shot 8-32 from the 3 point (25%)
Lakers had 30 assists to 18 turnovers
Lakers grabbed 10 offensive rebounds


Defense

Lakers held the Heat to 80 points
Lakers held the Heat to 28-80 shooting from the field (35%)
Lakers held the Heat to 6-35 from 3 point shooting (17%)
Lakers allowed 24 free throws (Heat made 18)
Lakers forced 12 TOs
Lakers allowed 8 offensive rebounds for the Heat
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2019 6:30 am    Post subject:

Just to show how ridiculous Anthony Davis is on D.

He held opposing players who took shots against him to 1/18 shooting in this game. AD had a defensive field goal rating percentage of 5.6% (1/18 opponents shooting on him as a defender). Yes that is 1/18 on Heat players attempting shots over AD.

Dwight's DFG% was 25% 1/4.
Lebron's 20% 1/5.
Bradley 30% 3/10 (excellent for a guard chasing around other guards)
Caruso 27% 3/11 (superb)

You can clearly tell how good this team is defensively, and who are the best defenders. I would say the best defenders on this team are Dwight, AD, Lebron, Bradley and Caruso. You can see how much they disrupt and do not allow their opponents to take a shot over them. Danny Green is a smart defender but I do not think he contests shots at the same level those other 5 guys are doing and I see Danny get beat far more easier than Avery or Caruso do. I am also surprised at Daniels defense this year. And at the same time surprised at his lack of 3 ball going in.


Last edited by wolfpaclaker on Sat Nov 09, 2019 6:40 am; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2019 6:39 am    Post subject:

Defensive Field Goal % numbers for the season (lower the better)

Troy Daniels 25.7%
AD 26%
Bradley 37%
Lebron 39%
Dwight 41%

Only player surprising there is Troy Daniels, but I have seen him make a big effort on D. It may be part of the reason his jumpshot is off, he probably never worked as hard on D as he has been in Vogel's schemes and this could be a change. Don't remember Daniels being a 2-way guy.

For me, it is clear Vogel has to switch Daniels with KCP next game. Like he did in the 2nd half. He is awarding KCP and Kuzma minutes based on potential is no longer acceptable. I know Vogel is known as a coach who believes in his players 100% and does not let immediate results affect his trust in them, but there are better more productive players that deserve these minutes.

Daniels is playing defense, and while his 3 ball is off, he is a pure shooter. He plays his role on offense very well. He knows his spots. With his improvement in defense, you have to give him the backup 2 spot over KCP.
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2019 6:50 am    Post subject:

Quote:
Kuzma -- -- Oof. The zone didn’t really do him any favors in trying to get his game going. After he ball-faked and clanked a three over the zone at the end of the half, LeBron was telling him not to shoot over the zone as that was playing into the defense’s hands (especially with Kuzma’s horrid three shooting to start the season...at that point of the game, he was 1-5 from three). Once we got the Heat out of that zone, we did try to go to some of the stagger screen options that Kuzma can work out of, but he never got into any kind of positive flow. Some overpassing by Kuzma tonight. You thought he’d try to finish a couple of easy ones around the rim, instead he was kicking it out. I appreciate the ball movement, but you’ve got to try to finish the good looks around the rim. Not only didn’t he shoot the ones he should have around the rim, he also interfered with a layup to erase a hoop from a teammate. Definitely an awkward game again and that three shooting has been MIA. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-9 shooting (1-7 from three) to go with 5 boards, 1 assist, 4 turnovers and 2 fouls in 25 minutes. He was a -11.

Kuzma's play on offense has really hurt us. You can see the huge let down the moment he enters, especially if KCP is out there with him. It is 2 boneheads out there making boneheaded reads. The IQ drops so much. Frank is relying heavily on the IQ of players to make the right reads at the right time. Our offense is very basic, and most of the time when we run the offense well is when we make good decisions. That is why Lebron, AD, Dwight, Green, Bradley, Caruso, those 6 guys tend to be part of great runs. Those guys all are playing with a high level of IQ.

With Kuzma in this game, he had a usage percentage of 21%. That is very high, and one for a 6th man. His play was not there to justify the usage or the minutes. I understand that Frank is trying to get Kuzma to get back into game shape and fit in. I understand his trust and belief in his players is a big reason why players in Indiana loved Frank and went to war for him. He seems like the type of coach who will show faith in you regardless of how bad you play. It takes him a longer stretch to lose that faith.

But at some point, we have to either get production from Kuzma, and KCP. Or we have to sit them. Daniels is playing pretty good defense and is capable to sit back and shoot 3s. He does not make the shots that he is getting, but you sense that eventually they will fall. There just isn't that boneheaded play from Daniels. With Kuzma, I'd really like him to earn some minutes again. Jared Dudley is a guy that will fill in for Kuzma on offense a lot better. I would like to see Frank do more of what we saw in the 2nd half. He brought in Daniels before KCP. He needs to bring in Dudley in the 2nd half if Kuzma continues to play that way. There could be some pressure/demands from the FO to develop Kuzma. At this point it is about establishing winning habits. I have always been against the tank culture on young players. You see the Pelicans at 1-7. You see Kuzma's habits. These were all developed in the era of where you would just play fast, low IQ basketball, and not much defense. Possessions wouldn't matter as much. These are all habits Kuzma will need to slowly break out of. It will take time, maybe even not until next season (after a full year playing under Vogel) will see the change.

If this continues, Rob has to go out and look for at least 1 more 2-way guard/wing. Someone that can help us defensively and match up with 2s and 3s but also shoot from outside. Can not go into the playoffs with this little firepower from outside and that low IQ being shown from the bench. The Lakers core of Dwight, AD, Lebron, Green, Bradley - maybe a little Rondo if he plays well when he returns - can beat any starting 5 in the league IMO. Any 5 man lineup, I take these guys. But when rotations come into play, and we sit Bradley/Green, we get into a lot of trouble. Rob has to address this before trade deadline, IMO. We can legit make a championship run with this core.


Last edited by wolfpaclaker on Sat Nov 09, 2019 6:56 am; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2019 6:51 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB !!!
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2019 7:43 am    Post subject:

wolfpaclaker wrote:
Quote:
Kuzma -- -- Oof. The zone didn’t really do him any favors in trying to get his game going. After he ball-faked and clanked a three over the zone at the end of the half, LeBron was telling him not to shoot over the zone as that was playing into the defense’s hands (especially with Kuzma’s horrid three shooting to start the season...at that point of the game, he was 1-5 from three). Once we got the Heat out of that zone, we did try to go to some of the stagger screen options that Kuzma can work out of, but he never got into any kind of positive flow. Some overpassing by Kuzma tonight. You thought he’d try to finish a couple of easy ones around the rim, instead he was kicking it out. I appreciate the ball movement, but you’ve got to try to finish the good looks around the rim. Not only didn’t he shoot the ones he should have around the rim, he also interfered with a layup to erase a hoop from a teammate. Definitely an awkward game again and that three shooting has been MIA. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-9 shooting (1-7 from three) to go with 5 boards, 1 assist, 4 turnovers and 2 fouls in 25 minutes. He was a -11.

Kuzma's play on offense has really hurt us. You can see the huge let down the moment he enters, especially if KCP is out there with him. It is 2 boneheads out there making boneheaded reads. The IQ drops so much. Frank is relying heavily on the IQ of players to make the right reads at the right time. Our offense is very basic, and most of the time when we run the offense well is when we make good decisions. That is why Lebron, AD, Dwight, Green, Bradley, Caruso, those 6 guys tend to be part of great runs. Those guys all are playing with a high level of IQ.

With Kuzma in this game, he had a usage percentage of 21%. That is very high, and one for a 6th man. His play was not there to justify the usage or the minutes. I understand that Frank is trying to get Kuzma to get back into game shape and fit in. I understand his trust and belief in his players is a big reason why players in Indiana loved Frank and went to war for him. He seems like the type of coach who will show faith in you regardless of how bad you play. It takes him a longer stretch to lose that faith.

But at some point, we have to either get production from Kuzma, and KCP. Or we have to sit them. Daniels is playing pretty good defense and is capable to sit back and shoot 3s. He does not make the shots that he is getting, but you sense that eventually they will fall. There just isn't that boneheaded play from Daniels. With Kuzma, I'd really like him to earn some minutes again. Jared Dudley is a guy that will fill in for Kuzma on offense a lot better. I would like to see Frank do more of what we saw in the 2nd half. He brought in Daniels before KCP. He needs to bring in Dudley in the 2nd half if Kuzma continues to play that way. There could be some pressure/demands from the FO to develop Kuzma. At this point it is about establishing winning habits. I have always been against the tank culture on young players. You see the Pelicans at 1-7. You see Kuzma's habits. These were all developed in the era of where you would just play fast, low IQ basketball, and not much defense. Possessions wouldn't matter as much. These are all habits Kuzma will need to slowly break out of. It will take time, maybe even not until next season (after a full year playing under Vogel) will see the change.

If this continues, Rob has to go out and look for at least 1 more 2-way guard/wing. Someone that can help us defensively and match up with 2s and 3s but also shoot from outside. Can not go into the playoffs with this little firepower from outside and that low IQ being shown from the bench. The Lakers core of Dwight, AD, Lebron, Green, Bradley - maybe a little Rondo if he plays well when he returns - can beat any starting 5 in the league IMO. Any 5 man lineup, I take these guys. But when rotations come into play, and we sit Bradley/Green, we get into a lot of trouble. Rob has to address this before trade deadline, IMO. We can legit make a championship run with this core.


Great post wolf. I’m just hoping for kuz it’s rust cuz I see where you’re going with this post.
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2019 7:44 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB! And thanks, Wolfpac, for all those stats and your perspective!

Great to see consistent defense prevailing for the Lakers. Yes, it leads to some ugly wins but I'll take it.

I'm currently giving Kuz the benefit of the doubt. He's working his way into game shape as well as fitting into the new team dynamics of this year. But my patience is mainly because he hasn't cost us any games yet.
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DancingBarry
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2019 8:23 am    Post subject:

The AD, Dwight and LBJ trio holding their guys to 3-27 shooting is why I want to see them on the floor together more than just less than a minute they had last night.

This team’s defense is insane.
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Klone_dd
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2019 8:39 am    Post subject:

Two questions I had at the start of the season were: (1) Dwight Howard - how could he fit in? and (2) Frank Vogel - can he get the team to buy in to his philosophies?

These two questions have been answered positively. The D is relentlessly tough and the guys have shown full commitment. You see LBJ closing out hard and Javale challenging a guard at the 3 pt line and then recovering and chasing a guard on the drive -- in the same possession. That's incredible work on both the player and the coaching side.

Miami's zone threw a wrench into the early flow. Unfortunately, Kuz and KCP didn't know how to attack it and tried to shoot over it too much. Once AD asserted himself as the fulcrum in the middle, that was it for the zone.
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Nobody
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2019 8:41 am    Post subject:

DancingBarry wrote:
The AD, Dwight and LBJ trio holding their guys to 3-27 shooting is why I want to see them on the floor together more than just less than a minute they had last night.

This team’s defense is insane.


I can't wait for the three pointers to start falling.

Great win!

Thanks DB.
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Laker7
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2019 9:04 am    Post subject:

Season to date plus minus
Kuzma was a -11 last night.

Player PTS
LeBron James 91
Anthony Davis 74
Danny Green 62
Dwight Howard 61
Avery Bradley 45
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 42
Quinn Cook 42
JaVale McGee 16
Alex Caruso 16
Kostas Antetokounmpo 2
Zach Norvell -4
Jared Dudley -7
Troy Daniels -10
Kyle Kuzma -10
_________________
Keep winning!
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Texas_Pete
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2019 9:59 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB. Great write up as always.

Can't believe I'm typing this, but the Lakers need Rondo to preserve Bron from burning out later in the year. Rondo is like another coach on the floor who could calm down Kuz (who seems to be pressing) and maximize Dwight with that 2nd unit. We already know he has great chemistry with AD.

Vogel's defensive scheme is good enough to protect Rondo from getting torched too much by the likes of Dame, Westbrook, etc. So I think it would work.

Rondo returning takes the playmaker responsibility from Cook too. I think Cook and Daniels should strictly be snipers. Their "playmaking" abilities leave a lot to be desired.

My only issue with Rondo returning is what will Vogel do with CaruSHOW? He deserves more minutes.

All in all, I like the makeup of this team. The Lakers are back.
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danzag
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2019 10:21 am    Post subject:

Looks like Rondo will play next game. Let's see how it goes.
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DancingBarry
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2019 11:57 am    Post subject:

I’m irrationally optimistic about the D holding up with Rondo’s return (depends on the team). I’m a bit more concerned if we see Rondo/LeBron together offensively. I just want Rondo out there when LBJ is resting and we can put the ball in his hands for like 14-15 minutes a game max.
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