Los Angeles Lakers: 3 standouts vs New Orleans Pelicans
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope did not play in the first two games of the season as he served a two-game suspension for a DUI incident. So, he made his Lakers debut tonight in front of the fans at the STAPLES Center and it went very well.
Caldwell-Pope adds a scoring punch to the Lakers starting lineup and it showed. Caldwell-Pope led the starters with 20 points scored, showing off his offensive versatility. He was known as mostly a three-point shooter with the Detroit Pistons but showed a lot more in his first game with the Lakers.
Caldwell-Pope shot 7-of-11 from the field, including 2-of-4 from beyond the three-point line. He scored 20 points in the game, adding two rebounds, one assist, two steals and one block, providing a little bit of everything for the Lakers.
The Lakers desperately need the scoring punch that Caldwell-Pope can provide in the starting lineup. Lonzo Ball is talented, but should not be counted on to be a go-to scorer. Brandon Ingram has not shown enough consistency, leaving Brook Lopez as the only consistent source of offense.
The Lakers are hoping Caldwell-Pope can provide some offensive consistency along with Lopez. He if can perform similarly to how he did against the Pelicans they will be very happy.