Playing the first of two consecutive matchups against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday served a reminder — to those who needed it among Los Angeles Lakers fans — that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was still in the NBA. That's a two-time champion from the last 10 years of league play.
The first of those, of course, was with the Los Angeles Lakers during the infamous NBA Bubble. Caldwell-Pope averaged 10.7 points per game, shooting 41.8 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from beyond the arc. What came with that was the type of reliable defense that Los Angeles yearns for right about now.
Caldwell-Pope did much of the same with the Denver Nuggets in 2023. This time, it was 10.6 points per game with shooting splits of 46-38-83. Once more, the defensive ability on the perimeter was exactly what the Nuggets needed.
The decline for Caldwell-Pope hasn't quite been bad enough to push him to the outer edges of the league, by any means. The former Laker should not be under any immediate threat of losing his spot in the NBA. However, the unfortunate drop-off has been there in the areas of the game which originally made him a huge boost to any team.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's greatest strengths are fading fast
To some capacity, Caldwell-Pope has always been the type of player who benefits from the circumstances around him. At the very least, that would be true of his offense.
When looking at his diminishing production from long range, that could offer reasoning as to why the once coveted 3-and-D monster has stumbled in the first half of that distinction. The threat of Caldwell-Pope putting up a shot from deep is not what it once was.
A 4-of-6 night from deep on Friday pushed KCP back above league average from 3-point land. The Grizzlies wing was hovering below that leading up to the contest. Mind you, this is the same player who shot 41.5 percent from that area during his time with the Nuggets.
The thing that made his life easy in both Denver and Los Angeles was having an elite offensive engine to secure good looks for him. With the Nuggets, Caldwell-Pope had Nikola Jokic. With the Lakers, LeBron James played that role.
Caldwell-Pope's individual defense, especially, has not been what it once was. The veteran wing is posting one of the worst defensive ratings per 100 possessions of his career.
A hefty salary of $21.6 million this season, and next, may keep other teams from really looking in his direction for potentially kicking the tires on what is left in the tank for KCP. Caldwell-Pope will hit unrestricted free agency as a 34-year-old, barring a buyout. At that point, it is fair to wonder what the former NBA champion will still have to offer as a contributor.