Here is what we have learned so far:
Can't Handle Losing Randle
Most fans understood coming into the season that this year would be a trying one. Wins would be difficult to come by but there was still some hope that maybe the squad could outperform expectations the way the Suns did last year, that maybe they could even sneak into a playoff spot.
However, even the realists who knew that a playoff run was all but out of the question had something to be excited about this season: the development of Julius Randle. The #7 overall pick had moments of brilliance during the preseason. The combination of size, strength, an explosive first step and a surprising ability to handle the ball had many projecting greatness for the bruising rookie. Randle wasn't dominant yet but the talent was clearly there.
For a team in desperate need of young talent a player with the potential that Randle possesses seemed like a gift from the basketball gods. Unfortunately those gods proved to be cruel and vengeful. Randle's leg broke, and as it did so did the hearts of Lakers fans.
After enduring an incredibly painful 2013-2014 season the one silver lining was landing a talent like Randle in the draft, but that was gone in an instant. Julius' season is over just as it was starting, robbing the team and the fans of the opportunity to watch the future develop right before their eyes.
We can only hope that Randle will be 100% next season and that when all is said and done this injury will be nothing more than a footnote in a long and successful career. For the next 12 months though Lakers fans can only wait and pray for the eventual return of their talented young forward.
Kobe the Nash
For the first two games of the season Kobe was in gunner mode, taking most of the shots on offense while everyone else on the team stood around and watched him. With a roster as week as it is playing 1 on 5 might have seemed like a decent idea, but it clearly wasn't working. Defenses focused all of their attention on Bryant, knowing that they could all but ignore the rest of the team.
It wasn't all Kobe's fault, as guys like Jeremy Lin, Carlos Boozer, and Wesley Johnson seemed content to sit out on the offensive end while Kobe did his thing. It's tough to pass when no one is making an effort to get open.
By the time the showdown with the Clippers rolled around it was clear that things had to change. Lin especially had to get more involved on the offensive end if the team was going to have any kind of success. To his credit Kobe bought into this concept and made a concerted effort to be a facilitator and get his teammates involved. While he still ended up tied with Jordan Hill in Field Goals Attempted Kobe also finished with 7 assists, the most he's had this season.
On several occasions Bryant found himself with the ball in his hands and the shot clock winding down, which is usually Kobe time. He has a knack for hitting big shots from seemingly impossible angles, but against the Clippers more often than not Kobe moved the ball on to a teammate, forcing them to do something with the ball.
As a result the Lakers offense looked much more in-sync and cohesive, and the team nearly upset their heavily-favored Staples Center house guests. While he wasn't a Nash-level distributor or anything close to that it does appear that the Lakers offense clicks when Kobe makes an effort to get his less-talented teammates going.
When Kobe passes good things happen...usually.
Ed Davis Is Better Than Carlos Boozer
It's not a huge surprise to anyone who saw Carlos Boozer play basketball last year but one thing that has really stood out thus far is that Ed Davis is better than him at nearly every aspect of the game. While Boozer is the better 15-foot jump shooter he is a liability everywhere else on the floor, committing an obscene number of turnovers against Phoenix (8) while shooting a miserable 42% on the season.
Ed Davis, meanwhile, is shooting 70% and has only turned the ball over twice all season. He has shown fantastic pick and roll chemistry with Jeremy Lin and is a consistent finisher around the basket. He also provides a real defensive presence for the woefully undersized Lakers. Davis is constantly contesting shots and forcing opponents to think twice before taking the ball inside. While this does lead to him picking up more fouls than he should it is still a breath of fresh air to see Ed swat a shot after watching Boozer's stuck in the mud version of defense.
Byron Scott has said that he isn't planning on making any changes to the starting lineup just yet but at some point Boozer has to find his way to the bench. Boozer should still get minutes thanks to the basketball gods cruel punishment of Julius Randle but Ed Davis is the better player now and the player the Lakers need to develop for the future.
It seems all but assured that Boozer's greatest career highlight will be this.
Jeremy Lin: Good vs. Evil
I was a huge proponent of Jeremy Lin heading into the season. I thought that a return to near-Linsanity levels was imminent and that he would be a bright spot in an otherwise dark Lakers season. Thus far I was wrong. So, so, wrong.
Lin is leading the league in turnovers by a decent margin and has looked out of sorts in 3 of the 4 games thus far, shooting just 34% for an average of 9 points and 5.5 assists. That's putrid. For perspective, take a look at these numbers two sets of numbers:
| Rk | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | 2P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3.1 | 8.9 | .345 | 0.9 | 3.1 | .300 | .368 | .929 | 3.7 | 6.8 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 4.6 | 3.4 | 11.1 |
| 2 | 4.5 | 10.1 | .447 | 1.6 | 4.3 | .366 | .506 | .694 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 2.8 | 12.2 |
Player 1 is Jeremy Lin. The only significant advantages he has over Player 2 is in assists and free throw percentage. Outside of that Player 2 absolutely destroys Lin across the board. But just who is this mysterious Player 2?
This guy:
This guy:
I'll wait a moment for everyone to stop throwing up.
Better? Ok, sorry I had to do that everyone, Yes, after four games Jeremy Lin is playing worse than Smush Parker. It's a level of awfulness that Lakers fans thought they would never see again, and yet, here we are.
The good news, of course, is that it has only been four games. By all accounts Lin is a much, much better player than what we have seen thus far. It's easy to forget after the ineptitude he displayed against Golden State but in the Clippers game Lin was actually very good. He was aggressive, assertive, and dynamic in his attack. That was the good version of Lin. The one we saw the other three games? That's Evil Lin (bonus points to those who recognize the He-Man reference).
In order for the Lakers offense to truly reach it's optimal performance Good Lin is going to have to make nightly appearances. Evil Lin needs to go away. Now.
Embrace The Tank
As a Lakers fan living in the Valley of the Sun I knew that I would hear about it when the Suns curb-stomped the Lakers. Phoenix fans tend to have a bit of an inferiority complex (probably due to their lack of championship hardware) and love to rub it in when the Lakers are down. It's a practice even taken up by their announce team, who mentioned several times during the game that they were thrilled to see the Lakers struggling.
However, it's no secret that this Lakers squad won't be making the playoffs, and that their draft pick winds up in the Suns hands should it fall outside the top 5 (thanks again Nash). With that said, my response to Suns fans attempting to heckle me was always simply "Thank you". 9 times out of 10 I had to explain the complexities of draft pick protection to the confused Phoenicians but their smiles faded quickly when they realized that by beating the Lakers the Suns had actually weakened their chances of getting the Lakers pick this summer.
With Randle sidelined for the year it's that much more important that the Lakers keep their pick this summer and are able to land another cornerstone with it. When it comes to bringing free agents to town the biggest and best stars want to see a team in place that is only a piece or two short from title contention, which means the Lakers need to accumulate as much talent as possible.
I'm not advocating losing on purpose, as that's a indignity that is reserved for Philadelphia. Instead, the Lakers should be looking at giving as many minutes as possible to guys who could be part of the future or could have value on the trade market. In other words, less minutes for guys like Boozer, Wesley Johnson, and Ronnie Price and more minutes for Jordan Clarkson, Ed Davis, and Ryan Kelly (when he's finally healthy). Even if going with the younger guys ends up costing the Lakers a game here and there (which is doubtful) the chance to find out who can be part of the long-term plan is worth it.
The West right now is a hornet's nest of very good teams. With the possible exception of Minnesota every franchise has improved while the Lakers at best stayed the same. Kobe's return helps of course but he can't be expected to put the team on his back anymore. As such it just isn't realistic to assume that Kobe can will the team to the playoffs in a loaded conference. It's time to find cornerstones for the future, and the draft is the best chance to do that.
It may not be palatable to impatient fans after last season's disaster but the best-case scenario for the Lakers this season is to retain their pick, and the only way to ensure that is to finish with a poor record. No one is going to out-tank Philadelphia, but if the Lakers can keep pace with teams like Orlando, Boston, and Minnesota (not out of the question) they could luck into a franchise player in the draft next summer. After the past few seasons if anyone is deserving of a little good luck it's the Lakers.
It remains to be seen just how bad (or good) this team will be but the absolute worst-case scenario would be finishing with the 6th-worst record in the league and handing over a great pick to Phoenix. If fans have to endure another sickening season of losses to avoid that then so be it.
Support the team through thick and thin. By all means, celebrate victories, but also know that with the losses comes a silver lining in the 2015 draft.
For more Lakers analysis follow me on twitter @16ringsNBA
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