Until then, the two-headed monster of the Lakers allowed to fill, even mask, the bankruptcies of some of their teammates. But last night, as Anthony Davis was weighed down by faults, and LeBron James was dominated by Jimmy Butler, Frank Vogel hoped, in vain, that a shooter put in, and more particularly the two incumbents, Danny Green and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
After their ugly 3-of-19 3-point game in Game 2, the two finished the third inning at 1 of 7 3-pointers. Over the last two matches, they posted a nasty 4 out of 26 at 3-points, which gives 15% at 3-points!
« When we put our shots, it’s just that we play ‘Lakers basketball’ »Explained KCP recently. ” This opens up the center axis for our guys to get in and put pressure on the circle. And then, the defense is forced to make a choice: if it decides to stop the 3-points, we will penetrate all evening. It complicates things for us to win matches if we do not put in. »
For two games, the Lakers have gone into Rockets mode with 89 3-pointers in two games, and only 30 wins. ” We will tell them to stay the course » assure Frank Vogel. « Both are good. They have been very good all year for us. It is collectively that we must do better. If we run our systems better, we are no longer likely to get quality shots, and then these guys will be better.. »
The good news is that at the Lakers, anyone can put it in, especially the wingers. Markieff Morris and Kyle Kuzma put in a very good 9 of 19 3-pointers last night, but what the Lakers need is exteriors to rule out play for Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
If Markieff Morris or Kyle Kuzma put it in, it’s often at the end of the chain, in the corner, and they rarely evolve with the two stars. If Danny Green or KCP crash a few 3-points, it’ll bring danger, and it’ll make the Lakers less predictable. This can also allow a better start to the matches since they are holders, and as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope explains, it is also the key to developing “Lakers basketball”.
