Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope looks to be turning a corner this weekend with two of his better performances of the season.
The Los Angeles Lakers are playing their best basketball of the season. After defeating the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday evening, the team is riding a season-high three-game winning streak. They have won five of their last six games, getting over. the .500 mark for the first time this season.
A big reason that the Lakers are beginning to turn things around is that their defense has picked up. Also, players are beginning to settle into their roles and get more comfortable with each other. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is one player that looks to be turning the corner.
Caldwell-Pope began the season as the Lakers’ shooting guard. It was the same position he held last season when he had a career season. However, things started out slowly for him last season and the same has happened in 2018-19.
Last season, Caldwell-Pope dealt with off-court issues. He was suspended the first two games of the season and spent time in jail as well. After the off-court issues were resolved, he really stepped things up.
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This season, Caldwell-Pope started the season cold. He could not buy a basket and fans patience was tested. He lasted only three games in the starting lineup before being replaced by Josh Hart.
At first, the move didn’t seem to help. Caldwell-Pope saw his minutes decrease as his production remained limited. However, during the back-to-back set this weekend, Caldwell-Pope has begun turning things around.
Caldwell-Pope had two of his best games of the season against the Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks. Neither of those teams presents the stiffest competition defensively, but you have to start somewhere, and this could be where Caldwell-Pope gets his season turned around.
In the two games, Caldwell-Pope shot 8-of-18 from the field overall, knocking down 5-of-11 from the 3-point line. He scored 22 total points in 34 minutes, adding four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Last season, that was a game’s worth of production for Caldwell-Pope. He was seeing more minutes and more plays drawn up for him offensively. This season, he has had to adjust to a more crowded backcourt and fewer chances offensively. Not only was he in direct competition with Hart, Lance Stephenson and Rajon Rondo have also eaten into his playing time.
Despite the crowded backcourt, Caldwell-Pope still has a role on this team. He is one of the better perimeter defenders on the team, and despite his poor shooting thus far, he is one of their best 3-point shooters as well.
On paper, Caldwell-Pope was a great fit for the Lakers given his skill set. He has not consistently shown that thus far this season, but this weekend was a glimpse of what he can provide.
As he gets more accustomed to his role off the bench, he should begin to produce more. Much like last season, Caldwell-Pope settled in after a rough start. Hopefully, this weekend was the beginning of that for him during the 2018-19 season.