On the day when ESPN ranked Kobe Bryant the 40th best player, the Lakers face a Utah Jazz team who has not lost in the pre-season. The Lakers, having lost twice, are not close to a finished product. Byron Scott admits the Lakers need time together to “gel”. The only problem with that explanation is that the players he is depending on are sitting in suits. Steve Nash is injured (again). Ryan Kelly, a valued three point shooter, has not played in the pre-season. Neither has Xavier Henry, another offensive player who is coming off of injuries. Jeremy Lin has been out with a sprained ankle. So that leaves a starting backcourt tonight of Ronnie Price and Kobe Bryant- the 40th best player.
Oct 6, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) and Denver Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw (left) share a laugh with a referee during the first half at Valley View Casino Center. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
The Jazz are going for the Pre-Season Championship. They are undefeated. They have nice size inside with Enes Kanter, Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert who had a strong showing in the World Cup this summer. The Jazz wing players- Gordon Hayward, who earlier confessed his ability to beat Lebron James one-on-one, Trey Burke and Dante Exum, have good quickness. The Jazz are shooting 42% from three this pre-season, a definite weakness of the Lakers who have allowed opponents to shoot 48%. Other Lakers numbers are dismal as well. They give up 50% shooting, 9 offensive rebounds, 7 steals and 7 blocked shots.
The Lakers offense can only be described as Kobe and…what? They are shooting 25% from three and 42% overall. Their ball movement is non-existent. They average 22 assists a game mostly because they had 29 assists against Denver in pre-season game number one. In their last game against Golden State, the Lakers had 17 assists and were very easy to defend. Double Kobe and then wait for a missed shot, a steal, a turnover.
With Kobe in the backcourt alongside Ronnie Price, a journeyman NBA player, expect him to initiate the offense. The Jazz average 4 blocks a game so beware Carlos Boozer and the death of athleticism. The Jazz also average 8 steals so the Lakers defensive transition game will be tested. The Jazz only put up 80 shots a game; they are not a bunch of fast paced Ferrari’s racing down the court.
Byron Scott plans to play Ed Davis a lot which will give a good indication of what his ceiling is. Already he has been the Lakers best big man this pre-season. But can he handle the physically dominant Derrick Favors or the offensively skilled Enes Kanter or the hyper athleticism of Rudy Gobert?
Dante Exum vs. Julius Randle is an interesting side note. Who will have the better rookie season?
Although it seems like pre-season has been going on forever, this is just game 4, the halfway point for the Lakers and their 40th best player in the NBA.