Replay Review (Richardson): if Vucevic’s FG released before time expired in Q4 of #LALatORL. Ruling: Upheld Good. https://t.co/EAD2qFnzD4
— NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) November 12, 2015
With only 1.5 seconds left and the game tied, overtime seems like a foregone conclusion. To not only lose, but to lose where the Lakers’ best defender is challenging a turnaround 18 footer from the opposing team’s Center (regardless of how good a shooter) is, well, deflating. I would normally take that scenario 100 times out of 100. Alas, it was not the Lakers night.
Normally, though, give me an ending like that and I’d be sick. After the buzzer, though, this summed up my emotions.
Yikes. Good effort, guys.
— Darius Soriano (@forumbluegold) November 12, 2015
Disappointed, yes. Heartbroken? Far from it. And not just because the Lakers are bad or because it was the 2nd night of a back to back on the road. But because this is what rebuilding looks like. A close game on the road where most of the young players did well and the team just didn’t do enough of the little things right to win. Be it the players or the coaches, there were too many small mistakes.
But that happens. Again, this is what rebuilding looks like. There were enough positives from enough of the players to chalk this up to a very good learning experience for a lot of the guys.
Consider the following:
- D’Angelo Russell had his most involved game of the season, playing a team high 32 minutes while closing out the game. Russell started the game strong, put up good numbers overall (14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block), and was, most importantly, aggressive in looking to go to the basket and played with excellent tempo. On one sequence he blocked a shot in the paint, grabbed the loose ball, and pushed it coast to coast for a layup:
- Julus Randle had another good game, scoring 12 points on 60% shooting while pulling down 8 rebounds and dishing out 4 assists. Down the stretch he served as a go-to player, getting a dunk and hitting a tough shot off the dribble after a nice spin move.
- Larry Nance Jr. continued to solidify himself as a rotation player, scoring 13 points without a miss on 6 shot attempts. He also grabbed 3 rebounds and dished out an assist in 20 minutes of action.
Did these guys have perfect nights? Of course not.
Russell’s shooting went cold after his hot start and he only made 3 of his final 10 shots. He also had a few defensive lapses and, late in the closing minutes, called for a needless switch defensively with Metta which led to an open three pointer after Metta over-helped. Randle missed all 3 of his foul shots, including two big ones in with 2:28 remaining and the Lakers down 3. Nance didn’t rebound well on the defensive glass, allowed too easy an inbound on the game winning basket, and did not recognize a couple of help situations quickly enough when on the back line.
But, guess what? These guys also all got strong learning experiences in a game which was close throughout and had many more good moments than bad. As much teaching that can happen in practice and in the film room, these are the types of experiences players learn from. Actual game minutes in situations they have not experienced before.
So, yes, the Lakers lost. And they did so in a dramatic, gut-punch fashion. I doubt the players or the coaches see any silver linings in how it all went down. But I do. I do.
Now for some additional notes…
- Jordan Clarkson hasn’t had many off nights in this young season, but this game was one of them. He only hit 2 of his 7 shots (including 0-2 from distance) and didn’t go to the foul line all night. He did have 5 assists — including a couple of nice dump-offs out of the P&R to Hibbert, but that was the most impact he had all game. He also lost all his crunch time minutes to Lou Williams.
- Speaking of Lou, another tough shooting night for the reigning 6th man of year. 2-8 from the field, 0-3 from behind the arc. He did hit 9 of his 10 FT’s which were crucial shots down the stretch. Still, those foul shots are possessions used and it would be nice to see him make some of the actual field goals he’s getting.
- Lou also had a chance to win the game in regulation, but missed a pull up jumper as the shot clock expired. The play called was not an inspired one, though. After a timeout, Byron Scott had D’Angelo Russell dribble for nearly 10 seconds only to then give the ball to Lou who dribbled for another 10 seconds before going into an isolation.
- If there is a player who is most benefitting from Kobe being out, it might be Roy Hibbert. The big man is getting more offensive opportunities via direct post-ups and out of the P&R. He is responding to the increased workload, scoring 15 points against the Magic.
- I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but Nick Young is playing well this year. He hit 4 of his 7 shots for 10 points, including 2-5 from behind the arc.
Calvin says
that it! Put D’Angelo in the game and let him get better. you can’t grow a point guard on the bench. he needs to be out there making mistakes and adjustments in real time
shoaibybaby says
A couple notes I think are worth mentioning:
-Randle has an excellent first step but he does seem to hook his defender once he gets by them. He committed it (while it wasn’t called) at least two/three times against Harris and Gordon today. He’s fast enough to just go by, and strong enough to not need to hook his man. Hopefully he gets rid of this habit as the season continues. Also, that super-reliance on the left hand needs work, Harris knew exactly where he was going on his blocked shot in the final minute. Otherwise, I love Randle as the go-to in the final minute- Dude wants to score.
-Clarkson’s probing led to more distribution tonight as defenders seemed to try to take away his midrange. Even though his shot wasn’t falling, I loved what he did with the ball.
-I saw a couple twitter guys and dudes on reddit saying that there was supposedly a play that was about to be drawn up on the final possession, but Russel’s errant throw kinda threw the offense out of whack. After watching the play more than several times, if there was a play, it didn’t seem to be a very good one or one that involved much movement when Lou received the ball, and you can clearly see Lou wave off Hibbert for the ISO once Roy shows he’s going to try to give him the pick. Don’t think the blame should go on anyone particularly for this bad shot, although I would like Lou to get a better shot. He isn’t Kobe.
-These last few games, Swaggy has for the most part eliminated his needless dribbling and become a great spot up/ offense in a pinch type of player. He’s let Huertas, DLo and Lou have the primary ballhandling duties and has been really nice on his positioning around their sets. I love it.
Really excited after this game though overall, the team showed some cohesiveness on offense and even with the subpar (to put it lightly) defense, there were at least some hustle plays.
Chris J says
Tough loss, but the aforementioned points were well made. I can see progress being made, and this season that’s really all we can expect. If Clarkson ha been close to his normal self, it’s very likely W No. 2 of the 2015-16 season.
Not a Byron fan at all, but he deserves credit for realizing the team plays better the more Artest and Nance get minutes at the expense of Kelly and Bass and others where were seeing more time early on this past month.
Jake says
I’m not a huge fan of Byron Scott (I’ll get to that later), but here were some of the positive takeaways from today’s game:
-He left Russell in the entire first quarter and let him run the show for the most part, and you saw how well the Lakers did. He had a couple of TOs, but he needs to be able to play with those and learn from them. I thought Byron did a good job of not yanking him.
-Going with Nance was a schrewd move. He’s essentially a more athletic version of Bass, as he seems to be able to shoot the mid-range shot with good consistency
Now the Negatives:
-Scott has this weird, creepy love for Lou Williams. I get the guy is a proven vet but he’s shooting 30% from the field. He’s not a guy who’s meant to play 30 minutes/game. That takes away from his strengths, which is coming off the bench in 8-10 minute bursts and scoring. He should not be playing in crunch time until that % goes up.
-Why is Scott playing Bass at C? It makes no sense, dude’s barely tall enough to play PF. Black needs to be the backup C and nothing else unless there’s foul trouble. I get that Bass is ur vet and needs to be in the rotation (according to Scott), but Nance is outplaying him right now, and as long as Nance is contributing, Bass should not be in the rotation. There isn’t enough room for the both of them to see significant minutes
-The last play was just…you only run the iso if you have a proven superstar, which the Lakers don’t have on the floor. Scott has got to run some sort of a P&R or a dribble handoff or something. Williams, the 30% shooter on the season, should not be running an iso.
Scott should be fired by all accounts. The guy doesn’t win, could possibly ruin the development of Randle Russell and Clarkson, and might run the Lakers into the ground with his practices. Unfortunately, I don’t think it would be prudent to make this move in the middle of the season. It could really mess up the youngsters’ confidence. That said, as soon as the season’s over, Byron needs to be let go and the Lakers need to hire Scotty Brooks. He’s proven that he can develop young talent and have a defensive team. He’s the perfect fit for the Lakers
Anonymous says
If only Russell made his free throws…
KenOak says
Well said Darius. It’s amazing how much different a loss like this from the Lakers differs from the recent losing streak of my favorite football team. Lower expectations make similar results feel much much better.
Lawrence Ros says
I still don’t understand why we have Byron Scott as coach, but this team isn’t as bad as the 1-7 record. But the yo-yoing with Russell makes no sense. The goal should be to live and die with the youngsters, and Scott is mismanaging DR.
steve0319 says
In the spirit of development, I think A Brown should get minutes. We don’t miss whatever we get from Bass. Shave minutes from MWP, Williams, Young. There is 15 minutes. He can bring ball movement, player movement, defense, spacing, and intelligence. He could be our version of Shane Battier
It seems to me that says
Nick has improved some defensively as well, which is a welcome change if it sticks.
Lou’s FG% doesn’t tell the whole story. His TS% is .504 by virtue of his talent for drawing fouls (not unlike Kevin Martin), and he’s a good FT shooter. The problem is that half the shots he’s taken so far this season have been threes, and he’s only shooting a dismal .205 beyond the arc. I’d rather he attack the rim more, even if that means stopping short and tossing up a runner or launching a fall away, but I don’t necessarily want him to stop trying to draw fouls, since that really is his bread and butter.
It’s a bit of a catch 22 when he’s trying to draw fouls on threes, which he has been successful at, but when he doesn’t get the call, it’s just a bad shot (similar to what we went through with Nick last year). Still, the foul on a three pointer that he drew late in tonight’s game really helped keep us in it and stopped the clock at the same time, saving precious seconds (that he later helped fritter away on the Lakers’ final possession, but I digress) and giving everyone a moment to compose themselves.
Given the nature of who he is as a player, Lou probably shouldn’t be the one taking the final shot, since the refs are often reticent on final possessions to whistle the kind of contact he normally relies on to get to the line. The ball should be in the hands of someone with a more reliable jumper, someone who can also attack off the dribble and create for others more effectively, someone like Clarkson. Maybe even Randle, provided he has clear instructions not to bulldoze anyone outside the restricted area.
Eventually, that could also include Russell, but he clearly wasn’t ready for that moment tonight. I bet his heart was pounding for those ten seconds he stood there holding the ball on the last possession, and then he very nearly threw it away, which probably sent his heart into his stomach for a terrifying moment. He’s got a ways to go yet, but he was better tonight overall, particularly early.
Fun game.
Craig W. says
I would love to be a fly on the wall at practice. I am interested in how A. Brown is doing. With Byron’s penchant for vets, I don’t know whether his being out of the rotation is because of practice results or just that Byron doesn’t want more rookies on the floor. Actually I see a bit of a point for not having Russell, Clarkson, A. Brown, and Randle/Nance on the floor together.
I too, don’t get having Bass playing minutes at center – I actually would rather have Nance play there, if Byron is determined to leave Black and Hibbert off the floor in short stretches.
Another vote for the development we saw last night.
Dwight says
…but this team isn’t as bad as the 1-7 record.
___
Not sure about that. We’ve only played one team that had a winning record (at the time we played them). That team was Miami and they were 4-3. I don’t mean to be a Debbie Downer, but there is a whole slew of teams that are very good that we haven’t played yet.
My hope for this year is that the kids continue to show mental toughness and begin to smooth out their performances towards the end of the year. Contrary to what management may have felt at the start of the season this was never going to be a competitive team. The recent tide of ‘if we’re not going to win let’s at least lose with the kids’ was not the way they saw this playing out.
George Best says
Larry Nance needs to play more as does Brown and Black. Bass and Kelly need to be cut. Its painful to watch Russell but hes so young and should blossom once Kobe leaves. If you are going to be a bad team get the kids who you truly value real playing time and cut the rest.
The team also needs a new coach and I would bring in the hottest youngest coach I could even if hes in the college ranks and just let everyone grow and take their lumps together.
Rock bottom is not until next year and we will just have watch and cringe but it would be a lot better watching it with the personell who will be here when it turns around coaching and playing most of the minutes.
Gene says
If Williams make his shots at his regular career pct the Lakers would probably have a couple of more wins….He is a big disappointment so far…Young has played better…
KevTheBold says
This game was reaching towards the type which makes logical sense for our team. Development first and foremost. Any games won are icing on the cake.
I agree that Brown needs more time, and I would reward Nance with as much time as I could.
So far, it looks like the draftees have been selected wisely. I can almost envision an exciting future with those 5 kids.
Go Lakers !!!
Hale says
I didn’t like Clarkson being benched down the stretch but I knew it was coming. Rough night but he was working hard to make impact on the game despite his shot not working.
I have always liked Bass as a solid hustle player but he is thoroughly being misused and is completely redundant to Randle. He’s being used like some hybrid Randle/Black/Hibbert and is looking terrible for it. If this team doesn’t gel soon enough to justify these goofy rotations, the trade value for the older players like him might plummet and stay low.
Huertas cannot create separation at this level. His age and low release leave him susceptible to getting blocked by anyone. Someone had described him as a willing defender yet totally incapable. I now see exactly the point. Still, I like him on the team but he needs some help to get free in the half court.
Unrealistic but I’d prefer Kobe to play to the 1st dead ball on the road instead of being in a suit. Whereas I feel near the end of the year the rust will have come off and he’ll be less of a shade of himself, it’s a little crappy that your one time to see a legend play live in your home town gets squelched because of some delusion that he’s been rested for later glory. Maybe he truly couldn’t go. I don’t know.
More crappy is that so early in the season I’m looking at the bottom of the standings to see how the Lakers are keeping pace.
Anonymous says
I thought rockbottom was supposed to be this year or last year. it is always one more year off
T. Rogers says
Yesterday’s game was a great game. Orlando is the perfect team for the Lakers to judge themselves by. They also are made up of young up and coming players. The Randle/ Harris match up was good to see. As was the Russell/ Payton match-up. It will provide good tape for the youngsters to go over and see what they did right and wrong.
Vasheed says
We somehow managed to have a glut of PF’s again, even after letting so many walk in the offseason. We cut Upshaw so that we could have Black and Sacre backup Hibbert but they aren’t playing because Scott can’t find playing time for Randle, Lance, and Bass without having Bass masquerade as a Center. I find that this is partially a problem caused by how well Lance is playing. Kudos to the F.O. and yet at the same time something has to be done.
Scott has been glacially slow to correct line up problems. I can only pray Bass at Center is not a repeat of Kelly at SF. Play calling is even worse than the line ups. I’ve been patient with Scott but, I really just want to see him go at this point.
Dwight says
Rock bottom is not until next year and we will just have watch and cringe …
—–
Yikes, if 2016/17 is rock bottom, then it could take us 2 – 3 years from that point just to make the playoffs:
– 2015/16: Bottom
– 2016/17: Rock bottom
– 2017/18: Leaving the bottom behind
– 2018/19: Close but no playoffs
– 2019/20: Playoffs
Good lord, unless we hit a home run with an elite free agent or all the kids become all stars we might not be in the playoffs for the rest of the decade!
Basquiatball says
They look a little better than they did in the 2nd and 3rd game of the year. If they keep improving incrementally and Randle, Russell and Clarkson can learn how to have good games at the same time, I’ll be happy. The scores are something of a technicality for me at this point.
Anonymous says
– 2015/16: Bottom
– 2016/17: Rock bottom
– 2017/18: Leaving the bottom behind
– 2018/19: Close but no playoffs
– 2019/20: Playoffs
___
That actually sounds about right. Assuming that the core of Russell, Randle, Clarkson and Nance are for real, that gives you 4 rotational players. Of course the goal is to have a larger core, of say 10 players, that can grow together.
We also need to hope that one of our current players is elite because we’ll need at least two of those to rise up the standings. Having one elite player should enable you to acquire another via free agency. If none of these guys is elite then that’s a problem.
Hopeful thought: The Warriors did not make the playoffs until the 4th year of the Curry era. 2019/20 would be Russell’s fourth season.
Tyler says
If the following things happen during/after this season, it will be a wildly successful season:
1. Kobe retires. (Lakers will never be in playoff contention with him still on the team.)
2. Russell, Randle, Clarkson, and Nance get a lot of run, improve their game, and stay healthy
3. Byron is fired. (Prefers pointless short term production with vets over developing sky high potential of rooks. And still loses almost every game.)
4. Jim Buss steps down. (Legacy kid syndrome.)
5. We manage to keep our top three pick. (Lakers are unequivocally one of the worst three teams in the league, we should be actively rooting for our pick to not fall to the four spot).
As a lifelong Lakers fan, I am 100% hoping that all five of these things happen. That being said, I thought the Magic game was great. Our young guys (barring the indefensible stupidity of benching Clarkson in the fourth quarter) got the run they need due to Kobe thankfully being out, we competed with the eastern conference team of the future, and thankfully managed to lose in spectacular fashion. Wins are absolutely pointless right now. They only bring us closer to losing our top-three protected pick. But if we are going to win, I want it to be because of Clarkson, Russell, Randle, and Nance alone.
matt says
I can’t believe they stopped running Offensive plays on the last 2 possessions, randle got blocked trying to force a shot because the clock was running out, then lou waits for clock to run out and misses a shot
Todd says
Anonymous at 11:42 AM is me.
In my post above, I assumed that we would not keep our top three protected pick. Adding yet another strong young player would certainly help and likely accelerate the rebuilding process.
tankyou says
No chat about MWP?!? In short minutes the guy is playing crazy well. I know its early and he can’t possibly keep shooting 60% form the field and 3pointers, but wow. He has a 20.6 PER thus far as well. He actually looks pretty good and seems to be taking good shots when he does shoot. To me this is the most suprising thing. Rooks struggling, us losing a lot, Kobe struggling all these things were pretty much easily predicatable.
Also Hibbert has something left in the tank, and clealry should get some touches on offense–which he basically doesn’t get when Kobe plays. And as Darius reported, Swaggy is doing well as a scorer from the bench. Again Swaggy could have some trade value, since he and Lou Williams are wasted on this team, I could care less with us winning a few more games b/c we have those guys–b/c that’s all it looks like. Plus it gives more time to these other guys. I do want to see Randle shoot more though on a consistent basis.
Chris J says
The team also needs a new coach and I would bring in the hottest youngest coach I could even if hes in the college ranks and just let everyone grow and take their lumps together.
————-
Yeah, but who is that, and what makes anyone believe he’d want the Lakers job over his present circumstances? In theory, hiring a hot young prospect makes all the sense in the world. But theoretical concepts don’t actually run practices or stalk the sidelines during NBA contests.
I don’t see the intriguing name out there that would also be a reasonable “get” for the Lakers right now. Kudos to Ainge for raiding Butler at the time he did.
Calvin says
Interesting topic of discussion. Given how good Porzingis looks, and how solid Jahlil is in the low post so far… did Mitch blow the pick? Porzingis looks scary good. He’s already impacting the game now. Once he bulks up and learns more about the game, he might become a mutant Dirk.
Snarky George says
ESPN’s Insiders tackle the one Western Conference team that is in worse shape that our Lakers.
http://espn.go.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/14109998/nba-espn-insider-experts-break-wrong-sacramento-kings
The panel does not advocate trading Cousins but if he is moved the most logical destination for Cousins is Boston — combination of their young assets, draft picks and a solid coach to get Boogie on track.
I would not be in favor of the Lakers pursuing him.
KO says
Snarky I would. Trade him for Hibbert and Russell in a second. OR
GEORGE KARL FOR B.SCOTT.
That solves everyone’s problems!
Anonymous says
Given how good Porzingis looks, and how solid Jahlil is in the low post so far… did Mitch blow the pick?
__
This was discussed on Dan Patrick’s show with Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Mannix said the Lakers did not pursue Porzingis because Mitch did not have a good feel for his development time. He said the Lakers knew Russell would take a few years to develop but the Lakers liked his upside the best.
Robert says
Tyler: As everyone knows, I am a huge Kobe fan and I supported installing Byron to carry the flag. That said – where do I sign if I get 1 – 5. To be honest I would sign off on 1 -4.
Moto says
They will forever be linked. Mudiay is averaging 6 dimes
rubenowski says
Russell also has a higher PER than Mudiay in less minutes, a less ideal situation, his shot isn’t falling and his teammates sometimes miss his passes cos they’re not expecting them. If ya’ll wanna compare the two let’s not forget that.
I think it’s too early to lament picking Russell over Okafor or Mudiay. If you wanna lament passing up on Porzingis, however, now that’s another story, but I can’t remember reading any post like that.
Mid-Wilshire says
On a slightly different topic, tonight the Warriors won again, beating Minnesota, 129-116. They are now a perfect 10-0.
Tonight they had 34 assists on 48 baskets (53.9% shooting, 47.4% from 3) against only 11 TOs. That’s better than a 3 : 1 assist to turnover ratio. That’s outstanding basketball. Draymond Green, their power forward, had 12 assists by himself. Andre Iguodala had 6 assists off the bench.
This is how you become 10-0. The Lakers’ young players should look at that team and take notes. I think they have it in them. But it may take years of refining and developing their games until they become a true team.
There’s a real lesson to be learned by watching the Warriors. They are truly outstanding.
bluehill says
Yeah, watching the Warriors you realize have far we have to go. Some of this will just take time for our young guys.
I’m actually pretty impressed with TWolves keeping it that close. With their roster, they are going to be really good in a year or two.
As for Byron, he seems to be making adjustments game to game rather than in game, meaning he seems like he is trying out some rotations for a few games and seeing how it works. If it’s not working, he’s trying something else. We’re only 8 games in, does it make sense it to do it more quickly? 8 games in and we’ve got MWP, Nance, and Black in the rotation so Byron seems open to changing some things up rotation-wise.
R says
Mid-Wilshire, good analysis of the Warriors. I’d like to add several things that in my opinion aided in their transformation from doormat to
powerhouse. In no particular order: The previous clueless owners sold to a savvy ownership group. They replaced an over the hill coach who was phoning it in with another coach, and replaced him in turn. They brought in an all time great former GM as part owner and special consultant. They drafted well and made an unpopular trade that improved the balance of their roster. They signed a star who passes first and plays defense. Their coach knows how to make substitutions (I’m looking at you, Byron). They didn’t gut their team for a certain fragile PF who is now with Cleveland. I may have missed a few things.
R says
My comments about the Warriors are in mod, where I blasted the previous ownership as “clueless”. However, I readily concede, as Tom Petty proclaimed, that even the losers get lucky sometimes. They did, after all, draft Steph Curry!
J C says
Nice post Mid-W.
Warriors, like the Spurs, understand that sharing the ball makes winning easier. Just like Red Holzman’s Knicks of the 70s and the Celtics before that.
It’s called teamwork and it’s beautiful to watch.
The Laker youth won’t be able to adopt that style of play until they have a coach that believes in that philosophy and understands how to teach it.
KO says
Mid hard to get assists when you have SHOOTERS? Like Lou and Kobe shooting 30%. Easy to blame Scott but maybe its more this terrible front office. Name one good trade or free agent in past 3 years.
Ok time is up.
matt says
That is crazy that mwp almost didn’t make the team and now looks awesome, on the flip side ryan kelly who looked great is now terrible. Mwp is great that he can guard every position i watched him guard a center than later in the game he’s guarding a point guard and guarding both very well. He doesn’t commit fouls. If he’s like this all season you gotta bring him back.
matt says
No good free agents in the last 2 years because they are always waiting on a superstar to sign, they are now waiting on kevin durant who probably won’t sign here, and if he does he’s another pure offensive player to add to our all offensive team
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