The Lakers had lost 4 games in a row and were reeling. Their opponent was on the 2nd night of a back to back and had lost to the Clippers on Saturday night. One team was going to leave LA Sunday night (the Lakers to Phoenix, the Pistons back to Detroit after an 11 day roadie) happy. That team is the Lakers and I think we all feel a bit of relief and happiness because of that. I know I do.
It was not a perfect night and there were things I wish played out differently (more on that later), but on a night when the Lakers got a W and in a season where that looks like it might not happen as many times as any of us with rooting interests would like, I won’t dwell on that stuff too much. The Lakers work hard and I want to see that work rewarded. Even if it comes with things I don’t necessarily agree with.
On this night, though, there was more to like than not.
Kobe did not shoot well, but he played well. His 19 shots led the team and he didn’t make even a third of them (six), but on a night where he tallied 9 assists and 8 rebounds while moving well off the ball and working his way to better spots on the floor, it is easier to live with the misses. Down the stretch of the game he had the ball in his hands, made good reads, and he even hit a (kinda) dagger three pointer that put the Lakers up double digits. It wasn’t exactly vintage Kobe, but it approximated that guy in an aged-and-coming-off-injury sort of way.
Jordan Clarkson also played well, hitting half of his 10 shots for 17 points (tied with Kobe for the team lead). If Kobe wasn’t making a play down the stretch, it was Clarkson who was by using his dribble to get into the paint and create good shots for himself. On one play in particular, he went away from Kobe and used a P&R to get into the lane, came to a nice jump-stop, reverse pivoted, and hit a fading 5 footer against a defense who had no chance. The combination of taking control and finishing the play drew an emphatic fist pump from Kobe who got a front row view of the play while camping in the strong side corner.
As for the rest of the team, there was a lot of good, some okay, and not really any bad. Which is what this team sorely needed.
Hibbert was a strong presence defensively and worked hard boxing out Andre Drummond and his brute force attacks in the paint. Hibbert only finished with 7 rebounds and 2 blocks, but Drummond only had 4 offensive rebounds and missed 10 of his 18 shots from the floor. Drummond still got his numbers, but he was not a destroyer of worlds and spent a lot of his night frustrated, even picking up a couple of fouls (and a technical) simply trying to bully his way to spots on the floor the Lakers (and Hibbert) were not going to surrender easily.
The bench unit also played well, which, as we noted in the preview, was going to be a key to victory. No single reserve was spectacular, but they all did their jobs and it reflected in their plus/minus stats on the night. Nance, Bass, Lou, and Young were all at least a +10 on the night and all were net positives. Nick Young, for his efforts, even closed the game (more on that later, too) and had a couple of fine defensive possessions — on one play the Pistons tried to run Nick through an elevator doors double screen and he fought through and then got over the top of the screen on the secondary P&R — to go with a couple of big three pointers in the final period.
All in all, then, this is mostly the type of game a lot of fans love. Kobe played well and was a key contributor down the stretch in helping the team pull away. A young player (in this case, Clarkson) showed his chops and had a strong impact late. The role players did their parts and the fans went home with tacos. A game that was worth the price of admission, I’d say.
Now, on to the notes…
- Kobe played 37 minutes tonight which, if you recall discussions leading into the season, is 5 minutes over the proposed ceiling. Before the year when asked what he would do in this exact situation, Byron said he would “Stick to my guns. This is what we talked about, this is what we felt would be the best way to use you and to make you the most efficient that you could be, I’m going to stick to it. Win or lose, I’m going to stick to it.” Well, seems that’s easier said than done.
- Kobe will not play in tomorrow’s back to back and Byron has already sort of used that as a buffer against the minutes cap. I don’t buy that really — the cap is there for in game purposes, not for balancing what a guy will do the next day. Kobe also said his back stiffened up late and that his legs don’t feel that great.
- With Nick Young closing while Kobe and Clarkson contributed late, the odd man out was D’Angelo Russell again. For the 4th time in 10 games, Russell didn’t play at all in the 4th quarter. For what it’s worth, Russell did not hang his head and was cheering on his teammates late, especially Kobe after he hit that late 3 pointer. Do I understand Byron riding the hot unit to get a win? Yes. Do I support that in a vacuum? Sure. But we don’t live in a vacuum and, again, this is the 4th time Russell has sat out the entire 4th quarter of a game. In other words, as Brian Kamenetzky put it perfectly, a night like this would have fewer questions if previous nights were handled better.
- For what it’s worth, I don’t even think Russell is doing things wrong to earn his minutes on the bench. I just think Byron is going with the “hot” player while also guaranteeing Kobe minutes. So, if Kobe’s spot is a given, there’s only two other perimeter spots open. Against the Magic, Clarkson sat and Russell (and Lou) played. In this game, Russell sat and Young played. In other games, Russell sat and Lou played. I wish it were different, of course. I think, as a point guard, Russell needs some of these minutes, under fire, to gain experience and learn. I don’t think these things can be simulated in practice or picked up on from the bench. But Byron clearly feels different. I think Russell is also the player most easily told to sit since he’s the rookie and being the #2 pick doesn’t mean anything to Byron. Not when he has capable veteran alternatives. You don’t have to agree with that, but that’s what I think is the truth.
- Larry Nance is probably already the team’s 2nd or 3rd best defender. His athleticism is great and his instincts are already very good. When he learns the league more and starts to get the benefit of the doubt veterans do, he will be hard to keep off the floor in close games simply because he will be making such a big impact on that end.
CG says
Byron gets alot of push back for dangelos minutes. But ppl dont remember he did the same thing with clarkson last season and after ASG let clarkson take over completely. Let him coach. No1 is complaining now about clarkson. But no1 is also giving him props for that development. If its positive its the player if its negative its the coach. Let’s be fair guys. Season is still very young. Let’s keep it up guys. Also no props are given on improving lakers defense. We have clamped down tremendously. The last few games. If we can limit kobes poor shots n hv him facilitate more we’ll be way better.
Jacolby Hart says
I’m not nearly as concerned with Russell as some people are. I think because he was the 2nd overall pick people forget that he’s a 19 years old who only played one year of collegiate basketball. Give him time. I know as Lakers fan we’re generally impatient, and watching what Okafor, Porzingis and Mudiay are doing isn’t making it any easier, but I honestly believe there’s nothing wrong with bringing him along slowly. He’ll be fine, just be patient.
Larry Nance is going to be a really good player. Zach Lowe said he has some Draymond in his game and I definitely understand the comparison purely from a defensive perspective. On offense, meh. He’s more athletic than Draymond but I don’t know if Nance’s ball skills will ever be as good. Regardless, he was definitely worth the 27th pick.
Jordan Clarkson is going to be a great player for the Lakers for a long time. I expect him to have a great game with Kobe sitting tomorrow.
addoug says
I agree 100% with you CG, stop the double guessing. I want Russell to improve, and I assume Scott wants the same, so let’s give the coach some wiggle room.
Vasheed says
I would like to see Kobe’s minutes reduced to about 24 minutes per game. Hopefully that would make him more efficient while opening up playing time for our younger players. I don’t think playing Kobe 36 minutes benefits Kobe or the Lakers.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with D. Russell. There is a lot wrong with how the Lakers are playing and by extension how they are being coached.
http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2015/11/14/9734762/dangelo-russell-la-lakers-passing-film-analysis-mavericks
bmcburney says
According to TeamRankings.com, for the season the Lakers are now 18th in defensive efficiency giving up 1.018 points per opponent possession. During their last three games, which obviously includes losses to Miami and Dallas, the Lakers have a def.eff. rating of 0.923 opponent’s points per possession. Of course, small sample size and none of those teams will be confused with the Golden State Warriors on offense. Nevertheless, those are incredible numbers considering how the season started.
bmcburney says
By the way, today ESPN shows the Lakers with a defeff of 104 (per 100 oppo. possessions) which is exactly the number Team Rankings had the day before. I think the mystery is solved.
PurpleBlood says
Been out of the loop for a while – good to be back!
Just wanted to say: Vasheed, I agree with you on KB´s minutes; and thanks for the link
macster says
@Vasheed
Not only his minutes but his shots also.
M~
bluehill says
Re Kobe: I’ll forego comments about his minutes and who should have been on the floor in the fourth quarter since I agree with the general sentiment here. I actually thought this was Kobe’s most balanced game in a long time. Sure he took a lot of shots, but there weren’t too many shots that looked forced to me. And,let’s give him credit for the assists. Some of those assists would probably have been shots when he was younger or before the road trip.
Kobe didn’t seem like he was trying to prove something, either that he could score or that the team couldn’t score without him. I wouldn’t say he’s less competitive, but in this game he seemed to be more accepting of his physical limitations. I could live Kobe playing like this for the rest of the year.
Gene says
Give Scott credit for…..Getting Young to play defense….Team is improving on defense….Team is playing hard…..
Mid-Wilshire says
I think I’m beginning to see the makings of a positive trend here for the Lakers, especially on defense. If you look at the (admittedly limited) sample size of the last 3 games against Orlando (101-99 L), Dallas (90-82 L), and Detroit (97-85 win), one notices the following stats:
Orlando — 40% shooting (vs. Lakers’ 49.4%), 54 rebs., 23 Off. Rebs. (vs. Lakers’ 43 and 7), 22 assists (vs. the Lakers’ 25 assists)
Dallas — 36.6% shooting (vs. Lakers’ 33%), 48 rebs., 7 Off. rebs. (vs. Lakers 57 and 15), 19 assists (vs. Lakers’ 18 assists)
Detroit — 36.5% shooting (vs. Lakers’ 41.3%), 46 rebs., 12 off. rebs. (vs. Lakers’ 46 and 7)), 16 assists (vs. Lakers’ 24 assists)
Conclusions:
1) the Lakers are holding their last 3 opponents to 40% shooting or lower and their defensive intensity seems to have intensified;
2) the Lakers are getting killed consistently on the offensive glass (clearly a major weakness);
3) the Lakers actually won two of the assist battles (24-16 vs. Detroit, a major difference resulting in the win);
4) the Lakers have held their last 3 opponents to 101, 90, and 85 points, an average of 88 ppg.
This tells me that the Lakers have significantly tightened up their defense. Of course, none of these teams is exactly San Antonio or Golden State. And two of the teams were on the 2nd nights of back-to-backs. (Detroit looked especially weary.) But even so, despite the very limited sample of 3 games, I sense some improvement in ball movement, assists, team defense, and finding the open man. Even the rebounding seems to be improved since the Orlando game.
The Lakers, obviously, have a long way to go. But the last 3 games, to me, have been somewhat encouraging. The defense, in particular, seems at least a level better. Now, let’s see what happens when they play Golden State.
Craig W. says
For all of us there is such a thing as confirmation bias. If we don’t like Byron Scott as coach of the Lakers, we want to find evidence of that which confirms our opinion, but we also tend to ignore things that point to his doing a good job. That is why he is given no “wiggle room” by some bloggers on this site. Most of us don’t really love his selection as coach, but we aren’t ready to “burn him in effigy” just yet.
The fact that he is handling Russell just like he handled Clarkson last year should be acknowledged. He does have a reputation for handling PGs well and we need to give him slack here to do what he thinks best.
The team is starting to play better defense and he needs some credit in this area. IMO, this is why Nance is earning minutes and may be finishing games by the end of the year
Hiting 4 out of 5 draft picks over two years {and evidence on the 5th is still out} is a fantastic batting average for any NBA front office. This also needs to be acknowledged, while we are whining about the Buss family.
Mid-Wilshire says
The Lakers’ opponents have averaged 92 ppg, over the last 3 games (not 88 as I said in a prior post). Sorry for the error.
bluehill says
I agree there seems to be some positives emerging in the last few games and Byron should get some credit for that. Byron has been making some changes and given we’re only 10 games into the season maybe he couldn’t have adjusted much faster with so many question marks coming into the season. It’s not like Luke coaching the Warriors (not to knock Luke, but he has fewer decisions to make) Still a long way to go, but I like the current trend.
Also, Nick’s defense effort last night was really good! Not sure what Byron did, but hope he keeps it up.
Clay Bertrand says
Kevin Pelton is posting a piece with Chad Ford on DAR’s play this year vs. Pelton’s forecast for him. We need to see the FULL REPORT!!!!
Get on it Snarky George!!!!!
Snarky George says
As requested: Here is the full Kevin Pelton and Chad Ford piece.
__
Is D’Angelo Russell the right guy for the Lakers? Is L.A. holding him back?
Is D’Angelo Russell underachieving?
Chad Ford: Three of the top four picks in the 2015 draft are off to terrific starts. Karl-Anthony Towns has been a double-double machine for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jahlil Okafor is averaging 20 PPG for the Philadelphia 76ers and Kristaps Porzingis is having a major impact on the New York Knicks. There’s a lot to be excited about there.
But the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, Los Angeles Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell, is struggling a little. Lakers fans appear worried that their team either picked the wrong guy or doesn’t know how to develop him. Coach Byron Scott and Kobe Bryant have gone out of their way to praise Porzingis.
Russell is getting decent minutes, though he often finds himself benched in the fourth quarter by Scott. But his numbers are shaky. He’s averaging fewer than 10 PPG while shooting worse than 40 percent from the field and just 31 percent from 3-point range.
I know your projections loved Russell before the draft. NBA folks loved him too; he finished No. 2 on our Big Board. What’s going wrong, Kevin?
Kevin Pelton: Here’s the thing: I’m not sure that anything’s really going all that wrong. For the most part, Russell’s advanced stats are similar to what my college translations projected for him. In fact, he’s shooting slightly better on 2-point attempts (45.5 percent) than his Ohio State performance suggested (43.4 percent).
Russell hasn’t been as good overall because he’s coming up short in a few key areas — his 3-point percentage, as you mentioned (he was projected for 35.2 percent), his assist rate (5.0 per 100 team plays vs. a projected 6.0) and his free throw rate (3.5 percent of the plays he’s used, as compared to a projected 6.8 percent).
I am concerned about the lack of free throws, which could limit Russell’s upside. Overall, though, he isn’t playing that poorly. I think Towns and Porzingis have been so good that it’s creating unrealistic expectations for Russell.
Additionally, I think the tendency to reduce a player’s production to highlights (whether on SportsCenter or on Twitter) means a player like Emmanuel Mudiay, who is making a lot of things happen but has a worse PER due to missed shots and turnovers, appears better than Russell, who has largely been in the background.
Are the Lakers getting in the way of Russell’s development?
Ford: I believe we all think the 3-point shooting will come. He’s not the first rookie who’s taken a little while to adjust to the longer 3-point line in the NBA.
The assists can also be partially explained by the fact that Russell just doesn’t have the ball in his hands to make those plays as often as he did at Ohio State. Jordan Clarkson is in the backcourt with him and shares the ballhandling duties. And then there’s Bryant. While he doesn’t dominate the ball the same way he once did, he’s still the focal point of the offense in LA.
To what extent can we chalk up Russell’s numbers to his situation? Would we be seeing him meet his projections if he had the ball more like Mudiay has in Denver? Or is he just not playing with the same confidence and aggressiveness that Mudiay is (for good and for bad)?
Pelton: That’s the million-dollar question, right? Believe it or not, according to SportVU tracking on NBA.com/Stats, Russell actually leads the Lakers in time of possession with the ball in his hands four minutes per game. But the Lakers have five players handling the ball at least two minutes per game. By contrast, the Nuggets have just three. So Mudiay’s average time and dribbles per touch are higher than Russell’s.
As much as everyone wants to criticize Scott here, I think Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak deserves a greater share of the blame. The Lakers already had Clarkson and Bryant on the roster before drafting Russell, then went out and signed another guard who needs the ball in his hands (Lou Williams) plus a veteran point guard (Marcelo Huertas).
So this roster doesn’t seem conducive at all to developing Russell if that’s really the Lakers’ goal. Is there a solution here in the short term?
Can the Lakers rebuild around Russell?
Ford: Patience, I guess — which, ironically, the Lakers decided they didn’t have when they passed on Porzingis. You’re right in noticing that all the Lakers’ perimeter players have high usage rates. They all need the ball in their hands.
That won’t change for Bryant, Clarkson or Williams — and we can’t leave out Nick Young. That’s the way they play, and there’s very little Scott can do about it. The bigs on the Lakers don’t stretch the floor, either. Assuming the Lakers really think Russell is the guy, then some of these guys need to be replaced by what would really complement Russell — a few lights-out 3-point shooters.
Given what you’ve seen from Bryant, Clarkson, Williams and Young, should the Lakers (or can the Lakers) shake up the roster to get Russell going? Not sure Williams or Young have much value, Clarkson doesn’t make any money and Kobe has a no-trade clause. What would you do?
Pelton: Despite what I just said, I do think a coaching change would help. Scott has consistently said that his focus is on winning games rather than developing players, and that doesn’t make sense for a franchise that’s going nowhere this season and needs its young prospects to break through to convince free agents to sign on.
Clarkson is part of that group, so the Lakers shouldn’t move him. Kobe isn’t going anywhere. And Young probably has no trade value. That leaves Williams, who came at a good price (three years, $21 million) and should be tradable if the Lakers can find a team in need of bench scoring.
Did the Lakers make a mistake in selecting Russell?
Ford: Given the situational qualifiers we spoke about, do you think the Lakers made the right choice by selecting Russell at No. 2?
While NBA folks had him rated No. 2 on my Big Board, I wrote the Lakers should’ve taken Porzingis in my Grade A Mock the week before the draft. Based on the very early returns, I’d stand by that — especially given the Lakers’ current personnel. Many of these situational issues would’ve gone away had they selected Porzingis.
Pelton: I think I’m inclined to agree. You mentioned in last week’s discussion that Porzingis was underscouted, and that was certainly the case for me. Though Porzingis and Russell had nearly identical WARP projections, I rated Russell higher on my subjective rankings in part because I was more familiar with his strengths and how they would translate to the NBA than Porzingis’ game.
I don’t think Okafor or Mudiay would look much better in the Lakers’ system than Russell. (Can you imagine Okafor as the last line of defense behind the L.A. guards?)
Porzingis, however, has shown he can be effective without the ball thanks to his size and offensive rebounding. Given that NBA performance tends to be more predictive than pre-draft projections, I would lean Porzingis over Russell if we redrafted today.
Tonefinder says
Let the record show- no KO after the W
Baylor Fan says
The idea that Russell is being handled like Clarkson was last year is a bit scary. First of all, Clarkson had coach Nash on the bench to help him so that part does not hold. More importantly, Clarkson was firmly stapled to the pine until everyone on the depth chart above him was unable to play. At that point he was given the ball and told not to turn it over. He did remarkably well on a team of misfits without any identity. Just the same, Clarkson did not look like he was the answer at point guard. Hopefully Russell is on a team that does have a future together and has a concept of how it wants to play offense and defense. He certainly could be the point guard going forward but that can only happen if he is on the floor. It is early in the season and there are way too many games to still play so it will be interesting to see how Russell is managed.
Anonymous says
Let the record show …
—-
…the team is 2-8. On pace for 16 wins…hoo·ray!
matt says
Is it good defense we are seeing, our just weak Offense from opponents, the defense is rotating better, pistons and mavericks shot horrible, and wow bass actually played good
Baylor Fan says
Baxter Holmes says it best (should Bryant suffer another season ending injury):
“Sunday’s game will instead be remembered as the first game this season when serious warning signs about Bryant’s health emerged, and from his own mouth no less, and yet both he and the Lakers ignored those signs, ultimately sealing his fate.
The Lakers didn’t need Sunday’s win, not at the price they paid for it.”
Archon says
The version of Kobe we saw last night is the version that can help the team win, especially when it comes to defensive rebounding because he’s a good rebounder and the frontcourt is getting killed on the glass. Also at this stage of his career, “Kobe, facilitator/passer” is much, much better then “Kobe, shooter/scorer”.
As others have mentioned if this team can get its act together with bring down rebounds there are signs (if you look hard enough) of this Lakers squad actually being decent on defense.
R says
I think KO did comment after the other win …
R says
“You are what your record says you are”
Now, don’t get mad at me – I’m just quoting Bill Parcells – a guy who knows a thing or two about sports.
Clay Bertrand says
Snarky George, You’re the MAN!!! Thanks for the posts and Snark On brother!!!!
Here is a quote that capsulizes my philosophy from our boy Bax Holmes:
“What became clear Sunday is that Bryant (and, by proxy, Scott) would rather risk his fragile-as-glass health for a win even if it’s a meaningless win during a rebuilding season when they’re truly only playing for the development of their young players and losing enough to keep their 2016 top-three protected first-round pick, which will otherwise go to the Philadelphia 76ers if it falls outside the first three slots.”
Ridiculous……..
Clay Bertrand says
BTW–credit where due—I have seen some very salient posts in the last couple of threads by, Todd, rr, Robert, Fern, KevTheBold, BaylorFan, Craig W., MidWilshire, bluehill and of course, our insider Snarky George.
Darius does ok too….. : )
Shaun says
At least we will keep our top 3 pick … or at least use it or DAR as leverage in trades this summer
T. Rogers says
“…Clarkson was firmly stapled to the pine until everyone on the depth chart above him was unable to play.”
—
I’m glad I’m not the only one who remembers this. Clarkson’s development last season was in large part luck. Bad luck with injuries opened the door for him to play. He was given the keys to just go out there and figure it out. The jump in his production likely would not have happened if Kobe and others stayed healthy last season and thus kept Clarkson pinned to the bench.
So it a bit hard for me to take Russell’s playing time as some grand strategy to “bring him along slowly” by Scott. To be fair to Byron Scott, his job is to win games first and foremost unless told otherwise.
Player development is something that has to start with the top. As the interview above noted, a team wanting to develop a point guard can’t have so many ball stoppers on their roster. Part of me wonders if the Lakers only selected Russell to package him in the proposed Cousins deal last summer.
bmcburney says
I am surprised that the vast defensive improvement in the Lakers since Nance and MWP joined the rotation seems to be overlooked. This is huge and very few here seem to have noticed it. Lakers defense improved from game to game throughout the road trip. In the past two games, the Lakers’ Defensive Efficiency ranking for the season has improved 10 spots from 28th to 18th. This happened because the Lakers held Dallas and Detroit to less than .90 points per possession. Less than .90 is a ridiculous number and it’s mind blowing given the way they started the season. The best defensive teams in the league are at about .925 per possession.
Oldtimer says
bmcburney, the old folks in this blog have been preaching defense as the key to any winning season because we watched too many basketball games in the past to relate it to the high fallutin’ analytics. However, there are so many ideas aired to twist the results of the series of losses. Some people advocate development via losing games and keep on playing newbies because they learn more from their TO’s. Some posters advocate trading good players such as Williams or tall Hibbert and produce more developmental players plus the fact of keeping the draft pick player from Sixers if Lakers makes the bottom 3. It is a flawed logic because it doesn’t offer any guarantees that the new player will produce more than the good player who is currently contributing at this time. In the end, it boils down on defense whether a new player or veteran player, everyone should practice the habit in defending their court before they can execute well orchestrated offense. In a nutshell, you can’t be offense minded player if you don’t have the ball.
Mid-Wilshire says
It’s interesting to look at the comparative stats (as I’ve just done) for the top NBA 2nd-year players. Below are the stats for the Lakers two 2nd year starters. (Julius Randle, in the eyes of the NBA, is a 2nd-year player.)
JORDAN CLARKSON
15.3 ppg — 46.9% FG percentage — 42.9% 3-pt. shooting — 2.9 rebs. — 2.1 assists
JULIUS RANDLE
10.9 ppg — 42.2% FG percentage — 8.4 rebounds — 2.7 assists — .6 blocks
By comparison, others include the following
ANDREW WIGGINS
20.6 ppg — 43.3% FG percentage — 37.5 3-pt shooting — 3.1 rebs. — 2.0 assists
ZACH LAVINE
Concerned says
Sunday’s game will instead be remembered as the first game this season when serious warning signs about Bryant’s health emerged, and from his own mouth no less, and yet both he and the Lakers ignored those signs, ultimately sealing his fate.
The Lakers didn’t need Sunday’s win, not at the price they paid for it.”
__
I thought the Lakers had brought on board a new training team and was supplementing this with advanced medical/anlalytics to help in injury prevention. Well, it looks like that effort is also a total fail. I think the intent was not to shoot the Kobe wad 10 games into the season.
Or maybe its the fact that data/insight is only as good as the people who use them. Yes, we’re looking at you Lakers FO and coach BS.
What a mess. Time to clean house.
Mid-Wilshire says
A continuation of my original post:
ZACH LAVINE
13.6 ppg –45% FG percentage — 41.4% 3-pt. shooting — 3.2 rebs. — 4.0 assists
Summary: Clarkson is 2nd among all 2nd-year players in scoring at 15.3 ppg, second in FG %, second in 3-pt shooting, 3rd in steals.
Randle is 6th in scoring, first in rebounding, 4th in assists, and 2nd in blocked shots.
In comparative terms, then, the top two Lakers draft picks from 2014 are at or near the top of their class in several important categories. This is a good thing.
BigCitySid says
– Any win is a good win for our Lakers…congrats. Let’s keep it going.
-Two records the Lakers are in danger of breaking this year:
– “Lakers all time worst start” and “Lakers all time worst record”.
This franchise has only won less than 30 games in a season FOUR times in their 68 year history…so far. Unfortunately it’s happened TWICE in the last two years…with a real possibility of three years straight. Some feel this is okay, as long as they are entertained…I’m not one of them.
This is the bottom line thru 10 games of this season and their worst four previous seasons:
2015-2016 thru 10 games: 2-8 (?? win season/ 82 game season, ???)
2014-2015 thru 10 games: 1-9 (21 win/ 82 game season, .256)
2013-2014 thru 10 games: 4-6 (27 win/ 82 game season, .329)
1959-1960 thru 10 games: 3-7 (25 wins/ 75 game season, .333)
1957-1958 thru 10 games: 2-8 (19 wins/ 73 game season, .264)
KO says
Tone I was at the game and get funny looks when posting and driving. Defense was good but Detriot on B to B and Sat night night life also may have been issue. Monroe and few others looked less then steller and angry from tip off.
KevTheBold says
Big thanks to Snarky for posting that Pelton piece.
With regards to the game: I was surprised yet glad to see Kobe passing the bowl.
Yes he still gorged himself, but at least he saved some bites for his teammates.
As for the assertion that we “needed him” to win the game, I can’t agree; and like others here, find it, under the circumstances of a development season a silly urge.
Clay Bertrand says
Hey KO, the reason “Monroe” was so angry from the tip off last night was that you keep calling him “Monroe” when his name is DRUMMOND!! ; )
KevTheBold, Kobe was passing bowls around last night?!?!?!!? Does he use the Medical stuff to deal with his various ailments!!?!?!? ; )
KO says
Geez Clay you are so correct. To bad you wasted 4 valuable sentences to point out that. In 1984 I also calked Kareem, Lou one time in a newpaper story.
Must have missed that or maybe you weren’t born yet.
Thanks though. Liked you better as Clay Shaw.
KevTheBold says
Clay, Lol,..wish he would, maybe then we would see his beneficent side.