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Los Angeles Lakers Add Shooting With Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

By Anthony Santillo

TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 12: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope #5 of the Detroit Pistons celebrates after sinking the winning basket late in the second half of an NBA game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre on February 12, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 12: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope #5 of the Detroit Pistons celebrates after sinking the winning basket late in the second half of an NBA game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre on February 12, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Lakers added some much needed three-point shooting with the signing of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Tuesday evening, the Los Angeles Lakers finally made their splash into the free agent market by signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a one-year deal worth $18 million. This is a great addition for the Lakers, who had been rather silent in free agency up to this point, because of the length of the deal.

The Lakers knew going into this offseason they probably weren’t going to land a big name, unless they traded for Paul George, so they had to find solid role players who wouldn’t take away from the youth developing and didn’t want a long and expensive contract. KCP fits that role perfectly. He is a good shooter that can defend well and will spread the floor for Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram to drive and create.

Signing Caldwell-Pope for one year is mutually beneficial for both sides. For the Lakers, they now have a starting shooting guard that can get hot quickly like Nick Young did last season except not as much as a nuisance on the defensive end.

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Caldwell-Pope won’t get the crowd as excited as Nick Young used too but we can’t expect another personality like Swaggy P to grace our presence all the time. This will also allow Jordan Clarkson to come off the bench again and give more depth to this young Lakers roster.

The one-year deal benefits Caldwell-Pope because now he gets one year to play in Los Angeles where all the lights are on you and can show what he can do to other teams. In turn, it could enable him to sign bigger, longer contract somewhere else next offseason. Think of it as American Idol, Los Angeles Lakers Edition. You have one year to prove what you are worth to the NBA. Make an impact and get paid even more next year.

One thing to note about Caldwell-Pope, he, along with almost every player in the NBA nowadays, likes to shoot three’s. Last season on the Pistons, 47 percent of his field goal attempts came from long distance, via BasketballReference.com.

That is more than any player on our current roster and would have been second on last year’s team behind Nick Young. He only made 35 percent of those three’s last season, which will need to be higher this year to help this team succeed. That was also playing with a score-first point guard in Reggie Jackson.

Playing with a pass-first, pass-second, pass-third, shoot-fourth point guard like Lonzo Ball will help boost that percentage. Not only does Ball love finding open players, he loves creating shots for his teammates. Imagine playing with a guy who knows your open before you do, that is a shooter’s dream.

Another stat to consider is Caldwell-Pope’s shooting effect on the game. With the Pistons last season, he shot 42 percent in wins and an abysmal 29 percent in losses, via BasketballReference.com.

I imagine a similar trend happening in Los Angeles. If he shoots the ball well, he opens the floor for guys like Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Brook Lopez to operate. He is a perfect fit for the roster and can make an impact right away with this young and talented squad.

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Kentavious Caldwell-Pope completes the Lakers starting five and will help them be more than just the bottom feeders of the Western Conference. Ball, Caldwell-Pope, Ingram, Randle, and Lopez. That’s a lineup people will come watch. That is a lineup that can compete. The future is bright.

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