Lake Show Life
Fansided

Los Angeles Lakers: 3 position battles heading into the playoffs

By Addam Goldman

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 26: Montrezl Harrell #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers controls the ball as Dean Wade #32 of the Cleveland Cavaliers defends during the first half of a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on March 26, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 26: Montrezl Harrell #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers controls the ball as Dean Wade #32 of the Cleveland Cavaliers defends during the first half of a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on March 26, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

Montrezl Harrell VS. Markieff Morris

  • Does Montrezl Harrell still have a place in this rotation?
  • Will Markieff Morris be regulated to cleanup duty once LeBron James begins to suit up again?
  • Do Harrell or Morris have a genuine opportunity to help during the postseason?

These are all valid questions.

Perhaps the idea of Montrezl Harrell battling it out for minutes against Markieff Morris is moot. Maybe both players are already sitting outside the main rotation. We won’t have any actual answers until the playoffs begin, but until the last ten games or so, Montrezl Harrell was a major cog for the Lakers, soaking up significant minutes at the center and power forward position. Markieff Morris was also a regular contributor during the regular season, especially while Anthony Davis was out.

Montrezl Harrell does two things well on offense, he’s in the top 10 percent of the league as the roll man out of the pick and roll (1.42 points per possession), and he’s in the 85th percentile on put-back attempts. Everything else on offense has been a struggle:

  • Isolation plays: 0.93 PPP, 61st percentile
  • Post plays: 0.95 PPP, 51st percentile
  • Spot up plays: 1.4 PPP, 50th percentile

It’s true that Harrell only really excels in two areas on offense, but he never steps out of his offensive universe. You’ll never see Harrell take a floater in traffic or shoot a step back two from 20 feet out. He knows what he’s good at, and he sticks to it, which can be an incredible boon for the Lakers.

On defense, the advanced numbers like him. According to Defensive Raptor, he’s been the Lakers’ fourth-best defender this season, and nbashotcharts.com has him as the 61st best defender in the league.

In a way, the stats are correct, Harrell has played solid perimeter defense, and he’s been reliable as a help defender. The problem is that he doesn’t provide the type of rim protection that Frank Vogel covets, and his post defense fluctuates from bad to horrible.

Markieff Morris has gone 1 for 100 (give or take) on long-distance shot attempts over the last couple of weeks, dropping his three-point percentage for the season down to an ugly 30 percent.

Optimists will look at his solid performance as a starter against the Rockets with the understanding that every player goes through a slump (although usually not this bad) and conclude he can still be a valuable contributor for the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs. Glass-half-empty types will say his shot’s broken, and he’s essentially useless for the Purple and Gold when he’s not hitting from deep.

I’m leaning towards the optimist’s point of view. Throughout Morris’s slump, he shot the ball from deep with confidence, and his mechanics looked solid. Things should turn. If everything averages out for Markieff, he could catch fire for the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs.

On defense, he’s been worse than Harrell. He doesn’t guard the perimeter nearly as well as the former Clipper center, nor does he protect the rim at the same rate.

Next. 50 greatest Lakers of all-time. dark

Both players would see significant playing time off the bench for any other playoff squad, making it hard to choose which man should receive minutes and who should sit. In the end, Montrezl Harrell’s motor, ability to attack the rim, offensive rebound rate, and perimeter defense combine to make him more valuable than the idea that Markieff will get hot from deep in the postseason.

Home/Lakers News