Los Angeles Lakers: 4 Lessons in Ingram/Zion beatdown against Pelicans

The Los Angeles Lakers closed out a short two-game road trip in facing the Pelicans with Zion Williamson and former Lakers, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and Lonzo Ball. It wasn’t pretty.

Lake Show Life breaks down what else happened in Lake Show Life Lessons! The only Los Angeles Lakers extended post-game report with in-depth analysis and highlights. 

Rob Pelinka is now the most important employee associated with the Los Angeles Lakers until Thursday. The roster needs help and this statement by Kyle Kuzma to Lakers reporter Mike Trudell says it all.

"“This team was constructed playing off LeBron and Anthony Davis.”"

Maybe that’s why Brandon Ingram dominated him all night long. Ingram weighed in on his “motivation” via ESPN.

"“Going against those guys again is always fun because we kind of got drafted around the same time and we were all coming up trying to battle against each other, just trying to be better than each other,” “Of course, I’m a competitor. So, I wanted to go back to some of those old days of just us going at it in practice, I just tried to get the best of him.”"

Well, the Lakers are sure playing like they can’t function without LeBron and AD. After a gutsy effort in a loss to the Phoenix Suns, Tuesday night’s debacle will be a possible preview of life without LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Thursday may define the rest of the season for the Los Angeles Lakers. But for now…

• The Lakers have lost three straight games with a 128-111 defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans in a game where the deficit was as high as 30+.
• The Lakers made 18 shots from distance which tied for the second-best mark of the season. The percentage of 48.6 percent ranked fifth-best. But they still got blown out.
• The Lake Show tried to start a unique small ball lineup against the Pelicans frontline and New Orleans opened the game with five straight made shots. That’s WHY they got blown out. 

Not only do they face the 76ers who own their best record since 2000-01 when Allen Iverson took them to the NBA Finals, but Lakers Nation will be watching roster changes.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst had a report on the latest episode of his podcast, “Brian Windhorst and The Hoop Collective”…

"“One note on the buyout guys … The league believes, and I know that that’s a vague statement, but I’m saying it that way to avoid trapping myself, but the league believes, numerous teams that I’ve talked to believe that Andre Drummond is heading for the Lakers if/when he gets bought out. And there is a growing belief that the leader for LaMarcus Aldridge is the Heat… I know that the L.A. teams have interest in LaMarcus too, and depending on the way things go, that could end up being the case, but multiple people I talk to in the league with multiple teams seem to think that’s a possibility.”"

If the Los Angeles Lakers don’t land one of these two players, Lake Show Life has some advice…

Pray.

Please stay tuned for Lake Show Life’s tribute to Mr. Elgin Baylor at the end of this report. It’s a must read and to the young Lakers fans that get caught up in GOAT conversations, the staff would like you to learn about a man who did things that is basically “The Greatest of All Time!!”

To the new Los Angeles Lakers fans that are checking us out for the first time, welcome to Lake Show Life Lessons. Our extended post-game report with video analysis will cover the progress for the Los Angeles Lakers the entire season!

Over the next several pages we will provide highlights of certain players and coaches. Afterward, the comment section is loaded with knowledgeable fans adding their basketball knowledge. We usually start with the stars.

Let’s get to Lesson One to find out who!

Wesley Matthews might have been the best shooter for the Los Angeles Lakers!

Hopefully, ESPN will allow Lake Show Life to steal the 30 for 30 concept for one report! (Cue the music!)…

What if I told you that Wesley Matthews was the Los Angeles Lakers’ best 3 point shooter in this game?!

Look, don’t go to the box scores and comment that Kyle Kuzma had more 3 point shots made than Matthews or Alex Caruso shot a better percentage. The game was over and the Lakers were down by 30 points. This is what we call “Looting in a riot”. The shots came when it didn’t matter.

Yes, Los Angeles Lakers fans, Wesley Matthews that scored 3 points in a six-game span with multiple games with zero points (Checking notes…including the last game!) hit his first three shots from distance.

Wesley’s shooting got the Lakers off to a good start in the first quarter. Why he only played 8 minutes in the first half is a mystery, especially when the rest of the roster shot 3-15.

Then just like in the Atlanta game on Saturday, Frank Vogel didn’t notice the hot hand, sat him down for a long period of time and Matthews cooled off. He finished with 14 points on 5-9 shooting.

This is starting to look more like a coaching issue more than Wesley’s poor play. 74 percent of Wesley Matthews’s shots this season are from behind the 3 point line. It’s not fair to park the man 25 feet from the basket expecting him to get hot (Which is hard enough!) and then sit him down 30-45 minutes in real time on the bench and expect him to shoot well.

If the Lakers trade Wes on Thursday, he should be thrilled to play under a coach that will put him in a position to succeed.

Frank Vogel has failed to use Matthews correctly.

Lake Show Life is a basketball website first. If the visiting players dominate the Lakers, they get some shine. We call it the “Limo” segment. The next page belongs to two players that sent the limousine just so the Lakers could get there safely so they could get their numbers!

Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson sent limos for the Los Angeles Lakers!

They say a picture says a thousand words. Lake Show life has some thoughts on what this conversation is all about. Which caption is your favorite?

• Man…things are really hard without LeBron in the lineup.
• Anthony Davis was really a good defensive player. We sure could use him being down 30!
• When are we going to get a decent replacement for Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee?
• Can you believe Josh Hart got 15 rebounds in this game?
• HELP!!!! Somebody HELP!!!!!
• Man that Zion dude…
• So we traded Brandon Ingram for Anthony Davis huh? (All the while thinking…Could it have been Kyle Kuzma?).

Brandon Ingram stole the show and just embarrassed the Lakers. Time to call it like it is. It’s not a mistake that he was included in the Anthony Davis trade because he was the centerpiece in the deal and the Pelicans weren’t going to deal without him. However, it’s going to be a rough couple of days for the only surviving member of the “Young Core” in Kyle Kuzma.

Get used to the…“Why didn’t we trade Kyle Kuzma to New Orleans instead of BI” chants for the next 48 hours.

Brandon Ingram:

Man Brandon Ingram gave the Lakers the business.

Brandon Ingram scored 36 points (14-21 shooting… 4-6 shooting from 3 point land!) with 3 rebounds and 4 assists. He took this game personal and made his former team pay. This is exactly what Anthony Davis did to his old team seemingly every time he faced the Pels.

But what he did outplaying Kyle Kuzma was the story. They will always be linked and the debate of who the better player is will be an ongoing discussion for years. Kuzma got knocked out in this round.

Zion Williamson:

The Los Angeles Lakers got bullied by everyone on the Pelicans frontline. But to watch Zion Williamson work them over put the Lake Show Life staff in shock…seriously.

Zion had an absurd +25 plus/minus ratio and collected 27points (9-13 shooting!), 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. The Lakers tried to bait (Also read: Pray!) Zion into shooting jumpers and he just wouldn’t do it. He just attacked the basket and if he didn’t score, he got to the free throw line. Then he shot 9-10 from there.

Zion Williamson now has 21 straight 20-point games, passing Luka Doncic and LeBron James for the most consecutive 20-point games before turning 21 in NBA history. His shooting efficiency is off the charts at 18-26 from the field in the last two games.

Brandon Ingram had the rhythm and Zion Williamson had the power.

With the lineup concepts Frank Vogel is trying to employ, Lake Show Life was wondering if Mike D’Antoni was the coach and Daryl Morey was the GM. What’s with the “Micro Ball” lineups? Read on…

The Los Angeles Lakers are using the “Micro Ball” lineup. Were James Harden and Russell Westbrook traded to the Lakers? 

Devontae Cacock is a cool player that the Lake Show Life Lessons staff roots for. He plays hard and deserves minutes on the floor.

There is this fun game on social media called the #RickPitino game. It really funny. It stems from Pitino’s rant when the Boston Celtics were mired in a losing streak in 2000.

Understand that AD, Marc Gasol, Dwight Howard, JaVale McGee, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Wilt Chamberlain, George Mikan were not walking on the floor to play the Pelicans on Tuesday night. Instead the Los Angeles Lakers started Devontae Cacok. Let’s look at the resume shall we?.

• He’s an undrafted player two-way from UNC-Wilmington.
• Never started an NBA game.
• Two way contracted player.
• A portfolio of DNP-CDs with season averages of 2 points and 1.4 rebounds.

Well he matched his average in 10 seconds.

But this is not about Cacock. He was put in a position where he couldn’t succeed. Bottom line, this “Micro Ball” lineup is no more ridiculous to implement without James Harden than the “Triangle” offense without Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. The Lakers don’t have the personnel to make this work.

The Los Angeles Lakers were too small to deal with the Pelicans. Steven Adams did not miss a shot and his backup, Jaxson Hayes overpowered the Lake Show as well. With the New Orleans big men dominating the front line of the Lakers, it opened up lanes for Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram to well…we won’t relive that discussion again.

Don’t look for Marc Gasol to play on Thursday against the Sixers because he is grossly out of shape. (Did anyone really think he was in shape to start the season?). If you thought this game was rough, just think about when Dwight Howard mans the middle with the same attitude as Brandon Ingram.

Lake Show Life ends this Lessons piece with a history lesson that needs to be read. Lake Show Life gives the spotlight to Elgin Baylor…here we go.

Lake Show Life says goodbye to a Los Angeles Lakers legend…Mr. Elgin Baylor!

This Los Angeles Lakers website, Lake Show Life is one, if not the, top basketball site on the FanSided network. This site has smashed all-time records for viewership in the NBA Division’s history. Why? LeBron James. He’s considered the best player in the world and easily the most recognizable.

But what if there was no Lake Show Life? What if there was no Los Angeles Lakers?  

Did you know that Elgin Baylor actually saved the Lakers franchise from bankruptcy when they were in Minneapolis? See after George Mikan’s retired in 1955 after the Lakers became the first NBA dynasty, three consecutive losing seasons almost closed the franchise doors for good.

Baylor being taken as the number one pick by the Lakers in 1958 was their only saving grace. If he does not show up according to then owner Bob Short…

"“If he had turned me down then, I would have been out of business. The club would have gone bankrupt”."

His star power was key for the franchise’s transition to Los Angeles.

Here’s a more hip NBA history lesson about Mr. Baylor told by Josiah Johnson.

Mr. Elgin Baylor is not the GOAT. See, that is not enough substance for this man. He was the starting lineage point for the style of athletic play that’s been seen for the last six decades. It starts with him and the legends always say so. With his influence, the blueprint for the high flying, athletic wings has been set for multiple generations whether it be past or future.

• Elgin Baylor influenced “The Hawk” Connie Hawkins and Dr. J Julius Erving.
• Julius Erving influenced Michael Jordan.
• Michael Jordan influenced Kobe Bryant. 
• Kobe Bryant influenced LeBron James.

Like Lake Show Life always says…Film don’t lie. Let the Lakers legends tell how great this man was courtesy of Jeanie Buss.

Elgin Baylor’s career stats:

• He is only one of two players in the history of the NBA to attain averages of 27.4 points and 13.5 rebounds. The other? Wilt Chamberlain.
• In 1960-61, he averaged 34.8 points and 19.8 rebounds.
  In 1961-62 he finished with 38.3 points and 18.6 rebounds per game.
• The media can’t go 24 hours without discussing LeBron James’ stats in his 18th year. How about Baylor averaging at least 24 points and 10 rebounds in 11 of his first 12 seasons before knee troubles slowed his career?
• He was the first person to score 70 in an NBA game, and it took Chamberlain to break Baylor’s record.
• He set the NBA Playoff scoring record at 61 points. It took Michael Jordan’s 63 to break that record.

Finally, remember the Players Union that is always in the news around CBA negotiating time? Oh Elgin Baylor helped spearhead that too.

MORE: A personal letter to Elgin Baylor

At the 1964 All-Star game at the old Boston Garden, the players, led by Baylor, Jerry West and Oscar Robertson threatened to back out a few hours before tip-off unless they were recognized as a union. Despite numerous threats to careers, they ended up being recognized as a union as well as…

• A pension plan.
• Athletic trainers on every team.
• Improved playing conditions 
• No more Sunday afternoon games after Saturday night games.

The NBA world owes a huge debt of gratitude to Elgin Baylor and Lake Show Life is at the top of the list. Why?

If not for Mr. Baylor, neither the Los Angeles Lakers nor this website would exist today.

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! 

More championship coverage for championship fans.