Lakers progress so far

[lalalaker]

6-1 into the season we start seeing wat this lakers is about.
Of course after game 1 a ranted about running more pick and roll offense which i am satisfied they did it.
Defense is delightful to see as they are really banging hard to stop opponents which helps us get back late in games.
offense gets stagnant at times when its all iso one on one lebron or davis but it is a simply good option to run when we really need buckets. caruso needs to be more aggressive on defense and rim run more on offense. lakers need more set plays when lebron sits cause the ball isnt moving around enough. either make kuzma the focal point of offense or run more pick and roll on high screen for open dish out. We need some blow out games to allow other players to get more touches and rest LBJ and Davis for sure.

[Landsberger]

Once we get Rondo back we’ll be able to set the rotations and solidify the bench. That’s the piece we’re missing currently. Kuzma will need a couple more games to get his legs back but having him provide consistent offense will help us get to fewer minutes for the big duo.

[Pythagoras]

6-1 into the season we start seeing wat this lakers is about.
Of course after game 1 a ranted about running more pick and roll offense which i am satisfied they did it.
Defense is delightful to see as they are really banging hard to stop opponents which helps us get back late in games.
offense gets stagnant at times when its all iso one on one lebron or davis but it is a simply good option to run when we really need buckets. caruso needs to be more aggressive on defense and rim run more on offense. lakers need more set plays when lebron sits cause the ball isnt moving around enough. either make kuzma the focal point of offense or run more pick and roll on high screen for open dish out. We need some blow out games to allow other players to get more touches and rest LBJ and Davis for sure.

The defense is suffocating and I love it. Offensively, it would be nice to have another perimeter player who can consistently create for himself and others. Preferably one who doesn’t suck, like Rondo.

I’m starting to wonder about Kuzma’s fit. He’s such an inconsistent 3 point shooter, and he’s still a very inconsistent defender.

Still, a lot to like about this team.

[Spanish_Laker]

6-1 into the season we start seeing wat this lakers is about.
Of course after game 1 a ranted about running more pick and roll offense which i am satisfied they did it.
Defense is delightful to see as they are really banging hard to stop opponents which helps us get back late in games.
offense gets stagnant at times when its all iso one on one lebron or davis but it is a simply good option to run when we really need buckets. caruso needs to be more aggressive on defense and rim run more on offense. lakers need more set plays when lebron sits cause the ball isnt moving around enough. either make kuzma the focal point of offense or run more pick and roll on high screen for open dish out. We need some blow out games to allow other players to get more touches and rest LBJ and Davis for sure.

The defense is suffocating and I love it. Offensively, it would be nice to have another perimeter player who can consistently create for himself and others. Preferably one who doesn’t suck, like Rondo.

I’m starting to wonder about Kuzma’s fit. He’s such an inconsistent 3 point shooter, and he’s still a very inconsistent defender.

Still, a lot to like about this team.

If Kuzma doesn't provide at least 35% 3pt shooting and average defense, I see him getting shipped before ASB for a PG.

[Pythagoras]

6-1 into the season we start seeing wat this lakers is about.
Of course after game 1 a ranted about running more pick and roll offense which i am satisfied they did it.
Defense is delightful to see as they are really banging hard to stop opponents which helps us get back late in games.
offense gets stagnant at times when its all iso one on one lebron or davis but it is a simply good option to run when we really need buckets. caruso needs to be more aggressive on defense and rim run more on offense. lakers need more set plays when lebron sits cause the ball isnt moving around enough. either make kuzma the focal point of offense or run more pick and roll on high screen for open dish out. We need some blow out games to allow other players to get more touches and rest LBJ and Davis for sure.

The defense is suffocating and I love it. Offensively, it would be nice to have another perimeter player who can consistently create for himself and others. Preferably one who doesn’t suck, like Rondo.

I’m starting to wonder about Kuzma’s fit. He’s such an inconsistent 3 point shooter, and he’s still a very inconsistent defender.

Still, a lot to like about this team.

If Kuzma doesn't provide at least 35% 3pt shooting and average defense, I see him getting shipped before ASB for a PG.

I agree. Especially if Iguodala gets added.

[LAKESHOW]

When Kuzma enters in, with his size and position, he is naturally taking the opposing big man. Which automatically leads to his driving points due to his speed advantage.
Ive also been curious about the bench, it seems coach has found something. Well see about its development.
A few more things, but thats it for now

[Countdown]

I had them pegged at 5-2 when I looked at the opening schedule. Not going to complain

[jigga_man]

I like it! But I had fairly high expectations and unless LeBron seriously regressd due to age or if AD gets injured, this to me was the team to beat. Objectively no one is taking any pair of players in the league over AD & LeBron but the bias is at NYK levels were people are just rooting for the big market teams to fail.

I'll still say it is early right now & is realistically that AD will get hurt or LeBron at 35 will hit the wall. But I have a feeling (slight homerism) that it won't happen this year.

[Landsberger]

The trade Kuzma bandwagon is getting full I see. It's all based on the 3 as well. So.... what PG can we get for his $1.9 salary value and does said PG provide any scoring off the bench which is what we need more than anything else. Right now we have streaky spot up shooters populating our bench along with a Center who isn't great at getting his own offense. Kuzma shot 55% from inside the arc last year and shot better than Bron or Davis 3-10'. We've proven the last few games we don't need the 3 like other teams do. We will play consistent Defense and pound the paint putting teams in foul trouble and forcing FT's over chucking 35 3's a game. That's a much better game overall and that's what starting to settle into as a team identity. Trading Kuz at what he makes for a PG would be foolish. Next year Kuzma is worth more and might actually bring some value in return for a capped team.

[LAKESHOW]

I aint giving up kuz. As last night proves, he is a speed mismatch for opposing big men. We also want to see and track his progress, as ingram has shown progress, kuz has most likely also made that same imrovement as well. Cant give up at this early stage of the season

[lalalaker]

ppl are forgetting kuzma is coming back from injury and is on time restriction so he deserves a break ppl. jus 3 games back with not alot of game situation. he said it himself these games are like his preseason for him so lets wait abit. i know we all expect alot but dont expect him to score 20+ ppg right after coming off of such injury and lets be patient for his game legs to get back

[TylersLakers]

I'd give up Kuz if the right deal came along. But certainly wouldn't be looking to deal him. If Kuz gets all the way to his potential, our ceiling is really really high. And that's priority number one in my opinion before you start looking to deal him.

[Freighttrain]

They already have a defensive identity which is far better than I expected, but lack an offensive one. The LeBron AD pick 'n roll is probably the best offensive scheme they have but the spacing needs to be even better to make it a lethal thread during the final minutes of games. Kuz obviously is still trying to figure out his new role and coming off that injury is going to take 10-20 games before we see him as he is. The one surprise for me is Bradley. I knew he was a defensive dog, but I didn't expect him to be this great on D in the regular season, and he has been great on the offensive end as well. I'm hoping to see more consistency from Green. And if we can get a bench guy that can get 17 in a game like Cook did last night, I'd say the Lakers will take that 1 seed and be the team to beat in the playoffs. Oh and LeBron is playing like and MVP in year 17. Nuts.

[stan francisco]

Defense. Finally. The suffocating defense in the fourth is gorgeous to watch! Quietly, they just kill the opponent. What was it, a 30-4 run to end the last game? Championship caliber defense!!!

Kuzma just has to get his legs under him and get to see a bit more game action. In Kuzma I trust. I’ll give him and the doubters five warmup games before he puts up 30 at a high percentage.

Add Rondo and we’re pretty rock solid.

Trade KCP for Iggy. Add Cook or Daniels if needed.

[iamworthy]

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[Beethoven]

I hope we keep up this amazing defense. Let's assess more after Rondo comes back and starts leading the offense

[Kilroy]

When Bradley was out last game, our defense in the first half was pretty terrible... The identity we had for the other games was all but gone... It took Howard and James lighting that fire late in the 3rd which ignited Caruso and Cook, for us to get back to how we want to play.

So we need AB to be healthy... Or we need Cook and Caruso to figure out how to be as good as him getting after people without drawing fouls...

I think our offense may be better with Rondo on the court, but I have a hard time believing we'll be as good defensively as with AB. I kind of think if that's the expectation, you may be a little disappointed.

AB has been attacking full court... Don't see Rondo doing that.

[Sedale Threatt]

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With the exception of Howard, who has been a godsend so far, pretty much exactly what you'd expect: James and Davis playing like superstars, Green chipping in with solid support and a whole bunch of average-to-mediocre role players. (Kuzma obviously gets an exception given his injury.)

[iamworthy]

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With the exception of Howard, who has been a godsend so far, pretty much exactly what you'd expect: James and Davis playing like superstars, Green chipping in with solid support and a whole bunch of average-to-mediocre role players. (Kuzma obviously gets an exception given his injury.)

I actually expect AD to be a little better than this graph portrays. I expect his jumper to improve as the year goes on.

[Sedale Threatt]

I actually expect AD to be a little better than this graph portrays. I expect his jumper to improve as the year goes on.

Hopefully. He's five and six pct points below his career average in overall and 3-point shooting, respectively, so there's a lot of room for improvement. He's actually shooting fewer jumpers this year, but I'd really like to see some more focus on the pick-and-roll with LeBron. That should be devastating but it seems merely pretty good, and not nearly frequent enough.

The great thing about Davis is that he can have an average night, and it's still 25/10/3. There are only a few players on that tier and, if LeBron can stay in one piece, we have two of them. And the great thing about LeBron is, while I wouldn't expect him to stay at this ridiculous pace all season (26/8/11 !!!), it's at least a possibility.

Overall, we're playing championship-caliber defense, which is awesome and encouraging, but the offense is pretty mediocre at this point. I don't have much faith in Rondo but there's certainly a chance chis return can give us a little bump. Davis shooting better and Kuzma getting back into playing shape should as well.

My big fear is that, again, our shooting is going to be a huge issue. Green helps, and Bradley's 35 pct is just solid enough where you can give him good minutes and capitalize on his D. But overall we're still pretty poor. I expect a lot of guys to shoot better than they are now, for sure, but we still don't have the consistency or the skill.