Should the Lakers give Kentavious Caldwell-Pope a high-priced contract?
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope vs. similar players
Let’s compare Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and his salary versus other reserve players with a similar role throughout the 2020 season.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope averaged 9 points per game while shooting 39 percent from deep. He had a 110 defensive rating and was ranked 109 in ESPN’s defensive real plus-minus (-1.30). KCP’s 2020 salary was $8 million.
KCP’s regular-season defensive metrics do not come with the same “noise” disclaimer that his postseason metrics hold. Caldwell-Pope spent most of his time during the regular season guarding opposing squads reserve wings, a task that shouldn’t have been difficult for the former Piston.
- 10.1 points per game
- 34 three-point percentage
- 111 defensive rating
- 60 out of 100 small forwards in ESPN’s defensive real plus-minus(-0.58)
- 2020 salary: $2 million
- 10.3 points per game
- 40 three-point percentage
- 116 defensive rating
- 104 out of 138 small forwards in ESPN’s defensive real plus-minus (-123)
- 2020 salary: $7 million
- 10.1 points per game
- 40 three-point percentage
- 113 defensive rating
- 97 out of 100 small forwards in ESPN’s defensive real plus-minus (-2.60)
- 2020 salary: $2 million
- 10 points per game
- 39 three-point percentage
- 110 defensive rating
- 7 out of 95 point guards in ESPN’s defensive real plus-minus (1.76)
- 2020 salary: $2.5 million
Josh Hart, Langston Galloway, Ben McLemore, and Aaron Holiday all played a similar bench role as KCP last season for their respective clubs. Except for Aaron Holiday, none of them was a plus defender, and they all shot well from beyond the arc.
The most significant difference between these athletes was that the Lakers paid KCP more than all of them last season. Now he wants a raise.
Do KCP’s solid defensive play and clutch three-point shooting warrant a hefty pay increase?