The Lakers are finally getting into a groove, winning four of their previous five games. This game unraveled a few surprises that haven’t seemed to work until now.
3 OBSERVATIONS
The Tyson Chandler Effect
The Lakers out-rebounded the Kings 59-50. The Kings didn’t seem to sustain a high level of energy throughout the game, but they do have a lot of playable bigs in Kosta Koufos, Willie-Cauley Stein, Marvin Bagley III, and Harry Giles III. Tyson Chandler grabbed 12 total rebounds in just 23 minutes, 5 on the offensive glass alone. The Lakers had a 17-12 offensive rebound advantage, something that would have never occurred without the signing of Tyson Chandler. He also led the team with 17(!) total contested shots, 16 of them from 2-point land. Tyson Chandler was also second on the team with 9 box-outs to McGee’s 14. Tyson Chandler is the advanced box score king for the Lakers.
The Small Ball Lineups Worked
The Lakers don’t run a typical small-ball lineup. Usually a small ball line-up includes at least one small-ish 5 that can defend in the paint along with other initiators and wings. The Lakers outright play four guards, usually with Lance Stephenson, Rajon Rondo, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Josh Hart. Josh Hart can account for at least two misses and one turnover when matched up against Marvin Bagley.
During the second quarter, they held the Kings scoreless for 4:00. JaVale McGee was a +1 at halftime, playing alongside the starting lineup for most of the first half. When he played with the small ball lineup in the 3rd quarter, they were able to create separation from the Kings. He finished +9 to finish the game. The rest of the lineup practically blew out the Kings. Whether it was McGee or Chandler on the floor, the rest of the Laker guards were impactful defensively.
McGee +9
Rondo +17
KCP +14
Hart +16
Stephenson +12
Chandler +7
Brandon Ingram’s Defense
As pointed out by our own Ben Holtz (@bj_metta) of @The_Bball_index:
According to the NBA Matchup Data
Buddy Hield was defended by:
KCP: 29.4% off the time, 0 Pts in 15 Possessions
Ingram: 27.5%, 0 Pts in 14 Possessions— LeBJ Metta (@bj_metta) November 11, 2018
Both KCP and Brandon Ingram played great defense against Buddy Hield. KCP has more of a defensive reputation, especially when he has shown effectiveness against proven shooters. Brandon Ingram used his length defensively and contested effectively. Buddy Hield is the kind of player that can get hot very quickly, but he never seemed to get into his usual rhythm. Zero points through 29 possessions is huge.
2 QUESTIONS
Can Kuzma improve on his defensive switch mismatches?
Ben also pointed out a glaring defensive issue. De’Aaron Fox started to get hot in the first half and repeatedly called for a pick and roll to draw Kuzma on switches. Why?
Kyle Kuzma is being forced into defending in Isolation from a switch in PnR 14 times (6th in league) thru 12 games or 1.2 pg (double last szn)
When this happens he is giving up 1.429 PPP
Last season this happened 47 times or 0.6 pg giving up 0.979 PPP which was 41st %ile
— LeBJ Metta (@bj_metta) November 11, 2018
De’Aaron Fox is among the quickest guards in the league, and the Lakers may have issues with that kind of talent down the line. The defense has already shown issues giving up 36% behind the arc to the opponent, among the bottom-five worst in the league. Playing against guys that can drive and kick to shooters has been an issue all season. Kuzma has to find a way to be a strong pick-and-roll switch defender and stay on the floor. The team needs his 3-point shooting and that kind of defense badly.
Can Caldwell-Pope continue to improve and take Stephenson’s playing time?
KCP has played with good energy the past couple of games. He has been getting the nod over Lance Stephenson, playing solid defense and taking quality shots. Tyson Chandler had four screen assists in the previous game, and against the Kings, JaVale McGee had four screen assists. KCP was able to get 10 shots off, hitting four from the field, and 2-of-7 behind the arc. His aggression and motor on both ends of the floor is a good sign of things to come.
1 Prediction
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will continue to improve. The team had trouble getting him open looks, but with the addition of Chandler and the concerted effort by Laker bigs to screen more effectively, he’ll get open looks and be the player the Lakers have sorely needed; a 2-way wing that knocks open 3-pointers and is able to chase shooters and contest shots effectively.
*Special thanks to nba.com/stats, Rocky Widner/NBAE at Getty Images*
