Los Angeles Lakers: 4 Lessons from last-second loss to Sacramento Kings

Frank Vogel is killing the Los Angeles Lakers with his rotations, among other things!

When Frank Vogel was hired (As the third choice!) of the Los Angeles Lakers, there were more than a few eyebrows raised. After he was let go in Indiana, he had a rough tenure in Orlando. The Lakers provided him with an excellent staff and two sure-fire Hall of Famers to work with and Vogel led the Lakers to an NBA title. That was with healthy stars and any luck that any championship team would have.

This year is where Frank Vogel has to put in the work. LeBron James shouldn’t have to play heavy minutes and there is the challenge of Anthony Davis being out. Rob Pelinka has provided enough talent for the coaches to work with. It’s on Frank Vogel and crew to find the right combinations on each given night.

The Montrezl Harrell adjustment worked obviously, but there are other problems that were exposed in this game that has Lake Show Life asking questions.

Wasn’t Frank Vogel known as a defensive coach?

Look, it is already established that the Lakers were missing multiple starters in LeBron James, Alex Caruso, Marc Gasol and Anthony Davis. All in some way affect the defensive efficiency of this team. Now let’s put that aside and take a look at most of the defensive breakdowns of the Los Angeles Lakers that led to easy baskets and dunks.

https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings/status/1367351847040786437

Now let’s look at the cast of characters that were out there that did little to nothing to help the Lakers cause in this game.

Wesley Matthews Jr:

Understanding the frustration of Matthews getting playing time at this point is the motivation here. Where is it? There were quite a few plays in the last quarter of the Phoenix game and this one where teams tried to run their offense through who Matthews is guarding. Eventually, the defense breaks down and there were a couple of Marvin Bagley III dunks in the video.

His defense has slipped badly. But what is worse than Wesley’s defense? His offense. He has not scored a point in about a week and a half. This is no exaggeration. It’s the truth.

The stats…0 points (0-2 shooting!), 1 rebound, 2 assists and a steal in 16 minutes. He had a plus/minus of -12. The low point, Wesley had a wide-open layup at the rim and passed it out!

Jared Dudley: 

It’s very nice that Jared Dudley is liked in the locker room. It’s good that he is a mentor to numerous players (Most notably Kyle Kuzma!) on the roster. But that should add up to spot duty and not 14 minutes in the rotation. Sure he had an important steal against the Suns and followed up with one in this game, but this is not the time to dole out minutes to him. Sorry.

The stats: 0 points, (Did not shoot!), 3 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. He had a plus-minus of -11.

But for the Lakers faithful that wants to see options, Lake Show Life is here for you. There are two players off the top that can take these two players minutes.

Alfonzo McKinnie:

Readers have been wondering all season long why McKinnie does not at least get an opportunity on the floor to see what he can do. This had been going on before Damian Jones was even signed. For those that were begging for a look, here you go!

McKinnie scored 11 points (4-6 shooting!) with 2 rebounds and a steal. But what you saw in his highlight was hustle and energy. You see him not watching the ball on the perimeter but attacking the basket to make things happen. Frank Vogel claims he may find minutes for Alfonzo but Lake Show Life will believe it when it happens.

Devontae Cacok:

This guy is 6’7 240 pounds of speed and strength. Every time he touches the floor he makes an impact. Feel free to give this guy some minutes. AD will be out for a while and no one knows when Gasol will be back. Even if they come back eventually, Dudley and Matthews’ minutes will suffice for now.

Lake Show Life has extended its post-game coverage this season! There will be short post-game reports shortly after the game in addition to the extended post-game of Lake Show Life Lessons! 

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