Los Angeles Lakers: 7 questions for upcoming Mavericks doubleheader

The Los Angeles Lakers need to win these two games for a shot at home-court advantage in the first round.

Most Los Angeles Lakers fans did not envision their first-round matchup being a Western Conference Finals rematch with the Denver Nuggets.

Especially with the Lakers not having home-court advantage. Nevertheless, if the season were to end today, the Lakers are set to be the fifth seed in the playoffs, currently at 2.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets and 2 games ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers with 14 games left to play.

If the Lakers win both games, they have a chance to jump Denver. If not, it’s a wrap on home court advantage in the first round. So these two games against the Dallas Mavericks are especially important for the Lakers.

Seven questions for the Los Angeles Lakers against Dallas Mavericks:

Question #1: How many minutes will Anthony Davis play?

Finally! Anthony Davis is back!

But please, Lakers fans, pump the brakes: do not expect AD to play more than 30 minutes per game in any of the remaining regular-season games.

It’s not worth it! Serious injuries occur mainly when players’ body mechanics break down due to poor conditioning and/or rushing back from an unrelated leg injury. There is a lot of pressure on the Achilles, foot, and ankle muscles to land perfectly every single time when jumping high for a layup, rebound, or blocked shot.

Here are two prime examples of how NBA stars tore their Achilles:

• Kobe Bryant’s torn Achilles during 2012-13 regular season (in which he averaged about 40 minutes per game prior to the injury)
• Kevin Durant’s torn Achilles during Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals (when he returned from a serious calf injury)

Injuries happen on the basketball court. It is what it is.

As for the games against Dallas, AD can get to the rim at will against Dallas forwards Dorian Finney-Smith and Maxi Kleber. He needs to attack the basket and not settle for midrange shots.

Question #2: Can Dennis Schroder just get to the point?   

Dennis Schroder wants to play like a superstar (and get paid like one). Schroder often falls into the trap of trying to play like superstars such as James Harden or Kyrie Irving.

Schroder is obviously not as skilled as Harden or Irving.

But why does he need to be if he is this quick? Utah’s Royce O’Neale was two steps behind him and Schroder still beat him to the basket.

Schroder has the quickness that neither Irving nor Harden possesses. Even if Schroder wants to be paid like a superstar this offseason, whether it is with the Lakers or elsewhere, it is okay for him to look like a role player when attacking the basket.

Just get to the point, Dennis.

Question #3: Which Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will show up in Dallas? 

Unfortunately, the “C” in KCP does not stand for consistency. The Lakers have no idea which KCP they are getting from game to game.

Should the Lakers expect KCP to score 2 points in 23 minutes as he did against the Boston Celtics last Thursday? Or should they expect him to score 25 points in 41 minutes as he did against the Utah Jazz last Saturday?

At some point, the Lakers need to know.

KCP won’t lose his starting spot this season. But next offseason, he will end up being trade fodder like Danny Green if his inconsistency continues to hurt the Lakers.

Speaking of KCP’s potential replacement in the starting lineup next season…

Question #4: Will Talen Horton-Tucker’s help defense be helpful?

Talen Horton-Tucker’s poor help defense is costing him minutes!

Case in point: Jaylen Brown took advantage of THT’s overtly aggressive help defense here (to be fair, Brown scored 40 points in that game) to get an easy dunk off a backdoor cut.

THT’s steals and deflections look good when they happen. But when he tries to go hunting for steals, his man often burns him for easy dunks and wide-open shots on defense.

MORE: What Talen Horton-Tucker needs to improve to be an all-star for the Los Angeles Lakers

Against Dallas, Luka Doncic will try to juke him out of his shoes. Look at how THT defends the weak-side corner to see if he has progressed in his help defense. If he resists Luka’s mind games, then he will earn more minutes down the stretch.

Question #5: Who on the Lakers will step up to guard Dallas’ star Luka Doncic?  

For some reason, Luka Doncic has been more frustrated than usual this season. Luka has had 13 technical fouls to date (only Dwight Howard has more) and he has appeared visibly agitated at times on the court.

Luka is still an amazing player, a triple-double machine who can singlehandedly control games with his otherworldly basketball IQ. But when he gets up in his own feelings, he can be especially susceptible to turnovers (4.3 per game) and defensive lapses (too many to count).

Who on the Los Angeles Lakers can pressure Luka? These four Lakers guards come to mind, and have traits that can make each player excellent choices to defend him:

• Dennis Schroder – his quickness and in-your-face demeanor
• Alex Caruso – his relentlessness and his low-key strength
• Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – his veteran savvy and rock-solid positioning
• Talen Horton-Tucker – his stout frame and massive wingspan

Yes, Lakers Coach Frank Vogel has plenty of viable options to guard Luka. Look for Coach Vogel to not change up his game plan at all because the Lakers defense is already elite.

Question #6: How can the Lakers exploit Dallas’ Kristaps Porzingis on offense? 

Kristaps Porzingis is one of the worst defenders in the NBA. The eye test confirms what the stats say: Porzingis is a defensive liability for the Dallas Mavericks.

So how do the Los Angeles Lakers attack Porzingis on offense?

Just have whoever Porzingis is guarding set ball screens until Dallas adjusts. Porzingis is often too slow and in the wrong position when in drop coverage on the pick-and-roll.

As we have seen many times, Dennis Schroder only needs a split second to get to the basket. If Dallas insists on keeping Porzingis on an island defensively, Schroder should go for 30 points.

But if Dallas switches or sends extra perimeter help, then Andre Drummond and crew will wreck Dallas’ 20th-rated defense with dunks and open three-pointers.

So the Lakers need to attack Kristaps Porzingis early and often in both games.

But speaking of early and often, there is one last question the Lakers must answer…

Question #7: Will Montrezl Harrell become the Lakers’ monster again? 

Montrezl Harrell is a valued, cherished member of the Los Angeles Lakers family. And as a family, the Lakers need to lift up Harrell in his time of need.

As in, give him the ball when he sprints up and down the court! Big men like Harrell need to eat! He should always get a dunk when he beats his man in transition!

Dallas has had a weak transition defense this season, ranking 18th among 30 teams in fast-break points allowed per game. Given they play at such a slow pace, that low rank is even more glaring than Alex Caruso’s shiny head!

Harrell has an opportunity to run Porzingis and other Dallas big men (i.e. Boban) out of the American Airlines Arena not once but twice!

Make Trezz a monster again!