2020-21 Los Angeles Lakers First Trimester Grades

[KobeMVP888]

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-

[3Peatkb24]

Great work Ken, I agree with most of this. LeBron so far is the MVP of the League and we are the team to beat. Gasol's grade is accurate as well, he has been a disappointment but we have been solid everywhere else.

[lakerevolution]

Lakers All-Star big man Anthony Davis is listed as questionable for Monday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder with tendonosis of his right Achilles tendon, the team announced.

A league source told ESPN it is "very likely" Davis will miss the Thunder game as a precaution and that Davis, 27, has been managing the discomfort "for a while."

Davis underwent medical imaging on the injury, the source said, which assured the Achilles tendon is in good shape. However, the nine-year veteran has been experiencing tightness in his right leg, causing concern.

Davis' points (26.1 to 22.3), rebounds (9.3 to 8.6) and blocks (2.3 to 1.9) are all down from last season, his first in L.A., which he capped with a championship. He has missed three games this season, most recently because of a bruised right quad.

Davis scored 30 points in the Lakers' double-overtime win over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday, also notching five rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 45 minutes of action.

Earlier in the week, Davis pushed back at any suggestion his production had dwindled this season.

"A lot of people talk about my offense, and how this year has been a slow start and everything offensively, but I'm a two-way player," Davis said after the Lakers' win over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday. "I don't rely on offense for me to have a great season. I'm doing everything I can on the defensive end. When you're a two-way player, you don't have to rely on one aspect of the game with just scoring. I can help my team win on the defensive end and make shots when I need to."

The true value of a HOF-level player is not just the individual prowess he displays night-in and night-out, but his ability to foster a culture of excellence and determination amongst his teammates. LeBron has been doing this basically all his career, and it's the thing he possibly least gets credit for. Kobe certainly didn't, as his enigmatic "me first" style was interpreted by the general public as selfish and even detrimental to team play. Anthony Davis may be dealing with some of the bumps and bruises that big men tend to develop over time, and he is allowed that. With our versatile and ever-improving lineup, he doesn't have to win or lose games for us - yet. Gasol has been the one head-scratcher so far, and his continued starting role will have to be questioned at some point. The player I'd like to see get more time is Quentin Cook - he was good for the Warriors and if he's not going to get any significant minutes with us I'd rather see him on another team.

Defending titles is never easy, but we're sitting in a good position so far and have proven that we can win pretty or ugly.

[KobeMVP888]

[size=150]Gasol has been the one head-scratcher so far, and his continued starting role will have to be questioned at some point.

For me, letting Dwight go for a guy who at this point in his career can basically just play position defense against bigs and play-make from the top of the key was indeed a head scratcher. When lost a shitload of rim protection when Rob decided on letting Gasol and Harrell man the five for now. I understand the Harrell logic for the practice season and the Gasol logic for the playoffs, but I still believe we need another rim protector and the statistics are bearing that out albeit we do lead the Association in Team Defensive Rating right now. Remember, because we're a "hard-capped" team, we won't have enough money to sign a free agent until trade deadline/buyout time. Who knows, maybe a decent rim protector who wants to chase a ring will fall into our lap or perhaps Rob will surprise us with a trade. Any way you slice it, the so-called experts still favor us to repeat, but I'll believe it when they're hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy again in July.