The Lakers may have lost to the Hawks on Friday night, but how they went about doing it wasn’t the worst thing ever. Yes, they started out slowly and allowed the Hawks to take control of the game. And, yes, Kobe had another poor shooting night. But the team, overall, still played hard throughout, battled back late in the game to get within four points, and with a little more experience may have found a way to keep it close with a chance to win at the end.
Individually, though, D’Angelo Russell’s play was one of the bright spots. While his shooting percentage wasn’t great (6-16) and he had too many turnovers (7 — though, as I’ve noted, high turnovers aren’t necessarily the worst thing for the long term development a young point guard), he was aggressive, shot the three ball well (4-7), and looked to take control of the game in the 4th quarter.
He had the feel of an alpha-type player in the 4th quarter and watching him essentially abandon the offense for a few possessions in order to take his defender into the post to try and create shots for himself or teammates was good to see. It didn’t always work and, in the long term, simply going iso to try and get buckets isn’t the best strategy, but I liked the assertiveness and appreciated him taking control the way he did. He’s the youngest guy out there, but as the lead guard, part of his job is to set the tone.
With that, below are his highlights from the game. He finished the contest with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists. It was his first career double-double, but surely not the last. Enjoy the clip and thanks to @DawkinsMTA for all the highlight clips he puts together.
https://youtu.be/OdjY_jLjC0M
stats says
Only got to see the first half, which was less than exemplary, but I have to say that I am also very much enjoying the play of one Larry Nance, Jr. Plays hard, plays smart, plays defense.
Thomas Rickard says
Tomass1947@yahoo.com say what you will, but why wasn’t Clarkson in at the end of the game, Russell showed me he still isn’t ready at the end he’s a turnover machine, oh I forgot the idea is to tank. Russell might improve is assist number if he’d pass the ball to Clarkson when he’s open once in awhile, but then again it would be terrible to win
Anonymous says
Russell would look good passing the ball to Ben Simmons.
Fulofunk says
Hey Darius, any word about Tarik Black?
Baylor Fan says
It looks like the Lakers are learning to keep their hands up and ready when Russell has the ball. I remember Magic bouncing the ball off players who did not think they were open.
Anonymous says
Why are the Lakers not using Robert Upshaw
BigCitySid says
IT WAS THE BEST OF (Kobe’s) TIMES (’99-’00, ’00-’01, ‘01-’02 & ’08-’09, ’09-’10) AND IT IS THE WORST OF (Kobe’s) TIMES (’13-’14, ’14-’15, ’15-’16)
– Kobe is on the verge of setting another historical NBA record. 1st player to miss more than 14,000 field goal attempts. He already holds the record for most missed shots at 13,967. At his current rate of missed fgs per game (12.56) this season, that will happen in 3 games. 3rd all time/ scoring, 3rd all time/ fga’s taken, 5th all time/ fg’s made, 1st all time/ fg’s missed…anyway you add it up, it’s bad math.
– Deron Williams has passed Kobe for 28th place on the NBA career list for assist.
– On Byron Scott. It should be obvious to all, the only reason Scott was hired to coach this team is because he agreed to “Let Kobe Be Kobe” a coaching job requirement by the Buss Family.
Keeping An Eye On The Bottom Line:
– 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 find ways to rationalize and accept this…I’m not one of them.
This is the bottom line thru 19 games of this season and their four worst previous seasons:
2015-2016 thru 19 games: 3-16 (?? win season/ 82 game season, ???)
2014-2015 thru 19 games: 5-14 (21 win/ 82 game season, .256)
2013-2014 thru 19 games: 10-9 (27 win/ 82 game season, .329)
1959-1960 thru 19 games: 6-13 (25 wins/ 75 game season, .333)
1957-1958 thru 19 games: 3-16 (19 wins/ 73 game season, .264)
– Currently they are tied for the WORST record thru 19 games in Laker history.
– The Buss Kids: worst ownership in Laker history.
Darius Soriano says
Sid,
Posts like the one above just come off as trolling. We understand Kobe is bad this year. As are the Lakers. Posting variations of the stats above every day, in basically every thread is tired & repetitive. I refer you to the commenting guidelines on how we feel about repetitive comments as we seek a wide ranging discussion.
And his holds true for anyone else who does the same as Sid regarding their favorite topic. It’s old already. I’d rather disable comments entirely than continue to have to read them all. Thanks for understanding and proceeding accordingly.
Gene says
Seeing Russell post up was awesome…He is playing better every game… Plus showing new stuff…A dunk last week..posting up yesterday…
Fern says
Yeah win games, what a terrible concept…
Fern says
So Deron Williams passed Kobe as 28 in the all time assist list, um who in the hell cares about that? Really, thanks Darius for pointing out the repetitive nature of some of these comments, most of the people that comment on this site if not all are pretty knowledgeable of Lakers history and how this season could end up meaning in the history of the Lakers, we get it, the team sucks, the Busses are the worst owners in the history of the world and Kobe is bad, thanks for clearing that up, about Russell in the Philly game and last night’s im seeing that he is triying to be more agressive and create plays in tue 4th quarter, and i can tell once he get proficient at it he is going to make a career out of posting opposing guards and when he gets good enough that teams have to double team him, it’s going to create all kinds of oportunities to make passes out of double teams, all in all im pleased with his progress and despite what people might say one of the few things BS’s regime has done ok is making him earn his minutes, the kid is going to be so good once he puts it all togheter, and his assists total would he up if it wasn’t because at least 3 of his passes are wasted by his teammates or his own rookie mistakes but his assists avg is been trending up for a while now, he is showing more agression and looks more comfortable out there in my opinion. Somebody mentioned Upshaw, well he is a scrub, if you can’t crack the starting lineup in the D League and are shooting less than 40% when all you have the ndo is shoot 2 feets away from the basket you are not NBA roster material, he can blocks shots and nothing else,nplus he is a gigantic knuclehead…
BigCitySid says
-No problem Darius, just keeping things real historically. I will cease…as requested.
Ahmad says
Through all the lost playing time in the 4th quarters in the past and failed assists that teammates have not converted off of Russel’s vision, I had completely forgotten that he was a competent guard in the post. Seeing his back-to-back post-ups on Schroeder yesterday was wild, I was delighted to see he was willing to take the burden of 4th quarter offense upon himself. And as with the turnovers, even Curry/Lillard/Wall/etc all have stretches of high turonver games, it is just usually seen as them trying to kickstart an offense, albeit trying too hard. All of these are encouraging signs. If Russel’s shot is dropping and defenders have to keep honest on him, then he is definitely a smart enough player to take advantage of that. Love what I saw with him against ATL
LKK says
Have to admit that I’m beginning to see good things from D’lo. Which is a great sign for the Lakers’ future. I’m still not convinced that he is a franchise type player, but I am starting to believe that he will have a very positive impact moving forward. I’d like to see Jordan and him take the challenge defensively and start to make the team’s defense on the perimeter that much better. One thing I’ve noticed is that all the Lakers’ guards consistently collapse into the paint to “dig down” and double team the recipient of post entry passes. While it’s laudable to play help defense, too often this action results in wide open three point shots or unchallenged dives towards the rim. Unless there is someone really hot who makes a double team necessary, I feel that the guards need to honor their own assignments more.
nimble says
Sid,you have been extremely consistent on Kobe bashing for several years though,do you two personally meet?
KevTheBold says
Thank you Darius, for giving D’Angelo this important encouragement & acknowledgement.
I’m also glad to see him realize that he needs to take his, because Scott will give him nothing.
Thomas, how he will learn poise in the 4th quarter, is by playing and making mistakes in the 4th quarter.
There is no other way.
KevTheBold says
Anyone who still believes Clarkson is a pg, and not a sg, needs an optometrist visit asap.
russell says
looks like russell’s shot was a bit slower this game
LordMo says
Like to see the development of the kid…we are betting the future of the franchise on this young man. Good to see him not wilting under the pressure. The Lakers need to take their time with Russell. He is very young and will need to learn but just as importantly develop his body. Still perplexed by the Clarkson situation…seems like we had a budding star PG there already. So, we are retarding his Clarksons growth in my opinion. He was playing some good PG the end of last season. But time will tell because right now we need all the players we can get anyway no use complaining. I’m just going to watch and root the young fellas on…they will get it right soon!
BigCitySid says
-@ Nimble, thanks for remembering that I was way ahead of the curve pertaining to the negative points of his game. Appreciate that.
-@ Fern, it points to the fact that Mr “I eat 1st” has become a compiler in this categor…no more, no less.
– Just responding D.
Jim C. says
A bit of context on the “this could be three years straight of the Lakers posting less than 30 wins” is in order.
I’m skeptical on the front office, but you also have to acknowledge that the new collective bargaining agreement really hurts the Lakers. Much more punitive luxury taxes, more incentives for free agents to stay where they are, etc. The front office game has changed from when most of us were kids and the Lakers had a gigantic advantage over other teams in the league when it came to spending on players and being able to offer endorsement deals.
It used to be that you could make a LOT more money off of endorsements if you were in a city like New York or LA. But now we have the internet. Endorsers care a lot less on whether or not you’re in one of the traditionally major cities.
So, put bluntly, yeah, it’s worth questioning whether the front office has kept up with the times on things like basketball analytics, Kobe’s extension, the Steve Nash trade, etc. But you can’t just look at the last few years in isolation without the context that a lot of advantages that Jerry Buss had Jim Buss does not.
rr says
Sid
You are actually very typical of a certain type of KB basher and are not ahead of any curves. What makes you you is that you do the schtick every day at a Lakers site.
Clay Bertrand says
I Love DAR’s emerging confidence and the fact that Byron is playing him decent minutes. 36 minutes for a 19 yr old rookie point guard is just the kind of experience he needs to develop AND he’s getting some 4th qtr run too. I’ll take the turnovers—growing pains are inevitable.
His post up game was really eye opening for me. With his size for the PG position, posting up is a great way to minimize any athleticism he gives up to smaller quicker guards.
Slightly OT but I’m kind of surprised DAR doesn’t get called for “carrying” or “discontinued dribble” —i.e. Double-dribble/traveling more often. This IS the NBA where traveling appears to be softly regulated I realize that. But DAR likes to cock the ball in a high cradle in his left hand and still maintain the dribble. Just seems like the refs are normally harder on non veteran players and that the would be calling that because it looks a bit awkward. The fact they are NOT calling it is awesome because it means legal or not (and it could well be a legal play) he is being allowed to make it part of his style going forward. His aggressiveness is growing too and its very encouraging.
Finally on BigCitySid, PERSONALLY, I am not offended or irritated to see the negative stats for Kobe. I don’t believe they belittle his acheivements one bit so they don’t bother me. I think Sid’s posts are sort of the YIN to Robert’s YANG with the KOBE ALERTS.
I always interpret both posters as Laker fans just expressing their points of view thru stat recognition. I know Robert is a fully invested Laker fan and so is Sid. Kobe really is a polarizing player in a lot of respects. I think we all know that by now.
I guess the issue is with the REPETITION which I suppose does get old. So change it up some Sid!!!! That’s life in the BIG CITY!! : )
Clay Bertrand says
Totally OT here but since its Sunday, I thought I’d admit to you my friends that I am an Oakland Raider fan. Clearly that has nothing to do with this forum (although there is an interesting parallel as both teams are transitioning their ownership from Father to Son/Daughter) but I tell you this to illustrate that when you are a fan of a team that is polarizing AND has been losing for an extended period, you develop a THICK SKIN and a little bit of a bunker mentality.
Some Laker fans need to develop this thick skin and really dig in to survive this rebuild. It’ll be ridiculed from the outside and from we INSIDERS here. But we need to do as Kobe says and enjoy the pain….embrace this point in the team’s development as part of the natural cycle of things. And as Kobe says of this sputtering end of his career, “Its beautiful.”
KevTheBold says
Lordmo, enjoyed your post.
Clarkson however imo is much stronger on slashing, than passing.
It’s only that last season there was no point of comparison, because on that team, he was the closest they had to a pg.
Apology to all, if I come across as too pro D’Angelo, however I see special potential there which could serve us downbeaten Laker fans, and too many were writing him off before he even started, and not because of who he was, but who he wasn’t, – Okafor – Mudiay.
KevTheBold says
rr, not nice to rub it in.
He did apologize after all.
Then as well, some do view what Kobe is doing, as for himself, not necessarily for the team.
So I suppose it comes down to that conversation of player vs team: Which is more important in the scheme of things?
rr says
Kev,
Sid’s position, which he reiterated in the post that I was responding to, that he is an even-handed thinker providing some needed balance to the KB conversation–is, as noted, quite typical. And Sid didn’t apologize; he just said that he would stop. Given that a sizable percentage of people here, including you, are devoting several posts a day to going off on Kobe and Scott, I don’t know that we really need that here on a Lakers site where many of us admire and respect Kobe’s long run with our favorite team. The landing has been very rough, but the ride was great.
That said, every regular here, including DS himself, is repetitive. It goes with the territory, and it is easy enough to simply scroll past contributions of those of whom we easily tire.
rr says
Jim C,
Good post. My own position on the FO is that there are enough extenuating circumstances to warrant giving them some more time, and that there have also been enough questionable/bad decisions to warrant saying it is time to clean house. If in some alternate universe I were Lakers’ owner, I would give them some more time, but we would be having some long, unpleasant meetings.
But the topic du jour is mostly Kobe and Byron as team-killers, and since both of those decisions looked bad when they were made, I see no reason for people who are going through the year angry at KB and Scott to give the FO any slack on those moves at all.
KevTheBold says
rr, sticks and stones and all that.
I do appreciate Darius’s view, and don’t admire his editing duties.
Especially in light that repetition can be buried in long drawn out posts and wrapped in alternate phrases.
I do hope you can appreciate that the many you mention, view the the idolation of any individual over the unit as illogical to the ‘team’ we are all here in support of.
In that light, what is bashing to one is dependent upon position.
Yes, the ride has been fantastic, but it ended three years ago, and those who resist change are trying to hold us back.
Jim C. says
rr:
Yeah, there’s definitely room to question the FO. Where I wonder where they might be smarter than we might suspect is actually related to the Byron/Kobe thing this year.
An argument could be made that they’re thinking “big picture” with that whole situation.
1. Giving Kobe a huge extension was questionable (but defensible) at the time they did it given the year he was having. It certainly looks terrible in retrospect, but one infrequently talked about bright spot to that move is that it probably does send a signal to other marquee players that the FO will reward you for your loyalty if you play for the Lakers and the organization shows loyalty to their own. All great stars will be in Kobe’s shoes one day afterall. I imagine most of them would like to be treated like Kobe is being treated this year when that time comes.
2. The front office may well be aware that Scott and Kobe this year are terrible for the Lakers, and deciding that’s not a bad thing in the strategic picture. Keep a top-3 protected pick by keeping a terrible coach around and letting Kobe shoot 20 times a game.. Make the youngsters happy next year by giving huge expanded roles once Kobe is gone. Tank but in a completely defensible way where you can pretend you’re not. etc.
Put bluntly, the FO may well be aware of Byron and Kobe’s status as team killers…and be happy to go along with it.
On Chad Ford’s current draft board, four out of the top five prospects are either a Center or a Small Forward, which happen to be the exact two positions the Lakers are looking to fill.
If I give the FO a bit more slack than I give Kobe and Byron this year it’s because they may be, unintentionally or intentionally, doing the best thing for the team long term. They could be doing it intentionally (the benign interpretation for their inaction on Scott/Kobe) or unintentionally, but it could end up with a good result either way.
LordMo says
@Kevin … Thanks I knew we would be here (Rebuilding) …sadly I predicted that no big time players would want to come with Kobe. What makes him great is also his weakness! That Alpha Dog mentality will not let him play sidekick or be a 3rd option which would be needed to extend his career. I do think he will listen to the right offer…someone really wanting ring close and needs firepower!
But this helps the youngsters tremendously because the ulnas is dead square on them! I’m ready to see what we have and excited to see our future moves! Mitch earn your pay buddy! It is he who must step up at this moment and right the ship!