After a horrid start to the season, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is shooting the lights out, helping the Los Angeles Lakers on offense and defense.
Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had a dreadful start to the 2019-20 season. In the first two games of the season, he played an average of 24 minutes per night and scored one point. He was 0-for-9 from the field, and 0-for-4 from 3-point range.
The first 11 games of the season KCP shot 24-of-67 from the field overall and 5-of-22 on 3-pointers. His shooting splits after those 11 games were .358/.227/.714. He was simply struggling and Lakers fans everywhere grew frustrated with his play.
He even became a Twitter sensation for an airball layup he had vs the Heat here. He was roasted daily for his play on social media. Many fans were ready to see him traded after December 15th if he would waive his no-trade clause.
He seemed to have no confidence in anything in his game for the first 11-game stretch. His shot struggled, his defense wasn’t far behind it and he didn’t provide much more outside of that. But, one thing the Lakers did was believe in him, especially LeBron James as mentioned here.
Caldwell-Pope has played in nine games since his terrible stretch of basketball. His stats have greatly improved since then and he is displaying newfound confidence in his shot. He is shooting 40-of-79 from the field over his last nine games and 18-of-35 from 3-point land, good for a .506/.514/.818 shooting split.
Those numbers are not sustainable over an entire year, but his confidence is through the roof and he is turning a disaster start into one of the most efficient seasons of his career. Advanced stats grades KCP out as having a 109.8 offensive rating and a 104.7 defensive rating.
His net rating of 5.1 is the highest of his career. The offensive rating is the highest of his career and the defensive rating, minus his rookie season is the second-lowest of his career. His eFG% is second-best of his career and TS% is third best. He is putting up effective lines across the board and it’s helping his team win games.
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The field goal percentage and 3-point percentage are both career highs. James is simply finding him in his comfort spots and he is finding a rhythm early in games. There is no better player in the league at pocket passes then James and he will continue to get Caldwell-Pope good looks.
LeBron James is most effective when he has 3-point shooters to open up the floor. This allows him and Anthony Davis more room to operate inside. Danny Green and KCP being able to knock down the 3-point ball have been a major key to this offense clicking.
KCP has not only done it in the first through third quarters, but he is also hitting big shots down the stretch which is huge for the offense. Here the Lakers are clinging to a two-point lead vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC is on a 10-0 run and KCP hits the dagger 3-pointer off a back tap by James.
He has honed in on defense and allowed that to kickstart his offense. He is taking on any challenge guarding guys. The defense he is playing has been magnificent during this run and he is switching on guys and taking on big responsibilities such as this play.
It’s a breath of fresh air for Lakers fans and his willingness to battle through adversity is good to see. The Lakers will need KCP and his experience come playoff time. Hopefully, this stretch is the start of something good for him and the team.