After winning their preseason opener on Tuesday against the Nuggets, the Lakers served as a speed bump to a long range sniping Warriors’ team on Thursday. The Lakers fell behind early and never really recovered to make the score any more than cosmetically better. These are the types of games that will happen this season for this team as some nights they simply won’t have enough to appropriately respond to another team’s arsenal. They will play hard, but just won’t always play well.
After the game Byron Scott spoke about the need to play harder and, to be honest, there was some of that on display. But, for the most part, what Scott was saying was mostly coach speak with the reality being the Lakers faced a team better than them at most positions while also having the exact type of wing players who will challenge them consistently all year. Scott can try to manage that in a variety of ways, but facts are facts: when the Lakers face a team with dynamic wing scorers who can create from the arc to the rim they will struggle defensively as a team.
In any event, we’re now two games into the exhibition season and what we’ve seen has offered a few hints at what this team is working towards becoming and the trends that will drive that development. With that, here are some general thoughts about the Warriors game and what we can are seeing to this point in the preseason:
*One thing you will hear a lot this year is “these are not Mike D’Antoni’s Lakers”. Announcers will say it, folks on twitter will say it, and you will read it in the comments of every blog that posts something on the Lakers. This is meant to be a catch all phrase that can speak to a variety of things both positive and negative. Some will point it out when the team has a particularly strong defensive possession. Others might say it when they talk about the methodical type of offense that Scott is installing. And more will say it when they discuss the types of shots this team is taking. Namely, three pointers:
This is the shot chart from the Warriors game. Notice that the team only took 11 three pointers all night. Now notice the number of mid-range and long two point shots the team took. This shot chart is nearly the exact opposite of what one from last year would have looked like. That team emphasized the three point shot and trying to get to the rim. This team is doing the opposite so far. I will not say one way is right or that the other is wrong. There are many ways to be successful in this league and most of that will involve playing to the strengths of your individual players and building a scheme around those strengths. Time will tell if the scheme Byron is building is what is best for this particular group of players. In saying that, though, one thing to watch for will be whether a true de-emphasis of the three-point shot leads to the Lakers turning down good shots (like an open three) to take a bad one (a contested long two). If those things happen, I don’t care what principles you endorse, you are playing bad basketball.
*After the game Byron Scott said Julius Randle looked “lost” out there and didn’t have much to say about the rookie’s performance beyond that. I don’t mind Scott taking this approach with the rook — some tough love isn’t the worst thing ever and Randle didn’t look as decisive in his first stint against the Warriors as he did against the Nuggets two nights earlier. Randle did improve as the game went on and in garbage time was able to find his stride and put together several good possessions. At this point I do not have many concerns about Randle or how he’s being deployed by this coach. And Randle, to his credit, is saying all the right things (while sounding very sincere) and seems to want to soak in what he’s being taught with a genuine desire to improve. Over time we will see if this shifts — especially if Scott remains heavy handed while not necessarily calling out other players individually. As I said last night on twitter, accountability isn’t just a young player thing, it’s an every player thing and the coach must find ways to coach all the guys in a way that reinforces what he wants on the floor.
*Jordan Clarkson strained his calf against the Warriors and will miss at least a week. Add that to Xavier Henry’s injury, Nick Young’s injury, and trying to keep Kobe and Nash’s minutes reasonable and the Lakers are very thin on the perimeter/wing. We’re early in camp still and these guys will be back soon enough while roles are ramped up. That said, the Lakers can’t go too long with a wing rotation of Kobe, Wes Johnson, Wayne Ellinton, and….no one else and expect to create enough offense to stay in games.
*Carlos Boozer had 16 points and 3 rebounds against the Warriors but he honestly did not play very well to my eyes. He hit some jumpers, but was a non-factor in the paint, getting his shot thrown back 3 times when attempting to finish at the rim against the Warriors’ superior size.
*On the other hand, Ed Davis continues to impress. He is not super polished, but does things around the rim to get his shot off that you might not expect. Maybe it’s a spin move or a stutter step or a nifty up and under, but he has a couple of moves that seem to come unexpectedly that allows him to get a nice shot up at the basket. And defensively he continues to work hard, show off his mobility, and is a presence around the rim in contesting shots.
*Kobe continues to look good physically and that, in and of itself, is a major win so far this preseason. His jumper also looks good and he’s able to get it off with regularity against good defense. That said, I’ll be interested in seeing if/when he starts to expand his game into the other parts of the floor that he’s traditionally been a threat from in his career. Nearly every shot Kobe has taken from the post has been a turnaround jumper and not once has he used the triple threat to turn and face, and then use a dribble to get into the paint and attempt a shot at the rim. I’m not concerned at all, but as the preseason goes on, I hope to see an expansion of what he’s doing offensively.
Anonymous says
Until the Kobe Bryant is over, the lakers will continue to be stuck in the mud. Life long lakers fan!!
Here come the Kobe lovers. 3,2,1
Oh, Darius, YOU SUCK!
Jonathan Shea says
That last anonymous post was mine. My name is Jonathan, and I stand my my comments. The Kobe era has gone on too long. Should have moved on.
BRYAN says
The Lakers played ok last night based on the personnel on the floor. The Warriors are just a great team. Seth and Klay are in midseason form after recently playing for team USA, they may end up with the best record in the Western Conference earning home court though-out the playoffs.
Julius Randle needs to fit in on offense – he has to be able to hit his open jumpers in the flow of the offense. He hasn’t shown the ability to do that. He hit one jumper against the Warriors.
I don’t know what Wesley Johnson is doing on the court. He looks very uncomfortable with the ball in his hands.
It’s clear that this team is going to play hard on defense after watching the first 2 pre season games.
We’re woefully undersized as a team with no low post threat. The ball is in Mitch’s court now to improve the team’s on court personnel.
Jonathan Shea says
Expect tons of turn around, fading jumpshots from Kobe this season. (Terrible shots BTW) Most of them will be high arching shots bc he’s unable to elevate up over his man the way he once did. He’s done being elite, Darius. D O N E! I love my lakers and I appreciate what Kobe has done for the franchise but the Kobe era needed to end. It’s better to move on too soon than to move on too late. I fully expect Kobe to start whining by all-star break when he realizes he will not win a title here In LA as the man. At this point in kobes career he needs to be a co-star not the leading man.
Dave says
George: I do have a concern with Hill. He excelled last year in a man off the bench role. We are now counting on someone who has never played more than 20 minutes a game to start and go up against a team’s #1 center/front line. Another fear is his durability, he has never played more than the 72 games he played in last year – in fact he has averaged only 52 games a season in his career.
__
I think this is what played in the minds of the FO and is the reason why they went after Boozer – to provide front court depth. Hill is a wonderful talent but does not have the track record to back up his numbers in terms of more minute per game or over the course of a long season.
Truth be told I think the Lakers will end up playing Hill, Davis and Randle more than Boozer. While Boozer had some nice offensive numbers last night his plus/minus was -13 and only 3 rebounds. I think his defensive flaws will mean more minutes given to the youngsters and he’ll only get extended run when there’s foul trouble or injuries.
Anonymous says
article seems to ignore that the reserves mostly played, half the guys playing against the warriors will play more than 10 min per game if at all .. that was the first time lin n bryant played together.. lin’s firs reps with first squad.. explains the stagnant D… but that lineup gained n played significantly better in the third.. the real stand-out for kobe was the back to back rips he pulled off, n then draws an offensive foul the next play … ed davis n randle will start eventualyl hopefully.. if scott wants to really contend … but the team looks far better with a healthy nash.. it preseason so you cant really take a game and apply the pseudo lineups you see to the real season, it soounds silly
TempleOfJamesWorthy says
I have two major worries after the Lakers preseason games to date:
1) Our starting lineup is achingly slow. They’re not slow because they’re deliberate, they’re deliberate because they’re slow. Beyond a certain point, skill and guile simply cannot overcome the quickness and speed of NBA athletes.
2) The shot charts (and eye test) are worrisome. It seems the Lakers offense is geared towards creating mid-range jump shots.There’s a reason the mid-range game has largely disappeared from the NBA: it’s inefficient. In the short chart for the Warriors game, the Lakers shot 43% on shots that were not 3-pointers and not at the rim. If that’s going to be a typical performance, they would be better off hoisting 3-pointers with 30% accuracy. Let’s hope the coaching staff has some ideas for creating better shots than they’ve been getting.
Dave says
TempleOfJamesWorthy: Byron is on record as wanting the Lakers to shoot only 10-15 Threes a game. I agree with you that the mid range game in the NBA is inefficient – especially the long Two.
I would hate for Byron to err to strongly in reducing our Three point shot attempts. All he has to do is look at last night’s game, where the Warriors won it by being far more aggressive and efficient beyond the arc.
Also note, if the Lakers shoot 15 Threes a game that would most certainly put them last in the league in attempts. If the Lakers had Shaq in his prime, I could see abandoning the Three but that is hardly the case here. I think Three point shot attempts per team is a bad category to be an outlier in (taking too few or too many).
Spitfire says
Byton’s philosophy is pack the paint. However, with the team like GSW, SAS, PHX and other teams who rely more on outside shooting, will pose problems for sure. The league is running a lot if MDA offense, spacing and 3pt shooting, and if you will just let those teams shoot 3ptrs by packing the paint, there will be a lot of problem for us. As for the offense, i havent seen much in the 1st 2 pre season games. I see nothing wring with taking 3ptrs (Magic said he dont like that, which i disagree). It’s much better than those long 2’s. It opens up space for inside players to operate. I hope the coaching will change stance on that idea ( or maybe because of what Magic has said ).
As for the haters, why bother to come here and post comments? Go to your team page and troll whenever you want. Anonymous, do your favorite team has fans???
Calvin Chang says
The Lakers’ problems on offense:
A.) No big low-post presence that commands double-team. You can’t dump it to Boozer or Jordan Hill and tell them to “Go to work” and get the defense scrambling to help. Compared to Tim Duncan, Z-Bo, Dwight, Lamarcus Aldridge = teams have the luxury of dumping the ball down low and force the defense to help.
B.) Over-reliance on Kobe: Kobe’s an excellent mid/low post threat. But can he hold up for long stretches of the game over an 82-game season? It seems like Kobe has to put in a lot of work to create separation for his fall-away jumpers. At his age, Kobe will be running on fumes by December if he has to create most of the offense.
C.) Bad spacing: The problem with not having 3pt threats is that the defense can easily sag and clog the lane, making it difficult to get high-percentage shots. You need 3pt specialists who can play defense to help spread out the defense.
Lakers’ problem on Defense: No 7-ft rim-protector. They need to gamble on someone like Emeka Okafor or Andrew Bynum to have better size and shot-blocking.
In today’s game, tenacious perimeter defense can only get you so far because of the prevalence of high pick and rolls. If you’re guarding Steph Curry and Bogut sets a good pick, there’s really nothing you can do to prevent Steph from getting some separation to either penetrate or shoot a 3. The big has to show hard, and the rest of the defense has to rotate and help. Otherwise, someone will get an open shot.
will says
My favorite part of reading the comments…the complete transparency that the comments are just echoed from other blogs. Zero unique/original thoughts. But I ain’t mad atcha.
Ned Ludd says
isn’t a lot of this just being fooled by randomness? If GS shot 40% from 3 instead of almost 60% they’d have 12-14 points less. If LA had shot even 30% instead of 9% they’d have 6-9 points more. Sure, perimeter defense has something to do with it, but it looked to me that GS was just have a good shooting night. I’m not sure the panic and worry is really warranted. The thing I thought LA did poorly was slowing the pace. It seemed to my eyes they were playing way too fast for the system they are using.
Ed says
Deep,talented teams can afford one or two key guys out and still compete.The Lakers aren`t one of those teams. They`re mid-level at best,and key injuries,and poor execution in any area push them even lower.
Robert says
Preseason: Wow – the comments after the first game were over the top euphoria. Now we go complete gloom. Isn’t this a little too much reaction for preseason? I often get accused of being “redundant”. I prefer to think of it as “consistent” : )
Jonathan: “Expect tons of turn around, fading jumpshots from Kobe this season.” Nice. If you had added the words double teamed you would have perfectly primed me for a dream season. I live for Kobe’s double teamed, turnaround, fadeways. It could be good year after all.
Calvin: “No big low-post presence that commands double-team.” Uh yea : ) Please keep reminding those who wanted DH gone with no replacement.
Ed: “Deep, talented teams can afford one or two key guys out and still compete. The Lakers aren`t one of those teams.” Well – I wish I could counter that statement : )
Anonymous says
Nothing about the turn around and very efficient shooting from Lin?
Showtime says
Normally preseason games are not cause for alarm, but there were some worrying things that you could plainly see that game. The helping off of 3 point shooters, especially in the corners. The ton of long 2s and lack of spacing on offense. The team obviously needed to play smarter rather than play harder. The sooner the coaching staff realizes that, the better.
Craig W. says
Fans seem to believe in a shotgun effect and firing at anything that moves.
I can’t believe, after all the hate toward MDA, that people are actually saying the Lakers need to employ more of an MDA (outside in) offense.
We have an almost entirely new team and are intentionally – and smartly – resting our veteran players in preseason, with a new coaching staff. And I read how ‘there are obvious problems after two preseason games???’ Folks, the coaches have stated that they are experimenting and looking at different lineups to determine everyone’s ability to work with different sets of players. Some players do/don’t work with certain other players and now is the time to find this out.
Ok, we know we are not championship caliber; now let’s see exactly what we do have.
Craig W. says
P.S. If Boozer can’t show better than he is I hope he is at the tail end of the rotation. His ability to get pretty much every shot at the rim blocked would seem to justify what the Chicago fans were warning us about.
Clarkson has to learn to pass the ball off the dribble.
karen says
Scotts depressing demeanor will pull this team down. You can’t play defense if you don’t have the horses. The broadcasting team brutalized d’antoni but will give scott a pass as he loses with this no offense team. So disappointed
BigCitySid says
Darius any more thoughts about a FB&G contest pertaining to the upcoming season? 10 or 20 questions based on Laker team performance as a whole and a few individual player (Kobe, Randle, Nash) performances. Winner gets a nice designation next to name for next season or some other creative recognition. It’ll be a little extra fun during the season. Appreciate your consideration.
J C says
Kobe looks surprisingly good.
Randle looks very good. A bit better than I’d expected.
Ed Davis is really fun to watch.
Plays D, youthful, athletic, enthusiastic.
Not too shabby.
J C says
BigCity
I like your contest idea.
I think Darius is waiting for you to write the list of questions 🙂
David M says
I really like what I see so far with Davis, Randle, & Clarkson. They have to give these guys more mins & develop them throughout the season. Of course the Mamba looks amazing. As long as Kobe CAN keep his mins down, & stay healthy, he good. He is good enough to win, it’s too bad he don’t have a star or 2 with him.
why says
it doesn’t realy matter what the sport, it is very difficult for franchises when a legacy player like Kobe starts to decline. politics make it difficult to move that player from a prominent role evn though it is usually not warranted and impacts the abiity to move forward as you are locked ina past that is no longer there a recent example would be Derek Jeter batting first or second for the Yakees even though his OBP and BA no longer warrant.
KenOak says
Very odd. 23 comments and I only recognize like 4 of the posters… I think that this last game was more about how hot Warriors shooters were instead of how abysmal the Lakers defense was. We’ll all know a bit more within the next couple of weeks
Rubenowski says
Every time I see Boozer I just want to go “Booooozah! Boooozah!” with a hoarse voice. This guy can’t start! Oh please, Byron! Randle needs to be out there with the first unit. I think Boozah can be ok coming off the bench. He’s got no elevation, he’s slow, and he’s always taking those bad shots.
gene says
My concern is if the Lakers are outscored on 3 pointers then they need to make up for this someplace else…
AW says
Well it preseason , and let me break it down. GS beat the lakers by 15 not 50 , second the lakers are learning coach Scott system , now on paper they don’t look like a championship team , but thier are 22 other teams in the nba that dont look like title teams also , now are far as the lakers is come down to health , good health , also stop hating on kobe bryant in is healthly , I know he is 36 but he is one of the best kept players in history , his work out is legendary , so if kobe feels that he can play at a high level then he can !! Also a old SA team beat out all the young guns in the west and miami for the title , and every team in the leauge goes down when your best olayer or players gets hurt , with that being said who is heathly and clicking will win the title , the lakers have a shot ? At shocking a lot of people , second with a full team and coach Scott I feel that the lakers will be fighting for the 5/6 seed and they can go far , some of you guys are looking at name’s on a roster and thinking he can’t play !! And some look at last season and say the lakers are doomed ? New flash the lakers top 7 players were in and out of the line up last season , also kobe , pau , nash missed a huge part of the season , now take any teams best 2 or 3 players and that team will fall off lol , as far as the west , Denver , Sac, Minn, NO, portland ,Utah, phoneix, Houston , Memphis are not championship teams , now SA the champs , OKC, Clippers, Dallas , GS have a shot at winning a title and for the lakers to have a chance to do anything they are going have to win a game or 2 from these teams !! So if coach Scott can get them to 27/28 wins by all star break then I think we can win 51/52 games and get the 6th seed and at best get the 5th seed at 53/54 wins , keep in mind every team in the nba has talent , what separates the title teams from the bad teams is coaching , players buying into the team system , and playing for your teammates , and great health , and players who know thier roles on the team
Fern says
I been away for a while, but the long time posters are absent these are the kind of commneters that were never here when the team was stinking it up last season,odd, i haven’t have a chance to catch the team yet, so i cant say much. Btw some of these comments sounds strangely similar like copied and pasted. Hope this blog dont get polluted.
Aaron says
I’m very suprised Darius doesn’t see the slip in Kobe’s athletisism. He is having a tough time creating space and is indeed having to shoot high arching shots to avoid them being blocked. Looks like MJ with the Wizards. Having said that he looks slightly better than I thought he would… But it still is going to be a tough year for kobe in ISOS.
BigCitySid says
J C, I would love to suggest questions for the contest. Here’s are a quick 1/2 dozen:
1) Will the Lakers may the play-offs?
2) How many wins will the Lakers have this season?
3) Which Laker combo qualifies as “Top Five-Man Floor Unit” (as per 82games.com)?
4) Will Randle be a top three (3) vote getter in the 2014-15 Rookie of the Year award?
5) How many games will Nash play?
6) Which game will Kobe surpass MJ on the All-Time scoring list?
Peter Haslund says
Honestly, how can anyone say that Kobe still commands such formidable wages. Inflated ego he always had, but the collective insanity from lakerfans has to end. He needed to take less. In not doing so, he condemned all of us to boredom. This is the second season running I’m not watching any laker games. Wake up.
T Rogers says
It is still preseason. But I’m wondering what people are expecting. This team is not as talented as GS. And the shooting is not that much of an anomaly. Thompson and Curry are that good. Thompson always lights the Lakers up.
I don’t think the Lakers have been “bad” at all. They look about the way they should for their talent level.
rr says
But I’m wondering what people are expecting.
—
Yeah. Many of the comments the last couple of days have been, ISTM, odd. Denver is probably going to finish about 10-12th, and the Lakers beat them by 3. Seems about right. Golden State is one of the 5-6 best teams in the West, Kerr played his starters a lot of minutes for a preseason game in the first half, and GS has a very good offensive backcourt–and the Lakers could not stay with them. Seems about right.
Kobe, Randle, and Clarkson have all looked pretty good for guys who have been either playing about 19 years, or living about 19 years, respectively. Davis has played like I expected, as has Boozer.
And a lot of guys have gotten hurt.
So…IMO, the Lakers’ first two preseason games have been more or less exactly what I would have expected.
Robert says
T Rogers” “They look about the way they should for their talent level.” Exactly – however some had hope of better. I was never one of those : )
karen: If you are disappointed, I can certainly see why, but don’t blame Byron. I have another person which would be a much better (and richer) target upon which you can vent : )
Peter Haslund: Since you are a new poster, you need to frame your comment with your history. Were you a KB hater from the beginning? Never forgive him for driving Shaq out? If you have been a true KB fan, but just think he is paid too much – then I agree. Problem is that it takes two to sign a contract. KB was offered $48 million to play 2 years and he said “OK”. Whose fault is that (see my comment to karen)?
Aaron: Kobe is not what he was but he will be entertaining and we need to enjoy him while we have him. I also think he will show flashes of his greatness. I hope he does not try to sustain the extremely high level for 82 games as that would be taxing on the body. MJ for Wizards was not bad by the way and I think that is attainable.
mud: Where are you with the undying loyalty (which I like by the way)? I told you were arguing with the wrong people. Now – in this thread – you have a bunch of newbie naysayers saying they aren’t going to watch games. Those are the people you need to challenge : )
mud says
Robert-
what?
was there something bad that happened? the Lakers players who might not even make the team were burned by one of the hottest offenses around? should i feel bad or just throw up my hands and give up on the season after two preseason games? i wish that those naysayers WON’T watch.
Aaron et al-i think Kobe looks fine. he hasn’t played a competitive game in basically a year and a half and he has just gone up against two very good defenders and he has been effective, plus he had a couple of very nice steals and even a dunk. obviously, he’s not going 100% yet. he looks just like he has in the preseason for the last 10 years.
JohnnyP says
We are still on track to win over 70 games this year and have a Cinderella story during the playoffs.
Remember, those who are throwing in the towel, NO OFFICIAL GAMES HAVE BEEN PLAYED. It is too early to shrivel and run.
This ain’t over by a long shot!!
GOOOOoooooOOOOOO LAKERS !!!!