Lakers News: Latest Buzz on Anthony Davis, Montrezl Harrell and More
Smacked by a combined 59 points from Damian Lillard and Gary Trent Jr., the Los Angeles Lakers have dropped to 2-2 on the season. With five of last season's regular contributors (three starters and two substitutes) replaced, Frank Vogel and the team continue to work on their identity following a Monday loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
That defeat snapped a 59-game streak of wins when Los Angeles leads through three quarters. And, looking forward, it suggests questions about the rotation and Anthony Davis' aggression.
Davis scored just 13 points on the night, Montrezl Harrell proved ineffective in crunch time and the absence of Alex Caruso engendered defensive lapses. Ahead of a matchup with the San Antonio Spurs, all three situations are being addressed.
Anthony Davis Promises Aggression
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Davis has played in three Lakers games this year, including both losses. A recurring theme in those defeats? A lack of free-throw attempts. While AD averaged 8.5 attempts from the line last season, he attempted just 2.0 in each loss.
Similarly, the seven-time All-Star averaged 17.7 field goal attempts during his first year in Hollywood, but he put up a modest 14.0 in the Blazers loss. According to Davis's postgame conversation with the L.A. Times' Dan Woike, that lack of aggression was intentional and, evidently, a mistake.
Noting that he didn't want to force the issue after an unselfish Los Angeles squad beat the Minnesota Timberwolves without him, AD tried to fit into the system and find his rhythm. After the disappointing loss, he recognizes that it's probably better for the team if he goes and gets his: "I gotta score the ball, simple as that ... I've got to be more aggressive, just go out there and score the basketball."
This was similarly echoed by Vogel, who specified that the game plan needs to put an emphasis on ensuring Davis is "involved in the offense" early on.
Lakers Remain Confident in Crunch-Time Trezz
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The Lakers start their games with Dennis Schroder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, LeBron James, AD and Marc Gasol. Against the Blazers, they tried finishing the game with Harrell out there instead of Gasol. Despite how poorly that worked, Vogel and AD are confident in that lineup's potential.
Both groups played limited minutes together, the starters getting just 16 minutes and the fourth-quarter unit just seven. But, in those minutes, the starters posted a net rating of 57.6, while the crunch-time group eked out a minus-18.6.
Nonetheless, while maintaining that rotations are a work in progress, Vogel confirmed to the media that he's still confident in that game-clinching group: "I like the lineup that we had out there ... we just weren't able to get the job done."
Citing Trezz's mobility, particularly in the screen game, AD corroborated Vogel's assessment. Dubbing the unit a "good lineup," Davis touched on the need to keep exploring the team's depth while cementing that the Harrell group is "probably one of the lineups we'll look to a lot when it comes to crunch time."
Caruso’s Availability Continues to Be Uncertain
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Caruso is notorious across NBA Reddit and Twitter for flashy plays that belie his unassuming, 6'5" stature, but the 26-year-old wing is an undeniably productive rotation piece. Coupling stingy defense with tenacious off-ball movement, Caruso has averaged 17.9 minutes per game throughout his Lakers career.
Unfortunately, it appears that he will miss a consecutive game because of the Association's health and safety protocols. As Woike noted, Caruso is not traveling with the Lakers to San Antonio for their matchup.
Vogel confirmed before the Blazers game that Caruso wasn't missing the contest because of his right-hand strain, instead nebulously alluding to league protocols. Without the bench wing, Trent Jr. piled up 28 points.
Los Angeles will hope that Caruso can rejoin their rotation sooner than later, as Wesley Matthews has struggled to provide much defensive momentum.
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