Los Angeles Lakers: Five positive takeaways from loss to the Pelicans

Lakers light it up from deep

Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led the Lakers strong performance from deep last night. After shooting an abysmal 8-33 (24.2 percent) from deep in a loss to the Pacers, the Lakers found their rhythm from deep. KCP led this resurgence, quickly establishing his shot against the Pelicans. He started off 4/4 from deep in the opening minutes of the first quarter.

KCP has improved his 3-point shooting after a slow start to the season. According to ESPN, KCP is shooting 47.8 percent from deep for the month of March. This is a drastic improvement from the 29 percent he posted from deep in December. KCP is known as a premier three-and-D player in the league, and his reliability from deep as of late has helped him renew that reputation.

The Lakers ended up shooting 17-39 from deep, an efficient 43.6 percent. KCP tied a career high with eight made 3-pointers last night, along with solid performances by Kuzma, Brook Lopez and Travis Wear from deep. All of these players shot 50 percent or better from distance. This allowed their offense to space the floor for players like Julius Randle to attack the paint more efficiently.

If not for Lonzo shooting 1-12, the Lakers would have had a terrific percentage from deep. Their 17 made 3-pointers tied a team season high for made 3’s in a game. Despite poor defense, the Lakers 3-point shooting kept them in the game against the Pelicans. Hopefully, they can continue their hot shooting in their upcoming games.

KCP had another quality outing last night, showing his consistency. Though, he’s not the only Laker who has proved consistent in the past few games.