Lake Show Life
Fansided

Los Angeles Lakers win over Orlando Magic doesn’t change anything

By Ronald Agers

Jan 21, 2022; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic center Mo Bamba (5) and guard Jalen Suggs (4) defend Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard (39) shot during the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2022; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic center Mo Bamba (5) and guard Jalen Suggs (4) defend Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard (39) shot during the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

The bad from the Los Angeles Lakers’ win:

The Lakers small-ball defense is getting worse!

It’s highly unlikely the Lakers can make any moves before the trade deadline and will have to go the buyout route. Bottom line here is they have got to have a center in the middle. The LeBron James, Stanley Johnson, Carmelo Anthony experiment was nice for a little while but everyone knows this is just a offensive scheme. Wendell Carter Jr. just returned to the lineup after missing several games with a hamstring injury and still found time to wear the Lakers out on the low blocks. Wendell had 19 points in 19 minutes.

If the Orlando guards had played smart and got Mo Bamba involved, this is a totally different post-game report due to the fact that he towers over the Lakers when they go small.

In this game, Vogel is not the reason why Dwight Howard wasn’t on the floor. It was Dwight that shot himself in the foot.

Dwight Howard…  

Five fouls in 13 minutes. Vogel wins this round. But Vogel will get criticized for this!!!

The Los Angeles Lakers are misusing Malik Monk!

Why Monk is getting sporadic minutes the last few games is getting ridiculous. The fact Trevor Ariza is starting is even more puzzling. Maybe he’s trying to spite Kurt Rambis or something but Monk deserves 30 minutes a night with at least 15 shots.

But let’s compare the players and look deeper.

  • Trevor Ariza: 5 points (2-5 shooting!), 3 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal
  • Malik Monk: 10 points (4-9 shooting!), 4 rebounds, 2 assists  and 2 steals 

Oh and this…

There’s nobody on the Lake Show Life staff that will go on record saying that Malik Monk is a defensive stopper. He’s too small to defend in the post, plus he tends to die on screens and fall asleep at time on backdoor cuts…

BUT!

The guy brings so many other things to the table that the Lakers need on the offensive end. He averages close to 20 points when he starts. The play you saw here in the highlight was created by Malik off the dribble late in the shot clock. Here’s one of the reasons Lakers fans are frustrated with Vogel’s rotation patterns. Find a balance and be willing to adjust.

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