Editor’s note: This is the Monday, November 21 edition of the Purple & Bold Lakers newsletter from reporter Kyle Goon. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here.
A week went by and the Lakers did not lose. The last time the Lakers had a streak of three wins or more was Jan. 7, which is not meant to be a depressing statistic but kind of feels like one:
WEEK IN REVIEW
Friday, W, Lakers 128, Detroit Pistons 121
Sunday, W, Lakers 123, San Antonio Spurs 92
The Lakers (5-10) are 13th in the Western Conference standings, 5.5 games behind the first-place Utah Jazz (12-6). They’re 2.5 games behind the Minnesota Timberwolves (8-8) for a play-in slot.
HIGH POINT: A good team has to be able to win easily sometimes. The Lakers haven’t proven that they’re a good team, but they sure did win easily on Sunday night against the Spurs, leading by as much as 34 points (their previous season-high lead was 18). Anthony Davis had his third straight game of 30-plus points and 16-plus rebounds, the only such streak of his career. And LeBron James hasn’t even suited up for any of these wins.
LOW POINT: It’s not so much a “point” as an issue given that the Lakers had two wins, but it’s concerning that James isn’t off the injury report yet. A quick glance at the Lakers’ health saw them swap out two formerly injured role players (Dennis Schröder and Thomas Bryant) for two now-ailing role players (Max Christie and Juan Toscano-Anderson). And James’ slow return from an injury in an area where he’s been hurt before doesn’t feel like a good omen.
TRENDING TOPIC: An apples-to-apples comparison isn’t always the best route to say why one player should start over another. But on a simple eye test, there’s a pressing question lately: Why isn’t Austin Reaves a full-time starter?
Let’s set aside the Russell Westbrook question for a moment – now that Darvin Ham has moved Westbrook to the bench, he doesn’t appear to be leaving anytime soon. In six starts, Reaves has been phenomenal: 13.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.5 apg, shooting 11 for 23 on 3-pointers, getting to the free throw line at a higher rate. As a starter, he has 15 assists to 4 turnovers, and is a plus-17 in 188 minutes.
Reaves had some nice fakes that crossed up his defenders in the second half against the Pistons, but is not exactly a razzle-dazzle-type player. His value comes through his efficiency and how he connects pieces together.
The efficiency piece is straightforward: He hasn’t turned the ball over much, and stat site Cleaning the Glass charts his points per 100 shot attempts (137.4) as in the 96th percentile among all wings (on par with Sacramento’s Kevin Huerter and the Clippers’ Luke Kennard). The connector piece feels more intangible, but there’s evidence for that as well: The six most-played three-man lineups with Reaves on the floor all have positive net ratings, which is saying a lot for a team that has lost twice as many games as it has won. By plus-minus rating, Reaves has been Davis’ best dance partner (plus-29 in 273 minutes).
Whether or not you believe in his on-ball defense, Patrick Beverley definitely has an influence: The Lakers’ defensive rating balloons from 104.8 when he’s on the floor to 112.8 when he’s off of it. Whether it’s his vocal leadership or his general tenacity, Beverley snaps the unit into shape on that end. But he also used to be (in his own words earlier this year) an “elite” catch-and-shoot player – and that is simply not happening anymore.
On the same shooting efficiency statistic where Reaves shines, Beverley is dead last among combo guards, averaging 84.6 points per 100 shot attempts. He is sixth-worst in the entire NBA on catch-and-shoot FG percentage among players who have at least 25 attempts (21.4%). Defenses are not taking him seriously as a deep threat, and worse still, Beverley seems to have lost confidence, missing pretty consistently either short or to the left. Even during the winning streak, he’s just 2 for 11 on threes.
There’s always a lot of politics involved with changing the starting lineup, especially swapping out a veteran for a younger player. But given how Reaves has played lately, he’s made a compelling case. When asked directly if Reaves might remain a starter when James returns, Ham offered only, “We’ll see.”
READ OF THE WEEK: I talked to a number of Darvin Ham’s coaching peers about why he seems so esteemed within their ranks. They cited his loyalty, his personability, his integrity – and his love of vans.
In his coaching journey, Lakers’ Darvin Ham has learned to weather the storm
HEATING UP: There’s obviously no one hotter on the team right now than Anthony Davis. He’s been the driving force behind three straight wins, leading the team in both points and rebounding. A few things I find interesting about the last three games: Davis has concentrated his effort in the paint, only taking two 3-point attempts; he’s not wasting time holding onto the ball: 41 of his 56 attempts have come after one or no dribbles; he’s fighting harder for contested rebounds (rising from 60% on the season to 70% in the last three games).
COOLING DOWN: See Patrick Beverley above. Beverley still had a strong plus-minus impact this past week, but it feels relevant that he mostly plays in lineups alongside Davis, who was by far the most impactful player in the last week. The 34-year-old also didn’t have a steal in either of the last two games.
INJURY REPORT: All eyes are on James. He’s missed four straight games with his strained left adductor, and the last two have seen him remain questionable up until tip-off (though whether that’s for competitive edge or not is anyone’s guess). James has now missed a third of the games already. Max Christie has been in the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols all week. Juan Toscano-Anderson has missed two straight games with mid-back soreness. Davis has been listed with back tightness for the entire season, but lately it hasn’t seemed to bother him at all.
QUOTABLE: This carries no news relevance whatsoever, but Davis’ quote about seeing The Fast & The Furious star Vin Diesel at Sunday’s game simply needs a home: “I said what’s up to him. Then we told him, ‘If you’re as good as you say you are, we want to see you take a car and drive it off to Staples and do a flip and land it.’ He was laughing and everything like that. I think me and Bron were pretty serious to see if he could do it.”
AHEAD OF THE CURVE: Even beyond the starting lineup, Ham has some decisions to make about the rotation. Playing Westbrook, Nunn and Schröder as ball-dominant guards seems destined to change once James returns. Of that mix, Nunn seems poised to take the biggest hit – though it’s worth noting he had a bounce-back week going 8 for 12 while Schröder has some getting-back-in-the-game rust. Thomas Bryant, on the other hand, seems to have fully supplanted Damian Jones and has some obvious chemistry with Westbrook thanks to his hustle. It will be intriguing to see how Ham harnesses the big man, including playing him more in two-big lineups with Davis which happened Sunday.
COMING UP (All times PT)
Tuesday, at Phoenix, 7 p.m. (TNT)
Friday, at San Antonio, 5 p.m.
Saturday, at San Antonio, 5 p.m.
Have a happy Thanksgiving! – Kyle Goon
Editor’s note: Thanks for reading the Purple & Bold Lakers newsletter from reporter Kyle Goon. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here.