The Lakers may be on a break for another week, but a few of their players are in New Orleans for All-Star Weekend to compete in various events. The first of those commitments is tonight when D’Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram join up on the U.S. Team in the Rising Stars Challenge to face off against their World Team counterparts. A full roster and background of the game can be found here.
It’s a nice honor to be included in this game, but this isn’t something which should be be taken too seriously be fans since history tells us it certainly will not be by the players involved. There will be little to no defense played, players will be gunning for highlights, and guys will be hunting for their shots. It’s less a basketball game and more a game of 2K brought to life by 19-22 year olds.
In other words, this game will have little to no intensity and we’re all (including the coaches of both teams) just going to have to live with that.
That said, it should be fun to see if either Ingram or Russell can catch fire and show off their respective talent. Neither player has had as good a year as, I think, many fans would like but they have shown enough flashes to reinforce their overall talent level. I’d love to see one or both be “on” tonight and put up some numbers while drawing some “oohs” and “ahs” from the crowd.
Of course, they won’t be alone out there and won’t be the only guys looking to show off their skill. I expect Devin Booker, Karl Anthony Towns, and Kristaps Porzingis to all show out. Two my sleeper picks to have really good games are Jamal Murray of the Nuggets and Jonathan Simmons of the Spurs. The former will not be bashful about getting up long jumpers and the latter is a high flyer who knows how to get out in the open court. This type of environment is built for guys like them.
Anyway, enjoy the game. It may not be “competitive” in the classic sense, but it is fun enough game before we get into the real fun on Saturday and Sunday.
Where you can watch: 6pm start time on TNT.
Pbz06 says
I still find it interesting that a guy like Malcolm Brogdan, a rookie that is 24 years old, can put up a PER of 13.9, and averages of 9/4/2 and be considered to be a good young player with a more positive perception/vibe than DAR at 20 years old 🙂
Similarly, Dario Saric can also be putting up uninspiring numbers as a 22 year old yet everyone is high on Philly’s young core (obviously Embiid is the real deal).
I still hear people clamoring about counting stats, complaining about the number of assists. DAR is averaging 4.7 assists in about 25 minutes per game. All the good point guards ahead of him are in the 5-7 apg ranges while playing 36 minutes per game. Then there’s the select few elite guys that are in double digits.
I also hear a lot of chatter how much better Booker is with his 14.3 PER and 21ppg and 3 apg. Never mind that he plays 35 minutes per game and has green light to shoot as he pleases, unlike DAR where he runs the offense carefully and deferring to gunslingers like Lou, Nick, and tunnel vision Randle.
Other than big men like Towns and Embiid, are there any other small forwards or guards you would rather have than 20 year old DAR???
Clay Bertrand says
Pbz06
All very valid points. I agree with those who say that Luke needs to play Russell more especially in the Clutch alongside Ingram to get his development sped up.
I gotta think that Luke must be seeing something in practice though that we can’t. Russell has had some puzzling games lately where he doesn’t shoot or attack at all. Its like he’s getting crap for shooting too much like Kobe did so he sorta sulks and doesn’t shoot at all for a game or two. I don’t know if that’s what happened obviously.
Maybe he’s still dinged up or something too but we’ve seen some weird games out of him right after it looked like he was balancing sharing the ball with his scoring. I could have understood if he was still playing the same way but his shooting was just off or his passes were extra wild but after two really strong games, he just disappeared. He didn’t make ANY impact on the games.
Luke said he’s looked tired. He certainly hasn’t looked energetic at all lately. No crispness to his game at all the last few games IMO. Its not like hes playing 35 min a night either. It just seems that his EFFORT isn’t always there for some reason. That is not good.
I do think its a frustrating situation for him and the team to a degree:
1.) The Offense/Positionless BBall—The coaches, analysts, fans, MAGIC etc. all want Russell to be a floor and team leader but then, the Lakers have this ball handling by committee thing going where the command of the offense is taken out of the hands of Russell much more so than it had been. Sometimes its Randle, sometimes its Ingram, Clarkson, etc. I think Russell will have a hard time establishing himself as a leader when its leader by committee. He doesn’t have to be the Heart and Soul or the Locker Room leader—BUT he does need to have that role on the court and a lot of that comes with having the ball in his hands more.
2.) Lack of Seniority/Respect—In reality, Russell barking orders at guys who are his same age or older than him when he hasn’t really seized his own role and established his own game at all at this level rings sort of hollow. I can see how guys may blow him off or roll their eyes at his trying to organize the offense or of him getting in guys ears after a bad play. He commits his OWN share of lame turnovers so, the other guys may not be sold on him as their floor leader and may not respect him as such. Part of this is the fact that there are so many young, inexperienced players along with Russell and part of this is Russell still himself, finding his way and carving his role.
I’m hoping these are just growing pains because we all know Russell at 20 has talents that are tailor made for the current NBA game (at least, offensively). I’m really hoping this isn’t a lack of necessary drive and desire on his part. Not every guy has that KILLER in him. Maybe its just gonna take a couple of seasons to click and for him to really embrace the routines and work it takes in the off season to improve as at the NBA level. Or he could never get there.
He has raised a few serious questions for me lately though that have me a little concerned.
LordMo says
Pbz06
Nothing wrong Saric or Booker not understanding your point… I guess? I like DAR but Booker is definitely the better player at this point. Also, you forget Philly’s core includes Simmons so yes they have a very nice young core. And considering Phoenix just beat the snot out of us there young core is pretty decent also. Brogdan plays both ends of the floor haven been the 2 time ACC defensive player of the year.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/saricda01.html#per_minute::none
Pbz06 says
The point is people have narrative bias that skews perception. DAR is better than them.
You’ve seen Simmons play in NBA? You realize that both of them can very well end up having short careers with their serious chronic injuries.
At this point we have good reason to be high on DAR, Randle and Ingram and Zubac.
😉
LordMo says
Pbz06
DAR is not better than Booker period! So you can just stop that right now. But we are not the only ones to miss out on that. Randle is trade bait as far as I’m concerned not paying him double digit millions to shoot his goofy shots.. like Ingram and Big Z. For you to say that our core is better is quite naive … other teams have a nice young core and their cores might be better than ours really too early to tell right now. The only one who might be chronic is DAR with his knees and time limits… so where are you getting this stuff? Simmons is a stud and does not have an injury history at all… I’m sure he could have played months ago but Philly is smart so they keep him out and have shut Embiid down when they started to win too much. He could have played last year but for what? Same game San Antonio played to get Duncan. Again don’t be fooled by Laker hype if we played our youngsters as much as Philly and Phoenix does our record would be worse. We have Lou and Swaggy winning games for us because the bozo in the FO has been trying to live up to his playoff promise.
FredP says
LordMo Pbz06 Booker and Russell play different positions. What is your point? Saric is too slow to be a starter, Okafor is too slow to even be a rotation player, Embiid with his foot and back problems has played how many minutes in 3 years? And you want him to play center and bang with the big boys? Simmons also has to show he can handle banging with the big boys and that his shot is not broken. The Lakers FO has done a much better job of putting a young team together.
_ Robert _ says
Expectations: This is usually relative to where you were drafted and later on with your second contract – how much you are paid. Another factor is your behavior and your entitlement.
So DAR may compare well to some of the guys who were drafted well behind him, and who may or may not demand max money (we know DAR will). Further, if the player acts a little humble until he proves something, that helps perception (keep in mind this is coming from a Kobe fan – so I am all about being an in your face Alpha if it is warranted).
The Alpha can strut his stuff and eat first, but before he does this, he better check in the mirror and make sure he is predator, and not prey.
new rr says
FredP LordMo Pbz06
Obviously, there are heath concerns about Embiid and Simmons. But Embiid has already shown that he can be a franchise cornerstone; he is playing at an All-Star level right now. None of the Lakers’ three guys is remotely close to that level.
The caveat is age; Embiid is going on 23. Randle is 22, Russell will be 21 this week, and Ingram will not be 20 until September. But even with the age and injury issues, Embiid is far more valuable than any of the three Lakers’ guys and is probably more valuable than any combination of two of them.
Simmons is unknown, but I am sure that Philly would not trade Ben Simmons for any of the three Lakers’ guys and that is probably true of almost any FO in the game.
The Lakers’ lotto picks were all solid, reasonable moves in those slots, but Embiid/Simmons has a better chance, even with the concerns, to be an elite two-man combo.
Clay Bertrand says
new rr FredP LordMo Pbz06
Embiid looks to be a real talent. However, his injuries are a legitimate concern to me. This is a big man who will be putting a lot of pounding on his feet and knees and he is already known to have issues with both that have kept him out of the VAST majority of games he has been otherwise eligible to play.
I have real concern that he may not hold up—he could well be a ticking time bomb or an often injured guy who tantalizes with his talents but can’t stay on the floor.
Simmons injury as I recall came from stepping on someone’s foot in Training Camp and it ended up being the Jones Fracture that Durant had. Now we don’t know if the reports that his foot has NOT healed are accurate, or whether the 6ers are really trying to preserve him for a fresh start next season rather than try to force him back for 25 games this season. I doubt we see Simmons play an NBA game this season.
Either way, the class and talent of these two seems to be a cut above what our young guys have shown.
But the lingering injury concerns, particularly surrounding Embiid ARE real. Embiid after all has played very little basketball in his life compared to a lot of guys his age and he has suffered some pretty serious injuries. He was babied along THIS season and he still got hurt. How will his body hold up playing 35 minutes a game for 82 plus games for years???? If we only go by his limited history that answer is, “Not very well.”
I would agree with rr in saying that the 76ers stars perhaps have greater Super Star upside/potential but that they also have real injury complications that cannot be ignored.
Saric isn’t an amazing athlete but he is solid in what he brings IMO.
Overall, the collection of assets that Hinkie was able to amass, plus the fact that THEY DON’T HAVE MOZGOV AND DENG, puts them in a much better position to truly rebuild than the seemingly conflicted path the Lakers have taken.
Clay Bertrand says
Swaggy P in the 3pt Contest is basically, the PLAYOFFS for we Laker fans and our Championship Game 7 will be the Lottery Draw……
We gotta be pulling for Swaggy Lazarus back from the dead tonight!!!!! It COULD well be the last time we see him in a Laker uniform.
It would be killer for Nick to do well. I’d love for him to win the contest wearing a Byron Scott throwback jersey.
GO SWAGGY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You’re all we got bro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Clay Bertrand says
Has anyone seen this??
http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/byron-scott/slam-dunk-success/9781478947721/
I’m sure it ranks right up there with Custer’s book on military strategy……………
Pbz06 says
Face palm 🙁
Pbz06 says
Very good point. Personally every single soundbite and interview, DAR comes out sounding mature and understanding what he needs to do and the teammates. Haven’t heard a single thing that sounds otherwise.
Even the nick young fallout, his apology and eating humble pie was sincere, and he didn’t even try to excuse it based on context with his friendship and someone leaking it. The fact that Nick Young himself is over it and enjoys playing with him should mean fans can let it go too.
The difference between confident and arrogant is a fine line usually defined by whether you like the guy or not. None of us care when nick dances after a swish, or when Zubac claims he’s going to be the best center. It’s all good to see, including ice in the veins. We want to unleash the young guys in full force.
Clay Bertrand says
Pbz06
Cheer up brother!!! Magic will turn us around!!!! : /
LordMo says
FredP LordMo Pbz06
No FredP the Lakers have not. Embiid and Simmons are the better players. And again Philly has been “Sandbaggin” to get picks. Coangelo is way smarter than Jimbo would ever be. And Simmons will be the “big boy” has a game similar to LeBron my man. All they need is the perimeter players and thanks to us they might get two in the best draft in the last decade…. I’m sick to my stomach just thinking about it…sigh!
JuanJ says
Clay Bertrand
I’d love for him to win the contest wearing a Byron Scott throwback jersey
___
droll, very droll! hahaha
JuanJ says
Off topic:
A funny anecdote to the Stones newest called Blue & Lonesome (a great, all-blues gem from the boys):
on a track called Hoo Doo Blues, one of the the writing credits is attributed to one Jerry West !! hahahaha
Ya think the Kanawha County native has, for all these years, been moonlighting as a songwriter of the blues?! Roll on West Virgini! [not a typo; you Stones fans´ll catch the drift 😉 ]