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**LA LAKERS THREAD** Sitting on 17! 2023-2024 offseason begins
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Anthony Davis can’t fix what’s broken with Lakers
Maybe Anthony Davis wants to rethink that heroic push to get back on the court this season.
After watching the Lakers get pummeled 140-111 by the Suns, you wouldn’t blame Davis for opting to sit out the rest of the season. Take a little more time to make sure his foot is fully healed. Seek a second opinion. Request more time in the walking boot. Bed rest, even.
Just to be safe.
Anything to avoid being associated with the kind of humiliation that unfolded in the downtown Phoenix arena, turning into the Lakers personal House of Horrors.
Because if Davis can return, that is what he would be coming back for. More nights like this one.
The best-case path for this broken Lakers team leads them through the Play-In Tournament and right back to Phoenix, with a rematch of last year’s first-round nightmare.
On Sunday, Davis lamented the groin injury that knocked him out of that series in Game 4 when the Lakers led, 2-1, saying it was the reason the Lakers didn’t advance.
“I think we know that, I think they know that,” Davis said. “I just feel like they got away with one.”
Coach Frank Vogel was more diplomatic about whether the Lakers would have advanced if Davis had avoided injury.
“We’ll never know,” he said.
What we do know, however, is that whatever thin margin existed between the Lakers and Suns a year ago has been blown wide open. Perhaps Davis unwittingly gave Phoenix a bit of motivation Sunday – “Instead of trying to just taking the high route and going, you have to make a comment like that,” said Devin Booker after he poured in 30 points – but bulletin board material or not, it is overwhelmingly apparent that the Suns have gotten better since their title run a year ago. They added depth and have leaned on their continuity to build a league-best 54-14 record, while the Lakers have gotten disastrously worse.
Whether that’s the fault of the front office for outsmarting itself with the trade for Russell Westbrook or the result of an endless rash of injuries is, ultimately, immaterial.
It was hard to watch the Suns run through the equivalent of a layup line against the Lakers’ uninterested defense and think that getting Davis back is going to close that gap.
And that doesn’t even factor in the absence of Chris Paul, who the Suns will get back before the playoffs.
The truth is that the Lakers are too far gone to be saved by any one player.
That’s why getting Davis back feels like nothing more than a red herring from the realities the Lakers face.
“It puts a Band-Aid on some things,” he said, “but I mean, we just haven’t had enough chemistry, enough time with our group to be able to know exactly who we are and who we can become.”
With 15 games left in the regular season, we do know who the Lakers are. Their 29-38 record tells a complete story.
The two wins they’ve managed in their last eight games came when James popped off for 56 and 50 points. Otherwise? They’ve been toast. Against New Orleans. San Antonio. Houston. The Clippers (twice).
None of those teams are better than eighth in the West.
And it’s rarely felt competitive.
James only scored 31 on Sunday. But him scoring 50 wouldn’t have saved them. Neither would 60, 70 or even 81.
“Nothing we did tonight was good enough,” Vogel said.
Malik Monk said that sometimes the Lakers don’t “try enough.”
“We gotta get it together, man,” he said. ‘That’s all I’ve got to say. I’m sick of saying that ****, though.”
If he’s sick of repeating himself, imagine how Vogel feels.
The veteran coach with a championship to his name has been hammering the same defensive principles all season, imploring the Lakers to commit on the defensive side of the ball.
On Sunday, he watched the Suns pour in a shocking 48 points in the first quarter and lead by as many as 35 points.
They scored 28 fastbreak points and 76 – yes, 76! – points in the paint.
Hey, Davis could help with that.
Without him, however, the Lakers are left to choose between being clunky and clogged offensively with Dwight Howard providing a modicum of rim protection or being undersized defensively.
The best tactical response for Vogel remains to move Westbrook to the bench and let the Lakers operate with Howard in the middle and LeBron solely responsible for point guard duties.
But if Vogel is unwilling to go to that extreme – and considering the personality and paycheck involved, it would be very extreme – the Lakers have no choice but to pin their feeble hopes on Davis’ ability to get healthy.
On Monday he will begin stationary shooting. When asked, he said he didn’t know whether he could jog yet.
That’s unfortunate because Davis is in a footrace with the countdown of the Lakers season.
Can he get healthy before the Lakers run out of games for him to play in?
“I’m trying to rush back,” Davis said, “but do it the right way so I don’t re-injure the foot. Obviously, timing is of the essence.”
If the Lakers hold on to ninth place, they would need to win two Play-In Tournament games just to advance to the first round against Phoenix. They haven’t won two consecutive games since Jan. 7.
Meanwhile, New Orleans, Portland and San Antonio are all within 3 ½ games of the Lakers. If two of them can pass L.A., then there would be nothing for Davis to come back for this season.
The season would just be over.
That is if you don’t believe it already is.
Maybe Anthony Davis wants to rethink that heroic push to get back on the court this season.
After watching the Lakers get pummeled 140-111 by the Suns, you wouldn’t blame Davis for opting to sit out the rest of the season. Take a little more time to make sure his foot is fully healed. Seek a second opinion. Request more time in the walking boot. Bed rest, even.
Just to be safe.
Anything to avoid being associated with the kind of humiliation that unfolded in the downtown Phoenix arena, turning into the Lakers personal House of Horrors.
Because if Davis can return, that is what he would be coming back for. More nights like this one.
The best-case path for this broken Lakers team leads them through the Play-In Tournament and right back to Phoenix, with a rematch of last year’s first-round nightmare.
On Sunday, Davis lamented the groin injury that knocked him out of that series in Game 4 when the Lakers led, 2-1, saying it was the reason the Lakers didn’t advance.
“I think we know that, I think they know that,” Davis said. “I just feel like they got away with one.”
Coach Frank Vogel was more diplomatic about whether the Lakers would have advanced if Davis had avoided injury.
“We’ll never know,” he said.
What we do know, however, is that whatever thin margin existed between the Lakers and Suns a year ago has been blown wide open. Perhaps Davis unwittingly gave Phoenix a bit of motivation Sunday – “Instead of trying to just taking the high route and going, you have to make a comment like that,” said Devin Booker after he poured in 30 points – but bulletin board material or not, it is overwhelmingly apparent that the Suns have gotten better since their title run a year ago. They added depth and have leaned on their continuity to build a league-best 54-14 record, while the Lakers have gotten disastrously worse.
Whether that’s the fault of the front office for outsmarting itself with the trade for Russell Westbrook or the result of an endless rash of injuries is, ultimately, immaterial.
It was hard to watch the Suns run through the equivalent of a layup line against the Lakers’ uninterested defense and think that getting Davis back is going to close that gap.
And that doesn’t even factor in the absence of Chris Paul, who the Suns will get back before the playoffs.
The truth is that the Lakers are too far gone to be saved by any one player.
That’s why getting Davis back feels like nothing more than a red herring from the realities the Lakers face.
“It puts a Band-Aid on some things,” he said, “but I mean, we just haven’t had enough chemistry, enough time with our group to be able to know exactly who we are and who we can become.”
With 15 games left in the regular season, we do know who the Lakers are. Their 29-38 record tells a complete story.
The two wins they’ve managed in their last eight games came when James popped off for 56 and 50 points. Otherwise? They’ve been toast. Against New Orleans. San Antonio. Houston. The Clippers (twice).
None of those teams are better than eighth in the West.
And it’s rarely felt competitive.
James only scored 31 on Sunday. But him scoring 50 wouldn’t have saved them. Neither would 60, 70 or even 81.
“Nothing we did tonight was good enough,” Vogel said.
Malik Monk said that sometimes the Lakers don’t “try enough.”
“We gotta get it together, man,” he said. ‘That’s all I’ve got to say. I’m sick of saying that ****, though.”
If he’s sick of repeating himself, imagine how Vogel feels.
The veteran coach with a championship to his name has been hammering the same defensive principles all season, imploring the Lakers to commit on the defensive side of the ball.
On Sunday, he watched the Suns pour in a shocking 48 points in the first quarter and lead by as many as 35 points.
They scored 28 fastbreak points and 76 – yes, 76! – points in the paint.
Hey, Davis could help with that.
Without him, however, the Lakers are left to choose between being clunky and clogged offensively with Dwight Howard providing a modicum of rim protection or being undersized defensively.
The best tactical response for Vogel remains to move Westbrook to the bench and let the Lakers operate with Howard in the middle and LeBron solely responsible for point guard duties.
But if Vogel is unwilling to go to that extreme – and considering the personality and paycheck involved, it would be very extreme – the Lakers have no choice but to pin their feeble hopes on Davis’ ability to get healthy.
On Monday he will begin stationary shooting. When asked, he said he didn’t know whether he could jog yet.
That’s unfortunate because Davis is in a footrace with the countdown of the Lakers season.
Can he get healthy before the Lakers run out of games for him to play in?
“I’m trying to rush back,” Davis said, “but do it the right way so I don’t re-injure the foot. Obviously, timing is of the essence.”
If the Lakers hold on to ninth place, they would need to win two Play-In Tournament games just to advance to the first round against Phoenix. They haven’t won two consecutive games since Jan. 7.
Meanwhile, New Orleans, Portland and San Antonio are all within 3 ½ games of the Lakers. If two of them can pass L.A., then there would be nothing for Davis to come back for this season.
The season would just be over.
That is if you don’t believe it already is.
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Lakers should’ve never let Drummond go,dude has been solid this year.
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Drummond didn't work for us. He just fits better there.
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Cant be no worse than DJ and Dwight
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Drummond, Westbrook, AD and LeBron. Come on folks.
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I mean he does something this team can’t…. rebound
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I don't understand why the Lakers just don't bench westbrook. Frank is going to get fired at the end of the season anyway and barring some unforeseen circumstance, Russ is going to get traded in the off season. There is no need to appease him or keep him happy.
It seems crazy but I can see Russell Westbrook being out of the NBA after his contract is up. It's eerily similar to what Carmelo went through. He can't come to grips with the fact that his skills have deteriorated, he refuses to adapt his game or come off the bench. Obviously no contender wants a player like Westbrook on their roster because he refuses to adapt or play defense and no bottom feeder would want Westbrook because he's not the type of guy to help young guys get better.
I can totally imagine Westbrook going to a team like New York or Orlando and demanding that he starts and is the primary ball handler
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Somehow what Russ is/may go through is worse than Melo.
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AD stylist is making a killing
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Melo can at least shoot,so he has/had some value and doesn’t have to handle the ball to be effective … Russ is a zero/negative impact player w/o the ball in his hands constantly.
MIKE LOWERY
formerly chuck finster
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It's unprecedented, and will most likely never happen, but I wouldn't be opposed to keeping Vogel in some form or fashion rather than firing him. He got dealt a **** hand this year. He hasn't made it any better with his rotations, taking shots at the front office, etc. But he has value. Same as Thibs.
He probably doesn't even want to come back anyway, much less a "demotion", but in thoery it could work if Rustle is gone and you have actual living breathing rotation guys. Whoever they bring in (Doc) could work with him. Would be hella awkward though.
Or just do a better job of staggering their minutes. Wiz game Vogel was subbing them together. It honestly felt like he was sick & tired and wanted to be canned. Let Russ be the 6th man and cook best he can with all shooters or 3 and a big. It's clear he can't play off ball and with Bron you have no choice. There's gotta be a lot of internal struggle going on because is makes no sense to continue this charade and have him be rendered ineffective and then sit on the end of the bench moping every game here on out.
If you bench him, more than likely, your new full time starter is probably THT. That might be the sticking point.
He probably doesn't even want to come back anyway, much less a "demotion", but in thoery it could work if Rustle is gone and you have actual living breathing rotation guys. Whoever they bring in (Doc) could work with him. Would be hella awkward though.
I don't understand why the Lakers just don't bench westbrook. Frank is going to get fired at the end of the season anyway and barring some unforeseen circumstance, Russ is going to get traded in the off season. There is no need to appease him or keep him happy.
It seems crazy but I can see Russell Westbrook being out of the NBA after his contract is up. It's eerily similar to what Carmelo went through. He can't come to grips with the fact that his skills have deteriorated, he refuses to adapt his game or come off the bench. Obviously no contender wants a player like Westbrook on their roster because he refuses to adapt or play defense and no bottom feeder would want Westbrook because he's not the type of guy to help young guys get better.
I can totally imagine Westbrook going to a team like New York or Orlando and demanding that he starts and is the primary ball handler
Or just do a better job of staggering their minutes. Wiz game Vogel was subbing them together. It honestly felt like he was sick & tired and wanted to be canned. Let Russ be the 6th man and cook best he can with all shooters or 3 and a big. It's clear he can't play off ball and with Bron you have no choice. There's gotta be a lot of internal struggle going on because is makes no sense to continue this charade and have him be rendered ineffective and then sit on the end of the bench moping every game here on out.
If you bench him, more than likely, your new full time starter is probably THT. That might be the sticking point.
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We gonna fire and bring back Vogel like we did Phil in 2005.
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Staggering his minutes is all I've asked for since we won't bench Russ. Start him, then bench him midway into the first and have him play when Bron/AD is resting, and limit their minutes on the floor together.It's unprecedented, and will most likely never happen, but I wouldn't be opposed to keeping Vogel in some form or fashion rather than firing him. He got dealt a **** hand this year. He hasn't made it any better with his rotations, taking shots at the front office, etc. But he has value. Same as Thibs.
He probably doesn't even want to come back anyway, much less a "demotion", but in thoery it could work if Rustle is gone and you have actual living breathing rotation guys. Whoever they bring in (Doc) could work with him. Would be hella awkward though.
Or just do a better job of staggering their minutes. Wiz game Vogel was subbing them together. It honestly felt like he was sick & tired and wanted to be canned. Let Russ be the 6th man and cook best he can with all shooters or 3 and a big. It's clear he can't play off ball and with Bron you have no choice. There's gotta be a lot of internal struggle going on because is makes no sense to continue this charade and have him be rendered ineffective and then sit on the end of the bench moping every game here on out.
If you bench him, more than likely, your new full time starter is probably THT. That might be the sticking point.
darthska
Staff member
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Fun hypothetical.
Go back to the beginning of the season. Change ONE current Laker to a past Laker.
- Vogel for Phil.
*OR*
- Russ for Kobe.
So either current roster unchanged but coached by a GOAT... or you give Vogel a GOAT with Bradley/Lebby/AD/DeAndre (we started the season w/ AD @ the 4, yeah?)
If you don't like hypotheticals, cool. Don't reply. That simple. "Ohmigaaawd, is this what we're doing now?" We not winning. The hell else we doing?!
Do you think we'd do better with PJax & Russ & everyone else, or Vogel & Kobe & everyone else?
-foe
Go back to the beginning of the season. Change ONE current Laker to a past Laker.
- Vogel for Phil.
*OR*
- Russ for Kobe.
So either current roster unchanged but coached by a GOAT... or you give Vogel a GOAT with Bradley/Lebby/AD/DeAndre (we started the season w/ AD @ the 4, yeah?)
If you don't like hypotheticals, cool. Don't reply. That simple. "Ohmigaaawd, is this what we're doing now?" We not winning. The hell else we doing?!
Do you think we'd do better with PJax & Russ & everyone else, or Vogel & Kobe & everyone else?
-foe
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I wish I had the confidence of Swishbrook
To keep taking trash jumpers and see them barely graze rim or almost injure someone as they fire off the glass….and then continue to shoot them
Confidence off the charts
To keep taking trash jumpers and see them barely graze rim or almost injure someone as they fire off the glass….and then continue to shoot them
Confidence off the charts
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Unless Vogel scales back Westbrick's minutes down to like 20 minutes, it'll be difficult to stagger him away from LeBron/AD.
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I know because Bron and AD aren't going to rest that must for it to work perfectly. Any limitation of Bron & Westbrook on the floor at the same time is best.
Things get even worse with Bron and Westbrook once AD comes back.
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Russ shot 44/30/67 before the All Star break.
He's shooting 41/9/65 out of the break.
So much for improving as the season goes along.
He's shooting 41/9/65 out of the break.
So much for improving as the season goes along.
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Drummond just didn’t fit with Bron and AD. Lakers had the formula threw it all away for “big” names. Yes AD and Bron gonna miss games, but when healthy with all those pieces they all jelled together. Huge mistakes from the front office, I hope they learn or get fired
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Lakers’ defense continues to struggle without Anthony Davis as they give up 140 points to the Suns
While the game quickly began slipping away from the Lakers, as it has so often recently, head coach Frank Vogel attempted to refocus his players not once, but twice, calling two timeouts within the first four-plus minutes.
“Take better shots,” Vogel told his players. “We’ve got to take care of the basketball. We’re taking terrible shots, and we’re turning the ball over. And they’re just getting runouts.”
The message, as it has been so often this season, was ultimately disregarded.
The Suns used a 14-0 run midway through the first quarter to blow open Sunday’s Western Conference first-round series rematch. Phoenix took a 48-22 lead by the end of the first quarter en route to a 140-111 blowout victory over the Lakers at the Footprint Center. The loss dropped the No. 9 Lakers to 29-38 — 1.5 games ahead of the No. 10 New Orleans Pelicans and 2.5 games ahead of the No. 11 Portland Trail Blazers.
The Suns’ 48 first-quarter points were the most they’ve scored in a quarter this season. It was also the most points the Lakers have allowed in a quarter during the shot-clock era.
“Nothing we did tonight was good enough,” Vogel said. “Short answer.”
The Lakers prepared for Suns center Deandre Ayton, who they knew would be a difficult matchup for their small-ball lineups. Vogel reminded his team of their preparation and planning throughout the loss. But that plan — predicated on the team switching crisply, playing with a sense of urgency and rotating and helping down low against Ayton in the paint — rapidly unraveled as the Lakers failed to play with consistent effort, focus or passion.
The Suns scored 17 fast-break points in the first quarter, nearly surpassing the Lakers’ entire point total.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that,” Vogel said.
The Lakers’ seven turnovers played a part in Phoenix’s transition success, but Los Angeles did themselves no favors with their lackluster effort. Below is an example of their poor transition defense.
LeBron James met Devin Booker at the rim, blocking his shot. So far, so good. But there are only three Lakers back against four Suns. Malik Monk tries for the rebound, knocking it to Mikal Bridges. Again, so far, the Lakers have defended this well, stopping the Suns twice.
But this is where the breakdown starts. Russell Westbrook is floating away from the fray, essentially leaving James and Monk to box out and defend all four Suns. He’s there, but he’s not really there. Bridges’ follow-up jumper attempt misses. That’s three straight stops for the Lakers.
But where is the rest of the group? Stanley Johnson and Austin Reaves still aren’t in the frame through the first two misses. It was a bang-bang sequence, sure, but this is still the beginning of the game. There should be a concerted effort to get back and help their teammates.
During the ricochet of Bridges’ miss, James, Monk and Westbrook all fail to box out, and Ayton lays the ball in.
Monk took accountability afterward, noting he and Reaves could’ve done a better job rebounding and helping the Lakers’ bigs — James, Johnson and Carmelo Anthony battle in the paint.
Let’s look at another example. This one is probably worse.
James misses a 3-pointer and stands there. Johnson crashes the offensive glass, nearly stealing the rebound away from Ayton but also putting himself out of the mix temporarily.
Still, the Lakers have three players “running” back in transition defense. Yet with one dribble, Cameron Payne is able to zip a cross-court bullet to Jae Crowder, who’s leaked behind the entire Lakers defense for an uncontested reverse layup.
This is inexcusable, especially with the Suns already being up, 22-11, at the time.
James said it was like a snowball effect the Lakers are unable to resolve due to the lack of chemistry and continuity with most lineups.
“I think when we get down, we’ve lost so many games that we feel like we can’t get out of the hole at times,” James said. “But they just started blitzing us after that. And just as a collective unit, we haven’t been in the foxhole enough to be able to say, ‘OK, we can get out of this.’ And that’s something that’s just hurt us throughout the season.”
Regardless of the starting lineup, or the stylistic preference, the Lakers can’t shake their slow starts. They are 28th in first-quarter net rating since the All-Star break, with opponents outscoring them by 15.8 points per 100 possessions.
Vogel called the Lakers’ start to the game “unacceptable.”
“We come out flat, man,” Monk said. “We have no sense of urgency getting back on the defensive end. Sometimes we settle for one-pass shots, no-pass shots. Then we hang our heads and don’t get back on the defensive end, man. We just come out flat a little too much on the road, and we dig ourselves a hole that we can’t get back from sometimes.”
One of the main reasons the Lakers eventually downsized, phasing DeAndre Jordan out of the rotation entirely (causing him to seek an opportunity elsewhere) and playing Dwight Howard sparingly, is because of the offensive benefits of playing five-out around James. Give James room in the post, at the elbow or on a drive, and he’s going to create a high-percentage shot for himself or a teammate.
But the Lakers struggled to take advantage of the Suns playing three traditional centers — Ayton, JaVale McGee and Bismack Biyombo — as they turned the ball over nearly as many as times (19) as they assisted (24), igniting Phoenix’s transition attack. James (four), Westbrook (four) and Monk (three) were the primary culprits.
To counter, Vogel started Howard in place of Johnson in the second half to help bolster the defense, but he admitted, “I don’t know if that was much better.”
“We’re trying to make things happen with the smaller lineup, which is benefiting our best player offensively and giving us a chance,” Vogel said. “But it’s not a lineup that’s built to be great defensively unless we really execute our switching the right way and everything that goes into negotiating through some of the mismatches that are created. Certain opponents are tougher to do that against than others.”
One solution to the Lakers’ defensive problems?
The return of Anthony Davis, who could be back within the next few weeks or so. Davis, who spoke with the media pregame for the first time since his foot sprain against the Utah Jazz on Feb. 16, said the team’s recent defensive struggles have concerned him more than anything else he’s observed from the sidelines.
“The last two seasons, we’ve been one of the top teams defensively,” Davis said. “And this year, I don’t even know where we are, to be honest. That’s not like us. So that’s the biggest thing with us. I get so frustrated when we miss assignments or things like that, because we know what we’re supposed to do on the defensive end. So, I’m more so, when I’m on the iPad, I’m showing defense because I’m that defensive anchor for our guys, and now I’m not out there, we have a lot of miscues and mishaps.”
To Davis’ point, the Lakers are crumbling in his absence. They are 2-7 since he went down, with James having to go for 50-plus points in their two wins. They are 26th in offensive rating and 26th in defensive rating during that span. The only rotation player with a better defensive rating than Davis’ 108.1 mark this season is Reaves’ 107.1 figure.
Davis is set to resume on-court basketball work Monday, starting with spot shooting. That’s an encouraging sign. Davis said he’s not 100 percent certain he’ll be back this season, but he’s optimistic he’ll play again in 2021-22.
The road, with or without Davis, only gets harder from this point for the Lakers.
The Lakers, who have lost 10 consecutive games on the road (their last road win was on Jan. 25 in Brooklyn in Davis’ return), have seven road games remaining this month, 10 more overall this season. Considering they haven’t won consecutive games since Jan. 7, their standing as the No. 9 seed remains shaky.
“Sometimes I don’t think we try enough, including myself,” Monk said. “So, yeah, man, we just gotta, I don’t know. We gotta get it together, man. That’s all I gotta say. I’m sick of saying that ****, though.”
While the game quickly began slipping away from the Lakers, as it has so often recently, head coach Frank Vogel attempted to refocus his players not once, but twice, calling two timeouts within the first four-plus minutes.
“Take better shots,” Vogel told his players. “We’ve got to take care of the basketball. We’re taking terrible shots, and we’re turning the ball over. And they’re just getting runouts.”
The message, as it has been so often this season, was ultimately disregarded.
The Suns used a 14-0 run midway through the first quarter to blow open Sunday’s Western Conference first-round series rematch. Phoenix took a 48-22 lead by the end of the first quarter en route to a 140-111 blowout victory over the Lakers at the Footprint Center. The loss dropped the No. 9 Lakers to 29-38 — 1.5 games ahead of the No. 10 New Orleans Pelicans and 2.5 games ahead of the No. 11 Portland Trail Blazers.
The Suns’ 48 first-quarter points were the most they’ve scored in a quarter this season. It was also the most points the Lakers have allowed in a quarter during the shot-clock era.
“Nothing we did tonight was good enough,” Vogel said. “Short answer.”
The Lakers prepared for Suns center Deandre Ayton, who they knew would be a difficult matchup for their small-ball lineups. Vogel reminded his team of their preparation and planning throughout the loss. But that plan — predicated on the team switching crisply, playing with a sense of urgency and rotating and helping down low against Ayton in the paint — rapidly unraveled as the Lakers failed to play with consistent effort, focus or passion.
The Suns scored 17 fast-break points in the first quarter, nearly surpassing the Lakers’ entire point total.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that,” Vogel said.
The Lakers’ seven turnovers played a part in Phoenix’s transition success, but Los Angeles did themselves no favors with their lackluster effort. Below is an example of their poor transition defense.
LeBron James met Devin Booker at the rim, blocking his shot. So far, so good. But there are only three Lakers back against four Suns. Malik Monk tries for the rebound, knocking it to Mikal Bridges. Again, so far, the Lakers have defended this well, stopping the Suns twice.
But this is where the breakdown starts. Russell Westbrook is floating away from the fray, essentially leaving James and Monk to box out and defend all four Suns. He’s there, but he’s not really there. Bridges’ follow-up jumper attempt misses. That’s three straight stops for the Lakers.
But where is the rest of the group? Stanley Johnson and Austin Reaves still aren’t in the frame through the first two misses. It was a bang-bang sequence, sure, but this is still the beginning of the game. There should be a concerted effort to get back and help their teammates.
During the ricochet of Bridges’ miss, James, Monk and Westbrook all fail to box out, and Ayton lays the ball in.
Monk took accountability afterward, noting he and Reaves could’ve done a better job rebounding and helping the Lakers’ bigs — James, Johnson and Carmelo Anthony battle in the paint.
Let’s look at another example. This one is probably worse.
James misses a 3-pointer and stands there. Johnson crashes the offensive glass, nearly stealing the rebound away from Ayton but also putting himself out of the mix temporarily.
Still, the Lakers have three players “running” back in transition defense. Yet with one dribble, Cameron Payne is able to zip a cross-court bullet to Jae Crowder, who’s leaked behind the entire Lakers defense for an uncontested reverse layup.
This is inexcusable, especially with the Suns already being up, 22-11, at the time.
James said it was like a snowball effect the Lakers are unable to resolve due to the lack of chemistry and continuity with most lineups.
“I think when we get down, we’ve lost so many games that we feel like we can’t get out of the hole at times,” James said. “But they just started blitzing us after that. And just as a collective unit, we haven’t been in the foxhole enough to be able to say, ‘OK, we can get out of this.’ And that’s something that’s just hurt us throughout the season.”
Regardless of the starting lineup, or the stylistic preference, the Lakers can’t shake their slow starts. They are 28th in first-quarter net rating since the All-Star break, with opponents outscoring them by 15.8 points per 100 possessions.
Vogel called the Lakers’ start to the game “unacceptable.”
“We come out flat, man,” Monk said. “We have no sense of urgency getting back on the defensive end. Sometimes we settle for one-pass shots, no-pass shots. Then we hang our heads and don’t get back on the defensive end, man. We just come out flat a little too much on the road, and we dig ourselves a hole that we can’t get back from sometimes.”
One of the main reasons the Lakers eventually downsized, phasing DeAndre Jordan out of the rotation entirely (causing him to seek an opportunity elsewhere) and playing Dwight Howard sparingly, is because of the offensive benefits of playing five-out around James. Give James room in the post, at the elbow or on a drive, and he’s going to create a high-percentage shot for himself or a teammate.
But the Lakers struggled to take advantage of the Suns playing three traditional centers — Ayton, JaVale McGee and Bismack Biyombo — as they turned the ball over nearly as many as times (19) as they assisted (24), igniting Phoenix’s transition attack. James (four), Westbrook (four) and Monk (three) were the primary culprits.
To counter, Vogel started Howard in place of Johnson in the second half to help bolster the defense, but he admitted, “I don’t know if that was much better.”
“We’re trying to make things happen with the smaller lineup, which is benefiting our best player offensively and giving us a chance,” Vogel said. “But it’s not a lineup that’s built to be great defensively unless we really execute our switching the right way and everything that goes into negotiating through some of the mismatches that are created. Certain opponents are tougher to do that against than others.”
One solution to the Lakers’ defensive problems?
The return of Anthony Davis, who could be back within the next few weeks or so. Davis, who spoke with the media pregame for the first time since his foot sprain against the Utah Jazz on Feb. 16, said the team’s recent defensive struggles have concerned him more than anything else he’s observed from the sidelines.
“The last two seasons, we’ve been one of the top teams defensively,” Davis said. “And this year, I don’t even know where we are, to be honest. That’s not like us. So that’s the biggest thing with us. I get so frustrated when we miss assignments or things like that, because we know what we’re supposed to do on the defensive end. So, I’m more so, when I’m on the iPad, I’m showing defense because I’m that defensive anchor for our guys, and now I’m not out there, we have a lot of miscues and mishaps.”
To Davis’ point, the Lakers are crumbling in his absence. They are 2-7 since he went down, with James having to go for 50-plus points in their two wins. They are 26th in offensive rating and 26th in defensive rating during that span. The only rotation player with a better defensive rating than Davis’ 108.1 mark this season is Reaves’ 107.1 figure.
Davis is set to resume on-court basketball work Monday, starting with spot shooting. That’s an encouraging sign. Davis said he’s not 100 percent certain he’ll be back this season, but he’s optimistic he’ll play again in 2021-22.
The road, with or without Davis, only gets harder from this point for the Lakers.
The Lakers, who have lost 10 consecutive games on the road (their last road win was on Jan. 25 in Brooklyn in Davis’ return), have seven road games remaining this month, 10 more overall this season. Considering they haven’t won consecutive games since Jan. 7, their standing as the No. 9 seed remains shaky.
“Sometimes I don’t think we try enough, including myself,” Monk said. “So, yeah, man, we just gotta, I don’t know. We gotta get it together, man. That’s all I gotta say. I’m sick of saying that ****, though.”
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Sadly the center we needed on this roster was Gasol...
He could space the floor and shoot but he was just too old.
At this point I just want to know what combo of players we can get for Russ. I don't expect an all star and I understand we probably gonna gey a back contract back, but as long as they get 3 to 4 players I'm good.
He could space the floor and shoot but he was just too old.
At this point I just want to know what combo of players we can get for Russ. I don't expect an all star and I understand we probably gonna gey a back contract back, but as long as they get 3 to 4 players I'm good.
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Austin Reaves is the only player who moves off the ball when Bron has it. That's bad.
I enjoy when he's on the floor with Bron.
I enjoy when he's on the floor with Bron.
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Caruso and Austin have that similar chemistry with Bron.
Meanwhile westbrick stand in the corner like he can shoot a 3....smh
Meanwhile westbrick stand in the corner like he can shoot a 3....smh
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1) shame on you for shaming his game. He is trying. Think of his son you animal.
2) Drummond came here and Vogel gave him 30 post touches. That’s on Vogel and management for promising him such stupid game plan.
3) team is done. Enjoy the comedy. I hope we don’t make playoffs bc seeing the suns run us up and down the court for 4 straight would hurt more. Imagine crowder celebratin again. Yikes
