With the Los Angeles Lakers officially past the halfway mark of their season, there is no better time to unveil the first ever Lakers’ BBall-Index mailbag.
In what will hopefully be a monthly staple going forward, I will do my best to answer any Lakers’ oriented inquires to the best of my ability, and likely with the help of some friends.
The Lakers are a crucial crossroads of their season, and with that raises burning questions. Let’s get started.
“What Lakers lineup do you think is the best offensively? What about defensively?” –@ali_behpoornia (aka South Bay Laker Film Room)
This is difficult one, largely because of the team’s inability to stay healthy.
The Lakers have not been operating at full capacity all season, whether because of injuries or suspensions. Yet, based on the numbers thus far, the best offensive and defensive lineup may be one and the same.
According to Cleaning the Glass, the five man group of: Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, LeBron James, Kyle Kuzma and JaVale McGee are a +16.1 in their minutes together.
The stellar net positive, which is due to a healthy offensive rating of 113.4 and a stifling 97.3 defensive rating, are both the best marks among Lakers’ lineups that have at least 200 possessions.
Though it is worth noting the sample size with this group is noticeably still small because of the aforementioned frequency of absences. There are also still genuinely intriguing combinations that have yet to be seen fully, namely around James.
James, surrounded by perimeter options will likely continue to be a recipe for good offense. On defense, the team has rangy options to attempt to switch 1-5, but has yet to be fully imagined on the floor. Which leads us to our next question.
“Thoughts about consistently featuring small ball lineups with Beasley playing the 5?” –@bj_metta
Like BBall-Index’s very own head of the Michael Beasley fan club, Cranjis McBasketball, I agree that Beasley simply needs more minutes with this squad. The eclectic forward has provided real value within his limited role thus far.
Beasley offers the team certain skills that have been devoid with other options in the front court during James’ injury, all while scoring nearly a point a minute (7.1 points in under ten minutes a game).
To answer Ben’s question, despite his poor Interior Defense Grade, Beasley could make for an intriguing option at the center spot in certain lineups.
Beasley has shown to be a fantastic finisher around the rim (99th percentile when compared to “Bigs”) either as a roller or dump off option. He has also been successful as a playmaker. In both short roll possessions and as a driver, Beasley has shown a keen ability to dart pinpoint passes.
A Beasley, James, pairing in particular would be an exciting experiment that hopefully is tried at some point this season with the duo’s ability to exchange roll man duties.
Ultimately, Beasley at the five may give up both rebounding and could cause defensive issues, but could be worth trying. If nothing else, any excuse that gets him on the floor more may be worth considering.
“How much of JaVale’s recent decline in your estimation is the absence of Bron/Rondo as opposed to health/fatigue issues affecting him” –@brosales12
There is no hiding the fact that JaVale McGee is struggling. After a scary spell with pneumonia, and the corresponding attempts in readjusting to game speed, McGee has looked noticeably less effective recently.
It is difficult to gauge how much his current game has been impacted by the absences of James and Rajon Rondo, as Ben points out. But this is a definite variable to consider. McGee proved to be a dynamic lob threat early in the season, often the beneficiary of James’ drives and Rondo’s quick hitters. Yet without both players, McGee has been grounded.
To the dismay of Lakers’ fans, McGee has recently resorted to throwing up flip shots out of the post opposed to easy roll opportunities he was getting early in the season.
Prior to his teammates’ injuries, and the illness, McGee was posting an effective field-goal percentage of 62.8 percent. Since then, that number has plummeted to 46.8 percent.
It is nearly impossible to decipher if the illness/fatigue or simply his lack of quality looks have been the biggest culprit in his drop off. Yet, one would assume with time, and reinforcements pushing him back towards a more natural role, McGee will be back above over the rim.
All statistics are from NBA.com unless otherwise indicated
