The Lakers lost to the Mavericks in their first scrimmage action in Orlando, an apparently inevitable fate after Frank Vogel chose to rest LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Danny Green for the entirety of the second half. But it was exciting to see the Lakers back on the court, especially for the competitive part of the game.
This is what stood out from the team’s first sanctioned live action in four months.
It is Anthony Davis‘real jump shot?
Davis opened the game with two mid-range jump shots, posting comfortably and then dribbling towards Dorian Finney-Smith to score the Lakers’ first four points. It was a welcome show. If there has been any weakness in Davis’ game this season, it has been his inefficiency in mid-range jumpers. He has shot 34.8% on 2-point jumpers outside 14 feet, well below his running average of 38.8%.
While Davis’ 3-point percentage has improved as the season progresses (he was shooting 28.7% in 2019 and has risen to 40.5% in 2020), his mid-range efficiency has seen a more modest increase from 33.6% to 36.6 % in the same time frame.
It would be preferable for Davis to take more of his shots from beyond the arc, or simply intimidate smaller defenders to get closer to the goal in the post-ups, but Davis is comfortable from mid-range, and those looks will be available for he. If he starts charging between 14 and 23 feet, especially if he can create those bridges for himself, Davis will become almost indecipherable.
Lebron James he really seemed to enjoy the layoff
When the Lakers starters, or at least their normal pre-break rotation, were on the court, the team looked great, sharper than would be expected for a layoff that lasted more than four months. The credit for that begins with James, who was absolutely in his element and appeared to be in fantastic shape, despite the unusual circumstances of the team’s first game.
James dictated the pace for the Lakers, taking advantage of opportunities to propel the team into the transition, while also easily controlling the offense in the half-court and getting into the paint at ease (no doubt helped by the shortage of wing defenders from quality on the Mavericks, but still).
James’ slam dunk to finish half drew the most fanfare, as did his pitches to Dwight Howard and Kyle Kuzma, but my personal favorite move was when Jared Dudley put up a screen for him on half court, and James slid down the street like if it was an open track.
Almost the only time James was uncomfortable was when he was forced to deal with Boban Marjanovic’s size, whether he tried to lock him up or try to launch a balloon beyond Marjanovic’s 9’7 range, but that’s a challenge. that only the Mavericks present. Otherwise, James was ready to go, leading the Lakers to an 11-point lead in the first half and setting a dominant tone for the team’s return to the game.
Dion Waiters it is exactly as advertised
It’s worth noting that the first guard from the bench with Alex Caruso out was Quinn Cook, not either of the two newer Lakers. Cook has had an excellent camp in Orlando, and was rewarded as such with the first few minutes. However, all Lakers fans, and most neutral watchers, expected to see Dion Waiters, and the man did not disappoint.
Because Waiters has been injured or suspended more often than he has played in the past three seasons, it was easy to wonder if his game had changed or could even have been transferred since the last time he played regularly. If his debut is an indication, Waiters is exactly the same player he has always been.
He didn’t hesitate to call his own number, which hilariously included a disputed treble at the exact moment that the Spectrum broadcast praised the team’s ball movement. He was 3-7 from the field, and he created most of those looks himself. Waiters was able to handle the ball with skill, and his two turnovers were not the result of ball pressure, but rather an excess of enthusiasm on the offensive side.
There’s a feature for this release for this release of Waiters on the Lakers, even if it never mitigates your determined search for the cubes.
It will be torture every time a Lakers backcourt player is robbed
The scariest moment of the contest was when Kentavious Caldwell-Pope limped off early in the first quarter. With the team already defeated by Avery Bradley and Rajon Rondo, and missing Caruso in addition to a back bruise, the Lakers don’t have the depth to suffer further injuries, and he was nervous waiting for updates on the status of Caldwell-Pope.
Fortunately, despite the problems that Lakers fans have with KCP, durability has never been one of them. He has only missed eight games during his entire tenure in Los Angeles, something like a small miracle considering all the injuries that have taken place around him. The best KCP can do, along with Caruso, Cook and Waiters, is to be available. Hopefully, there aren’t too many tense moments like this in the next 10 games before the playoffs.
Subsequent games should give the Lakers a chance to evaluate other items on their roster, including the appearance of JR Smith alongside actual rotation players. But for now, the Lakers should be satisfied with a successful debut for their starting lineup, particularly their two superstars. For mindless scrimmage, this was a good start.
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