Game 4: vs. Wizards, 99-102 (W) 

Lakers Highlights

 

 

  

- Kobe likes this!

1. Overview

It was a game of high anticipation after Gortat’s tweet about Wall torturing Ball. It sure did not start like that. Wall struggled througout the game, barring a brief Wizards run in 3rd quarter, which gave the Wizs the 10 point lead (an the Lakers a chance for a comeback). We started hot, making our shots and getting stops on defensive end. We outrebounded Wizs by nearly +10 so it’s a good sign. By the second quarter, all the momentum we has was gone. All of a sudden the defense stopped and offense also got stagnant. Lack of ball movement, long droughts on offense and isos gave the Wizards a shot at a blowout but thet also did not make their shots, made crucial mistakes when the lead could have gotten bigger and a surprisingly better effort of Lakers defense prevented that. Still, going into the 4th and through the 6 minute mark, the lead stay at 10. After that, both Lakers offense and defense changed the course of the game. Lakers, led by Ingram and KCP, made a 10-0 push to tie it and when the offense got stagnant again, Randle came to rescue with a 3 to make it a 1 point game. Wizards could not make 2 of 2 free throws and Ingram tapped his own miss to force OT. In OT, both defenses intensified overall better effort, better decisions and Randle’s defense (you heard it right) gave the Lakers the W and the Wizards their first loss.

2. The Team  

Positives 

- Effort on the defensive end 

- Better shot selection for Ingram 

- Randle deciding to play for Lakers 

- KCP’s surprisingly effective offensive game 

- Rebounding made a huge difference 

- Some lineups showed great potential 

Negatives 

- Inconsistency on both ends of floor 

- Lack of ball movement 

- A fatal lack of go-to moves for almost all players 

- Forgetting to communicate on defense too often 

- Too much isos

  3. The Players 

*Lonzo Ball* (C+): Was not nervous after all the twitter drama (Gortat tweeted before the game that Wall will torture Ball) He himself started very laid back on offense though and good to see he did not force the issue and tried to go at Wall. He is still trying hard on rebounds no matter what so good to see that from your guard. He is not as bad as D’angelo was on defensive end, but i don’t like the effort outside of rebounding. The Wizard backcourt erupted on third quarter and he did nothing to intensify the defense. He is long and strong enough, he should make some fouls, push, reach just to show it’s not easy to operate against him. He did just that down the stretch, which was propelled by great team effort on defense. His shot was not just there, he missed wide open shots down the stretch. He did not run the team like he did previous games. He should weigh in and make things happen when the offense is stagnant. He was too shy. He still filled the stat sheet with 10 assists and 8 rebounds but missed too much wide open shots.

  

- Lavar told we won't loose 2 in a row!

*Kentavious Caldwell-Pope* (B+): Stu and Bill calls him Mr. Confidence. Rightfully so! His offensive game is really a nice surprise for me. I knew he could knock down shots, but did not know he can attack so confidently and also make the right decisions. He knows when to attack the rim and when to shoot. His 1-on1 defense is decent at least, but overall poor defensive performance makes his effort pointless. He did nothing to slow down Wall or Beal though. He did not match up much with them but he should rise to the occasion and defend whoever is killing us. He sort of did that in 4th and OT, made a crucial 3 in OT. His overall effort and effectiveness is starting to make think that he is someone i want on this roster longer than a year 

*Brandon Ingram* (B+): Now you see him now you don’t. Starts game with 2 aggressive moves, then you don’t see him at all! He attacks the rim with such confidence and success and then all of a sudden dissolves and then comes back again. His biggest issue is consistency. I still believe his shot will come around eventually, but he seems to have a problem mentally and that’s what worries me. That mid range jumper off of a pick has to be his go to move when he does not attack the rim. That’s what made him successful in the 4th quarter. We erased the 10 point deficit thanks to him making shots and his rebounding which he does not take enough credir. I never question his effort or potential, i just want him to get over his mental issues. 

*Brook Lopez* (D): When he has an off shooting night, we have to find a way to utilize him. All we do is give the ball and let him post. Gortat is a sturdy defender and you can not score over him 1-on-1 every time. So he has to mix his inside moves and outside shooting. Today he fell in love with the post and tried only 1 three in the ffirst half. On defensive end, my expectation were very low of him. He is not doing a great job but better than expected.  

*Larry Nance* (A-): He is doing all the little things. I did not see him as a player we want to keep unless dirt cheap and he became totally expendable after the emergence of Kuzma. But he is earning minutes with his defense, rebounding and for all the little things he does that netted him a double double in the first half (where he leads the team in scoring too). He continued his great play on the second half too. He is everywhere! Imagine a World where he makes his wide open 10ft jumper… 

*Jordan Clarkson* (C+): The rookie Clarkson is back! Remember him having a great finish to the season where he played like a great combo guard who can playmake? After that he kinda chose score only mentality and let D’angelo do the playmaking. But this season he does both scoring and playmaking. But he tries to do too much sometimes, he has to mix when to shoot and when to playmake, where he sometimes tries an extra pass he shouldn’t or a contested three early on the clock. Needs better decision making. 

*Kyle Kuzma* (B-): He is Mr. Consistency 2 (after Clarkson). He came in again, did not force anything. Just made some cuts and got rewarded. The constant movement on the offense pays everytime. He made some good defensive plays too. He defends a PG and a C with similair success. Missed some wide open shots, had some bad turnovers, but did enough to earn coaches respect to end the game with Kuz. Whatever he does, he does so smoothly. He got the balls to defend Wall 1-on-1 (with partial success). He is our most versatile player and shows it every game.

  

- Kuzma realizes he increases his minutes every game...  

*Julius Randle* (A-): After the Suns game, which he was bashed all over the Laker nation (i still bash him), he responded with a solid game against Pels and a great game against Wizards. I think this game was a chance for Randle to see who he really is as a basketball player. After playing mere 7 minutes in the first 3 quarters, Coach Walton decided to gamble with a different lineup that included Randle and it paid off. He was everywhere, defending, standing against very very fast guards in Wall and Beal, going after rebounds and don’t letting his lack of touches effect his overall game. The end result? He was wide open for the that made it a 1 point game, which eventually led to OT and win. And when he tried too much, he made the same mistakes that makes us angry. The positive thing that he did not go on making the same mistakes over and over againg and was able to cool down. If i were him, i’d watch this game over and over again and see how good he can be if he just try to do what’s best for him. Still want him traded, so it’s good for his value to pump up like this. But if he continues like this, i will happily change my mind.

 

- I told you i could defend, i just did not want before...  

Josh Hart (C-): Did not too much, but still showed some good basketball IQ and great defensive potential. He is our best 1-on-1 defender and he is gonna be a great for this team if he makes the 3 regularly. 

*Coach Walton* (B+): Best display of coaching so far this season. I was skeptic about him after the mistakes he made the first 3 games, but he gambled a lot today, made some experiments. And they paid off big way. He tried some sort of “death lineup” with Randle, which turned out to be very effective. I liked how he used certain players when he needed to and did not rely on certain lineups. As long as it’s working, don’t try to fix it. Several similair lineups were very successful in the 4th and OT, so continuing with those was a good call. If he can get his team to show effort like this every single night, he’d achieve more than expected. Also don’t let Randle fall to misery, talk with him, communicate and persuade him to give %100 everynight. What i don’t like about coach Walton was his reluctancy to take timeouts through first 3 quarters. I also don’t feel like he has some backup sets for players when their first option was taken by the opponents. We always try to iniate something and all of a sudden it becomes an iso play. This same thing happened on 4-5 consecutive trips and he did not interfere. I like his mentality of letting them learn but sometimes he has to be vocal, otherwise these young players can establish bad habits.

 Hey Steemit Lakers Community! This is my first review in english so please upvote to support! (i did the previous 3 in turkish, now i am doing both english and turkish). LET'S GO LAKERS!!!

  

- Celebrate all you want JR, you deserved it!