Nov 16, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott watches on from the sidelines during the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns defeated the Lakers 120-101. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
As Lakers losses pile up, Byron Scott’s coaching is still to blame
The Lakers lost another game Sunday night, this one to the Portland Trail Blazers 90 to 81. The team is about to embark on a stretch where ten of the next eleven games are on the road, so the losses are expected to continue. This record is not really a surprise given the number of young players on the roster and the overall lack of talent among the veterans, but the situation is exacerbated by the coaching staff which appears unable to see the forest through the trees.
It all comes down to making a firm decision on what the goal for this season should be and sticking with it. The coaching staff vacillates from day to day on this question. The fact is, the only mission should be to develop the young players so in the second half of the season, or next year, the team begins to show real, consistent signs of improvement. Instead, by their actions, the coaching staff is prioritizing wins versus losses this year, which is meaningless.
How else can one explain the decision to play Kobe Bryant, Lou Williams, Brandon Bass, Metta World Peace, and Nick Young so many minutes, while relegating Anthony Brown, Tarik Black, and Larry Nance, Jr. to the bench? How does one justify cutting Robert Upshaw and Jabari Brown while Robert Sacre remains on the roster, but does not even dress for games? The irony is, the Lakers won’t win any more games with the veterans taking the lead but Byron Scott thinks they will, which is troubling since he is the coach and thus in theory should know better.
The questionable decisions of the coaching staff were on full display in the recent game against the Trail Blazers. Here is a synopsis of the key mistakes the coaches made in that game which was a microcosm of the season so far.
Next: No. 1 Kobe's Playing Time
Nov 22, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) listens to the National Anthem before the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
1. Kobe Bryant’s Minutes
Bryant is now playing over 30 minutes a game on a regular basis and has logged over 35 minutes per contest in two of his last three outings. When the season began, limiting Bryant’s minutes was a key concern because otherwise it could might lead to a repeat of last year where Bryant was in and out of the line up with exhaustion and soreness until finally suffering a season-ending injury. The concern now is not for his health, but for the fact that he is playing so poorly that the more he is on the court the more it hurts the team.
Hoops Habit
Unfortunately, either Scott is the only one who does not see this or he is powerless to do anything about it.
Against the Trail Blazers, Bryant converted another dreadful six out of 22 shots, missing all five of his three-point attempts. He took 10 shots in the first quarter alone. Even worse, nearly every miss by Bryant led to a fast break basket for the opposing team. This is a large part of the reason that Portland had 18 fast-break points to the Lakers two.
This scenario has become a regular feature of every game. Scott apparently feels that Bryant playing more minutes will translate to more wins, but it should be clear by now that is not the case. Even if it were, playing Bryant more than 25 minutes a night inhibits the development of the younger players, which is the only thing the team should be concerned with right now.
Next: No. 2 The Offense As a Whole
Nov 22, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Julius Randle (30) drives to the basket past Portland Trail Blazers forward Maurice Harkless (4) in the first half of the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
2. No Cohesive Approach On Offense
While we hear more about defense than offense when it comes to the Lakers, the truth is the team is not scoring enough points to win. They tallied over 100 points in three of their first four games this season, but have achieved that mark only once in the past nine contests. While defense is important, the key to winning is to score more points than the opponent in the end.
Even the Golden State Warriors, with their vaunted defense, allow more than 100 points a night more often than one might think, it is just that they always score more than their opponent.
One reason for the lack of scoring is that there is absolutely no ball-movement. Every possession consists of bringing the ball into the front court, making a pass or maybe two, and the player who ends up with the ball in his hands goes one-on-one before throwing up a contested shot. In the Portland game, the visitors had 27 assists to the Lakers’ 17.
It’s a stark contrast to the way most opposing teams play offense, where the ball whips around the perimeter until it finds an open man or a guard attacks the rim and kicks to an open player on the perimeter for an uncontested outside shot. This is how Portland played, and they ended up shooting 49 percent to the Lakers’ 36 percent.
The coaching staff must accept a big share of the responsibility for the fact that there are few (or no) set plays, and the fact that there is no ball movement. Presumably the players will listen to what the coaches are teaching, so one can only conclude that this coaching staff does not know how modern basketball is played on the offensive end of the court.
Next: No. 3 Brandon Bass at the Five
October 22, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Bass (2) attempts a shot against the defense of Golden State Warriors center Marreese Speights (5) during the second half at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
3. Brandon Bass At Center
When will Scott realize what the fans already know: that the Lakers cannot play with Bass at center. Whenever Roy Hibbert goes to the bench, the lane opens up and the result is lay-up after lay-up for the opposing team. As a result, the second unit is ineffective and becoming more so with every contest.
Watching Ed Davis play well for Portland left Laker fans with a sick feeling, knowing that Davis, at 26 years old, signed a team-friendly contract with the Trail Blazers and would have been an ideal backup for Hibbert this season in Los Angeles. Instead, the Lakers are left with Bass, even if he isn’t their best option to back up Hibbert.
Scott refuses to give the younger center on the roster, Tarik Black, a real opportunity to play. Instead, he sticks with the veteran Bass who will not be a part of any Lakers’ future success. At key moments against Portland, Scott had four guards and Bass on the court for a long stretch. The results were predictably disastrous.
Next: No. 4 Hibbert's Lack of Fourth Quarter Role
Oct 30, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Roy Hibbert (17) talks to guard Kobe Bryant (24) against the Sacramento Kings in the third quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Kings won 132-114. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
4. Hibbert on the Bench in the Fourth Quarter
In a move that is nothing short of mystifying, in recent games Scott has been playing Bass the entire fourth quarter while keeping Hibbert on the bench. If getting stops is important down the stretch, does it make any sense to keep your best defender on the bench? What exactly is it that Bass will contribute that Hibbert won’t?
Hibbert has been playing well. He is blocking and altering shots. While he is not an offensive juggernaut, though he works hard on offense and is great at the free throw line. It is not his fault that the game plan does not involve working the ball inside to him in the post. Plus, he’s a far better defender than Bass.
The Lakers are better with Hibbert in the game no matter what lineup the opposing team is using, so why has he been on the bench for entire stretches of the fourth quarter in recent games? This is another inexplicable move by the coaching staff.
Next: No. 5 Young Players on the Bench
Nov 3, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Will Barton (5) dunks the ball against Los Angeles Lakers center Tarik Black (28) and forward Brandon Bass (2) as Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) watches at Staples Center. The Nuggets defeated the Lakers 120-109. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
5. Nance, Black, and Brown on the Bench
Larry Nance, Jr. now finds himself out of the rotation entirely, alongside Black and Anthony Brown. Instead, Scott is going with Lou Williams, Nick Young, and Bass. When Scott is asked about this, his answer is, “We want to win.” Does he really believe that playing Williams, Young, and Bass – three career journeymen – is going to lead to more victories? How has it worked out so far?
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Williams is competing with Bryant nightly for most inefficient player on the team, if not in the entire league. Young has been better than last year, but he is not a consistent contributor. And Bass, as noted previously, is contributing little in the role he has been handed. Yet the coaching staff sticks with both of them, but for what reason?
No one knows if Nance, Brown, and Black have an NBA future, but we do know that Williams, Young, and Bass aren’t the answer if the team hopes to have a brighter future so why not give the others a chance to see what they can do? If the team has been patient with D’Angelo Russell, why not show that same patience with the other young players? Black played a bit earlier in the season, but was yanked out of the rotation and has not returned since. Brown has been given no chance at all. Nance had some strong outings, but regressed in two or three games and now he is on the bench full-time.
Next: No. 6 The Small Forward Position
Nov 16, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Nick Young (0) reacts while walking up the court in first half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
6. Metta World Peace and Nick Young At Small Forward
The way Anthony Brown has been handled in terms of playing time has been troubling. He is a rookie, and he has a lot he can improve on, but Brown can shoot and play defense, two skills the Lakers can desperately use right now. Other than Jordan Clarkson, no one has consistently made outside shots this year. If given a chance, could Brown do any worse than Bryant or Williams? The answer is no, and there is every reason to believe he can do better.
That Brown is sitting while 36-year-old World Peace and Swaggy P are getting all the minutes behind Bryant, is crazy. World Peace has had some good moments and is a good teammate, but his age is already starting to show and he is only going to fade more as time goes on. Young is a streaky shooter who, at age 30, is never going to be a key player on a good team.
The young players on the roster such as Brown and Nance need to play. The Lakers are not going to win in the short term, no matter what. It’s criminal that the coaching staff is not prioritizing the development of the Lakers’ young talent in an otherwise lost season.
Next: No. 7 Fourth Quarter Minutes
Nov 16, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Louis Williams (23) reacts on the court in the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns defeated the Lakers 120-101. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
7. Too Much Bryant, Williams, and Young in the Fourth Quarter
The silver lining, if there is one, is that Clarkson, Julius Randle, and Russell are starting to play better both individually and as a trio. Russell, who has been especially maligned, is starting to make plays and hit shots, and is showing more aggressiveness and confidence. Randle is a beast waiting to be unleashed and, just by looking at him, there is a sense that he is going to be a force when he finally puts it together. As for Clarkson, he continues to improve and is the best all-around player on the team right now.
But these young guys cannot get the experience they need with Bryant, Williams, and Young on the court. For one thing, this trio of veterans shoots too much and they are not making their shots. Bryant and Williams are not playing at an NBA level, and Young, though behaving himself this year, is as streaky as ever on offense and is not the consistent scoring threat the team needs.
Next: Lakers' Week 4 Reaction GIF Report Card
Clarkson, Randle, and Russell, must learn to play together and win games down the stretch when the team is close. This simply will not happen with Bryant and Williams on the floor, both playing big minutes.