Our Purple, Gold, Black, White and Blue 2020-21 Los Angeles Lakers are 18-6 and on pace for a 54-18 practice season. As we know, it matters not where we finish in the standings provided that it is reasonably near the top. All that matters is HEALTH and team chemistry when the playoffs get under way. So let's get started!
FRANK VOGEL AND THE DEFENDING CHAMPIONSHIP COACHING STAFF
We all knew that going into the season after a very short off-season that Frank Vogel was both blessed and cursed with an extremely deep roster. Although the overwhelming consensus was that the Lakers improved their championship roster, difficult decisions had to be made and the most recent decision to go to a 9 man rotation with veterans Wesley Matthews and Markieff Morris picking splinters out of their respective asses is a perfect example, all while weaving 20 year old phenom THT into the rotation. My only very minor criticism is that Frank Vogel has not be able to get the team up for 48 minutes of focus for all these scrimmages and that the offense stagnates too often. Then again, how can you really blame him/them for that during the long, compact 72?
Grade: A-
LEBRON JAMES
Do I really need to evaluate him? Case in point was his performance in the second overtime of last night’s scrimmage. He is the undisputed MVP of the Association this season and a leader in every sense of the word. He has had the longest prime of any player in NBA history and I believe he is the greatest all-around player ever. Dude is a freak of nature!
GRADE: A+
ANTHONY DAVIS
AD is either pacing himself, bored, injured but not talking about it, or something has creeped into his cranium. He is missing his free throws, rarely hits a three point shot, has games when he hardly rebounds the ball, etc. We all see it. HAVING SAID THAT, he is still a top 5 player in the league, he’s the best defender in the NBA and should have won DPOY last season and the perfect complement to LeBron. Plus he signed a 5-year deal! He’ll be a beast in the playoffs, but he is a lot better than he has played so far.
GRADE: B-
KENTAVIUS CALDWELL POPE
OK, so he hit a little bit of a slump recently, so what. He’s a champion and he’s clutch. Now that he is back in his familiar starting 3/D shooting guard role and has learned how to play off LeBron and AD, he is thriving. I’m, a KCP fan, what can I say. He’s a perfect fit and for the most part has played that way this season.
GRADE: A-
DENNIS SCHRODER
In no uncertain terms, after he was traded to the Lakers he “demanded” to be in the starting lineup if the Lakers want to retain him moving forward. Now that we’re almost a third into the season, he is clearly becoming more comfortable in the offense and he’s an all-NBA defensive team candidate IMO. His on the ball defense against the quickest point guards in the league is incredible and he even makes bigger players feel uncomfortable. Overall, he has been inconsistent, but unquestionably showing his potential.
GRADE: B
MARC GASOL
He appears to be over-the-hill, I would have rather kept Dwight Howard, but we won’t really know whether this was a smart move until the Real Season begins IMO. His stellar defense against Jokic the other day was both impressive and encouraging. For the most part, he looks like a stiff now, but we’ll see.
GRADE: C-
THE SECOND UNIT
I could have evaluated each player individually, but this is a TEAM game and giving LeBron and AD fewer minutes means we need a total team effort from this deep, diverse second unit. Montrezl Harrell (B+), with the exception of a hand full of games, has been the special prime Kenneth Faried type of energetic bench player we knew he would be. Whether he can be an effective Real Season player is a different question, but so far, so good. Importantly, the game has slowed down for Kyle Kuzma (A-) in his fourth season and his overall play has been stellar as he has accepted and understands his role. The Lakers are simply better when the GOAT @ACFresh21 Alex Caruso (A) is on the floor. He knows where to be on both ends of the Court, only occasionally makes mistakes, and is becoming one of the very best defenders and role players in the NBA. Can you believe that Frank Vogel had him guarding Jayson Tatum? Talen Horton-Tucker (A-) has forced his way into the rotation with his eye popping defense and ability to get to the rim and hit wide open threes. THT may very well be an All-Star someday and is the quintessential modern day player. Sure, he is raw and mistake prone, but damn is he a boost to this team! With the exception of a few games, Wes Matthews (D) has sucked and appears to be over-the-hill and Markieff Morris (C) has overall been just OK. They have earned themselves a spot on the bench next to Quinn Cook (A) and Jared Dudley (A). I am generous with their grades because they are our cheerleaders, don’t complain, play hard when they come in at garbage time and clearly boost our locker room! As for the two way players Kostas Antetokounmpo and DeVontae Cacok, they get no grade for obvious reasons.
GRADE: B
OVERALL TEAM GRADE
Considering the short off-season and the understandable ho-hum practice season attitude, we have had stretches where we are juggernauts and the obvious class of the NBA. We have had our “fuck it” stretches, too.
GRADE: A-