It’s Shaq day, and for that I’m nostalgic and grateful. I remember the good times, the winning, the high stakes of April transitioning to May and then June. Shaq’s feats of strength were as if festivus were celebrated year round and for that alone he’ll hold a fond place in my heart. Wilt used to say no one rooted for Goliath, but I know I did for 8 years and did so with fervor.
It being Shaq day also reminds me of where the Lakers are today, a team at the bottom looking for the right pieces to take the long climb back to where they once were. The Lakers don’t have the “next” Shaq on their team right now, but that’s because there won’t be a “next” Shaq. This is something that might make some sad, but not me. It’s a reminder to cherish the special times. Not only because they’re not guaranteed, but because they come along so rarely and are so fleeting. It also reminds me that, in many ways, it’s luck to get a generational talent on the team you root for and that they’re called generational talents for a reason. If any top pick could be that guy, every team in the league would have championship banners in their rafters.
Anyways, I’m rambling now…
Back to tonight, the Lakers face a ‘Wolves team which is finding it’s way and is now, seemingly, on the path the Lakers want to get on sooner than later. Number one overall picks Wiggins and Towns are the right foundation to turn a team around and, with help from Rubio, Thibs, and others, are doing that now. It’s not enough to get to the postseason this year, but they are taking the right steps; doing the right things more consistently which lays the foundation for longterm success.
The Lakers are making strides too, but they’re not nearly as pronounced and also come with plenty of backslides too. Some might see that as an indictment of their own young core, but I do not. I have talked about this plenty, but the lifecycle of a lottery pick is, in the early stages, a focus on self. What works and what doesn’t and what needs to be improved in the latter to turn it to the former. Those acts very often don’t come in the context of team success because it’s hard to do right by the whole when you can’t even do right by yourself.
In terms of this game, then, I’ll repeat what I have been saying for weeks. I want to continue to see the individual guys make strides while accepting they may not come or that there may be missteps along the way. In the aggregate, I like what I’ve seen from Russell, Randle, Ingram, Clarkson, and Zubac of late. They’re playing better and finding ways to contribute to stretches of good team play even though their bad moments also detract from it. As another of my pet sayings goes, this is what development looks like. I know we all hope there won’t be much longer to go in that pursuit to develop.
In any event, tonight’s game offers some nice matchups worth watching. At some point tonight we’ll see Russell/Clakrson vs. Rubio/Dunn, Ingram vs. Wiggins, and Randle/Zubac vs. Towns/Dieng. These battles should all produce some wow moments that remind us of the talent these young guys possess and some head scratchers which indicate they still have a ways to go. I’ll be here for all of them, though, while also remembering those great moments brought by previous greats like Shaq.
Where you can watch: 7:30pm start time on Spectrum Sportsnet.
mattal says
Booker goes off for 70 tonight. May end up being 2nd best player in that draft behind KAT.
drrayeye says
Phoenix may not win another game this season (despite Booker’s 70 tonite), so the challenge for the Lakers is clear. However, they need a game closer to their loss against the Cavs rather than the embarrassing blowout loss against the Clips. Minnesota may give them the right level of challenge.
So far; so good.
Chris J says
The fact that Thibodeau even has Rubio playing defense says it all about coaching, and that maybe, someday, there’s hope that Clarkson will be able to discern his rectum from a hole in the ground — someday. With proper guidance, a road map and lots of practice, of course.
Seriously, though, my hope is Luke and his staff can put a major emphasis on that side of the floor in the summer, pre-season, draft/free agency. This team is just a sieve and it won’t get better until it gets better on that end of the floor.
rr says
Rubio’s defense has actually always been his strength, as per the numbers and Minnesota observers. He has lead the NBA in STL% a couple of times and has usually had positive DBPMs–until this year. As to coaching, earlier in the year, he and Thibodeau were having some friction and Rubio was supposedly almost traded. Things are better between them now, apparently. In any case, Rubio’s game is not notably different under Thibodeau than it was under Mitchell.
Chris J says
Passing has been Rubio’s claim to fame. Preternatural passing ability, from his days as a teen on the Spanish national team.
Perhaps I’ve been remiss in noticing his defensive abilities in the past.
A Horse With No Name says
Fact Correction: Rubio is known for his defense–always has been. In fact, his free-safety defense last night was the story of the game until the lakers fought back to win.
Rick in Seattle says
Many fans have correctly observed that this young Lakers team is quite skilled OFFENSIVELY.
Their achilies heal is a serious lack of DEFENSE! Are there some possible solutions? Yes, there are a few:
First, if the Lakers keep their Top-3 pick, they could select the best defensive player of the top 5-6 prospects. Right now, that appears to be Josh Jackson.
Secondly, if the Lakers front office has the opportunity to sign one max free agent, lets hope they go after a great defensive player among the available free agents.
The Lakers front office will have a lot on their plate this coming off-season. Yesterday however, Pelinka was optimistic in reporting that he thinks free agency will go well for the team.
That kind of coincides with a story in the last day or two by Kevin Ding, Orange County Register & Bleacher Report, who stated that there is a growing possibility that the Lakers may have a shot at the Clippers free agent all-star PF Blake Griffin.
Personally, I hope the Lakers dont go down that road. Griffin, a very explosive offensive talent, is not known for his defensive efforts. As stated above, this Lakers team needs defensive help. In that respect, Griffin may not be the best answer.
After the draft, most teams will begin focusing on free agency. By then we will be able to begin putting together a better idea of who is available, and which players might complement the existing Lakers core (assuming Magic keeps all of the current core players beyond the draft)!
Anonymous says
Please do not pursue Griffin. His injuries and time missed are a concern. i don’t see him as the same player whose athleticism made up for his poor defense, lack of range on his shot and poor ball handling. Griffin’s immaturity and lack of an overall game are the reason the Clippers have peaked out as an early out in the playoffs.
I get that signing Blake allows the team to trade Randle — so the FO sees that as a way to upgrade the roster. I’d prefer to target our off season dollars on Hayward.
Anonymous says
The disasterous signings of Mozgov/Deng put the otherwise young Lakers team on short window. Because the Mozgov/Deng deals are virtually immovable the Lakers only have cap space this summer (and maybe) next to sign free agents before the space is eaten up by signing the kids to their 2nd deals.
Signing elite free agents, when you’ve had the 2nd worst record in the league for the past 4 years, is difficult. One out for the Lakers is to try and keep the free agent window open longer by trading our current kids for draft picks in this year’s draft. For instance Russell could be swapped for a top 3 pick, Randle could be swapped out for a top 7 pick and Nance for a late 1st selection. Doing this likely gets us better players but resets the timeline before the FO has to deal with 2nd contracts.
drrayeye says
Well, if they were going to win, this is the way to do it! Jordan Clarkson was the obvious hero, but Corey Brewer helped lead the comeback with some spectacular plays. Coming back from down fifteen–then win going away in overtime.
It’s great to get the win that way!
Anonymous says
Thanks Darius for your fine observations and putting it forth on a big NCAA night.
I only turned on the gamecast after the UCLA game, so will look forward to the analysis of what happened.
as an aside, as a friend of mine pointed out, if Ball joins the Lakers, that may change the culture and they learn to play as a team. Add to that, they learn to play some defense, they’re a lottery team. well…one can dream.
fern says
No comments? I guess people are upset because the Lakers *gasp*!!! WON. How dare they!!!
Mid-Wilshire says
With apologies to the tank commandos out there, kudos to the (mostly young) Lakers on a splendid come-from-behind over time victory over the Timberwolves, a team to whom they are frequently compared.
The biggest negative, to get that out of the way first, was the TOs. The Lakers had 20 turnovers for the night. That almost always spells a loss. Also (and this is not a news flash), their defense was shabby at best. They allowed Minnesota to shoot 48.3% (it was over 50% for most of the night) and they allowed 12 offensive rebounds. Also, the Lakers had no answer for either Wiggins or Towns, both of whom look like budding All Stars to me.
But the Lakers fought back. Corey Brewer demonstrated that he can, on some nights at least, bring real value. He almost single-handedly brought the Lakers back with some spectacular and timely play in the 3rd and 4th quarters (12 points, 5-8 shooting, 3 rebounds, 1 assist in only 15:46). I’ve always liked Brewer. He can guard 3 positions and seems to enjoy playing defense. I’m hoping the young guys can learn from him (more certainly than they learned from Lou Williams).
David Nwaba also contributed well and played major crunch-time minutes. He had 10 points (4-5 shooting), 7 rebounds, and 2 assists and definitely seemed to raise the defensive intensity for the entire team when he was out there. The fact that he played 26:12 shows that Luke Walton senses that he can play a legitimate role on the team, at least for the time being. It will be interesting to see if he finds a role on next year’s team.
Julius Randle also looked strong. JR had 23 points (8-14 from the field), 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal (but 4 TOs). Julius was a major force out there for the Lakers last night. His intensity and level-of-effort never abated.
Finally, it was extremely gratifying to see Jordan Clarkson bounce back from his stinker of a game against the Clippers in which he shot 1-9, scored only 5 points, and (despite 5 assists and 3 rebounds) just seemed generally out-of-sorts. But last night he was on. JC had a career high 35 points (13-20 shooting), a career high 8 three-pointers (8-10 from 3), 5 assists, and 2 rebounds with only 1 TO. This most recent performance must be truly galling to his detractors (there are some fans who’ve made trashing JC into something of a perverse hobby). But it’s important to give credit where credit is due. JC almost always bounces back from a bad game with a strong performance. And last night was no exception. But it’s also important to keep things in perspective. Over the last 10 games he’s scored 14, 22, 19, 30 (tying a career high), 19, 21, 19, 18, 5, and 35 (a new career high). Also, in his last 3 games he’s had assist totals of 6, 5, and 5. JC’s problem on offense, however, seems to be consistency with his shot. He’s become somewhat streaky this season. Even so, he is leading the Lakers’ guards and wings with 45% shooting on the season (an improvement over 43.3% from the previous year). And he seems to be taking on something of a leadership role of late.
Regardless of one’s sentiments, one has to give Clarkson credit. He came back from a bad performance and had a hell of a game. He and Wiggins were the two best players on the floor.
Over all, this was a good game for the Lakers to pull out. They came back from 15 points down and won in OT. It’s games like this where teams start to figure out how to win which, I believe, is an art onto itself.
rr says
Clarkson has been pretty much the same guy for three years. His AST rate dropped last year with the personnel changes, and it will probably go back up a bit now that Williams has been replaced by a guy like Nwaba. But neither his metrics and nor his observables on D have improved under Walton, and his O has stayed the same. All that is going on now is that he is finally getting more reps since the team finally has turned the keys over to him and Russell. So, while I agree that a certain subset of fans are too hard on him, he remains unlikely to show anything but very incremental improvement and his future is still what it has always seemed to be: combo guard off the bench.
bryan smith says
If he’s a very good to great “off the bench,” sixth man guy, then we found gold with a 46th pick. He’s already showing he can be that kind of player so he’s a great pick and valuable role player at the very least. I think he can be more than that, but it’s going to take a lot of coaching for him to get there. If he was on the Spurs, he’d get there. Right now I can’t say we have that kind of player development culture.
rr says
He is obviously a very good value for a guy picked 46th, but he doesn’t really move the needle, he is one of the reasons that the team D is so bad, and they are paying him 12.5M a year through 2020, so he is not a bargain at this point. I had no major issue with Clarkson’s contract, but having Clarkson at this point at that money is not some roster coup. He will be 25 in June.
That said, as is the case with Russell, there are certainly some fans who are too hard on Clarkson because they want him to have more impact than he does.