The Lakers prepare to face the league’s hottest team without two-fifths of their
starting lineup.
Brook Lopez (ankle sprain) is out for at least three weeks. Kentavious
Caldwell-Pope is unable to travel due to a legal matter. Meanwhile, the
NBA-leading Houston Rockets have lost just four times in 29 games.
“We’re going to have to step it up on the defensive end,” Lonzo Ball said.
“That’s two big scorers, especially from 3-point land. We just have to make up
for it.”
Indeed, Lopez and Caldwell-Pope are two of the Lakers’ most high-volume 3-point
shooters.
KCP leads the team in made 3’s (2.2 per game), while Lopez has struggled
considerably more. The center has shot just 29.7 percent from deep, but provides
invaluable spacing when his long ball is falling.
The Lakers will need to find some production from beyond the arc against a
Houston team that is averaging 15.9 made 3’s a game — a mark on pace to crush
their own NBA record.
Kyle Kuzma is the likely candidate to get some more looks from deep, as he is
fresh off back-to-back 20-point games and shooting a team-best 38.0 percent on
3-pointers this season.
Another option is Ball, who has seen his perimeter shooting surge over the last
four games, hitting 10-of-23 from downtown.
Head coach Luke Walton feels that the Lakers’ second-overall pick has found
success as he has become more comfortable with the NBA’s larger 3-point arc and
more athletic defenders.
“The 3-point line’s different, people guard you different, the length and speed
is different,” Walton said. “And then every time you miss a shot, the entire
media world comments that you can’t shoot.”
The Lakers will be without Caldwell-Pope (whose travel is restricted to in-state
only) for occasional games over the next few weeks. But losing Lopez puts a
significant wrench into Walton’s frontcourt rotation.
He could choose to start Julius Randle, who has thrived as the team’s
second-unit center; but Walton has shown a preference for keeping continuity
with his bench. Another option is 7-footer Andrew Bogut, who provides much of
Lopez’s defense but none of his shooting.
There are also more unconventional options.
Thomas Bryant is with the team after a red-hot run in the NBA G League that saw
him average 22.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.8 3-pointers on a 45.9 percent clip
from deep as a true stretch center for the South Bay Lakers. But the rookie has
yet to play a single minute in the NBA.
Then there is the possibility of moving starting power forward Larry Nance Jr.
up a position to center and having a player like Kyle Kuzma start at the four.
Yeah, @Larrydn22 actually did this last night.: https://t.co/HHnOmmr5fV
pic.twitter.com/j0Ot8Zxczn
Regardless of who starts, Walton seemed leaning toward playing a significant
amount of small ball with either Randle or Nance at center.
But the Lakers will certainly miss the paint presence of Lopez, who ranks eighth
in the NBA in blocks (1.6) and led the league in shots contested (13.5).
“Anybody that big with that skill set helps both offensively and defensively,”
Ball said. “He’s big in the paint and can space the floor on offense.”
MRI on Brook Lopez confirmed moderate ankle sprain, will be reevaluated in three
weeks https://t.co/G1mx7F0Uvj pic.twitter.com/SBxq3wStwv
Player: Lonzo Ball
Player: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Player: Brook Lopez
Media Content: http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/171218-practice-report
Media Keywords: NBA, Sports, Los Angeles Lakers, Lonzo Ball, Kentavious
Caldwell-Pope, Brook Lopez, Luke Walton, Los Angeles Lakers
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