Editor’s note: This is the Monday Dec. 27 edition of the Purple & Bold Lakers newsletter from reporter Kyle Goon. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here.
It is not a good time for the Lakers’ home arena to have gotten the early nickname, “The Crypt.”
We’re far from rolling a stone atop the Lakers’ grave, but it has certainly been a grim week of defeats:
Tuesday, L, Phoenix Suns 108, Lakers 90
Thursday, L, San Antonio Spurs 138, Lakers 110
Saturday, L, Brooklyn Nets 122, Lakers 115
The Lakers (16-18) are No. 7 in the Western Conference standings, 11.5 games behind the first-place Golden State Warriors (27-6).
HIGH POINT: It is mighty slim pickings this week, but you might as well look back at the 31-8 run with a little bit of a warm glow against the Nets. LeBron James showed throughout the week that he’s capable of directing impressive rallies and putting forth great individual efforts, and on Christmas Day, he probably showed off his best stuff.
LOW POINT: There’s a temptation to say “literally everything else,” but the true answer is a 28-point blowout to San Antonio. The Lakers beat the Spurs once in OT at the beginning of the season without LeBron, then handled them pretty well a few weeks back at home. That loss showed how far they’ve fallen with both their injury/protocols situation and their inconsistent play. Even when James and Westbrook combined for 66 points, they couldn’t even touch San Antonio’s well-oiled machine. It was a pitiful final salute to the Staples Center era.
TRENDING TOPIC: Perhaps the most trusted statistic among NBA statheads is net rating, which is a measurement of how much your team is outscoring – or being outscored by – opponents per 100 possessions (a reasonable number of possessions in a game). The Lakers have a minus-2.6 net rating this season, which is No. 22 in the league. Stat site Cleaning the Glass projects that a team with the Lakers net rating would win just 32 games over the course of an 82-game season. If you look at the last five games of the losing streak, the Lakers have a minus-14.6 net rating, which is by far the worst in the league and if spread over the course of the season would make them one of the worst teams in NBA history.
Obviously, the Lakers aren’t one of the worst teams in NBA history, but they’re certainly one of the worst teams in the NBA right now. Even with their roster shattered by players with injuries and COVID-19-related absences, they still have been able to play LeBron James and Russell Westbrook in every game. Somehow, the Lakers haven’t freefallen in the standings (and we’ll get to that), but this situation is dire. The Lakers haven’t played like a title contender all season long, according to this reliable statistic,and they’re playing much worse now. Carmelo Anthony said last week “we still in December,” but check how soon the calendar page is about to turn – the Lakers need to win some games.
READ OF THE WEEK: If you need a profile in resilience this week, check out this story on Stanley Johnson. The Mater Dei prep star made a big impression on Christmas with his defense on James Harden, and I talked to some people who are rooting for him.
HEATING UP: While his fellow Arkansas native is in the mix, there might be no Laker who has consistently exceeded general expectations more than Malik Monk this season. Coming in on a minimum deal with a lot to prove, Monk has splashed through with a sense of freedom and aggression that reminds people why he once was a lottery pick. After nearly two weeks in the protocols, Monk delivered 20 points in 35 minutes on Saturday, during which the Lakers outscored Brooklyn by nine points. He’s not quite Sixth Man of the Year-caliber, but you could do much worse than having Monk as the first guy off the bench.
COOLING DOWN: There is no use talking around Russell Westbrook’s scoring slump, which is hurting the bottom line in obvious fashion. After bricking a dunk attempt late against Brooklyn, Westbrook finished 4 for 20 from the field, ending a week in which he was shot under 44% from the field and made only one 3-pointer. He averaged 9.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists, but his shooting is costing the Lakers valuable possessions: They were outscored by 43 points in his minutes last week. The lineup turnover hasn’t been easy for anyone, particularly Westbrook, but more is expected from a max contract player and former MVP.
INJURY REPORT: The Lakers have four players in COVID-19 protocols: Austin Reaves, Kent Bazemore, Trevor Ariza and Rajon Rondo. Reaves and Bazemore should be getting out soon based on when they entered roughly 10 days ago (perhaps by the time you read this, they could be out already). Frank Vogel should be in roughly the same boat (he entered protocols on the morning of Dec. 19). Avery Bradley was released from protocols but did not play on Saturday as he ramps back into shape. Isaiah Thomas’ 10-day contract ended, and he was not signed to a second. Anthony Davis (left knee sprain) and Kendrick Nunn (right knee bone bruise) remain out for the near future.
QUOTABLE: Interim coach David Fizdale hasn’t had the fortune of presiding over any wins, but he sure is a good quote. When asked what the Lakers can do to take more advantage of James’ excellent games recently, he pivoted to sci-fi: “We can clone him. You know any good scientists? We can maybe make a duplicate? I don’t know. I don’t know. We just got to figure that out.”
AHEAD OF THE CURVE: There were a lot of bad developments in the NBA this week, with more players going into protocols, more players getting injured and more hardship waivers getting signed. The Lakers can’t assume the worst is behind them, because if James or Westbrook get caught in protocols, that would hammer them even more. But if they can finally get some players back up to speed out of protocols, they could make a move. Look around: The Clippers are without Paul George for the next few weeks; Aaron Gordon missed the last few games for the Nuggets; the Grizzlies had three players hit protocols over the weekend; Karl-Anthony Towns is in protocols for Minnesota; the Mavericks are an injury mess. No, the Lakers haven’t been good. Yes, they are still, somehow, in OK position relative to their peers. But they have to win to stay afloat, and it has to start turning around now.
COMING UP (All times PT)
Tuesday, at Houston, 5 p.m.
Wednesday, at Memphis, 5 p.m.
Editor’s note: Thanks for reading the Purple & Bold Lakers newsletter from reporter Kyle Goon. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here. Related Articles LeBron James, Russell Westbrook have triple-doubles as Lakers end 5-game skid Lakers play without Wayne Ellington; still waiting for others to return from protocols Lakers’ Russell Westbrook: ‘I’m over the whole situation with what everyone else wants me to do’ Mater Dei alum Stanley Johnson keeps NBA career kicking in Lakers call-up Lakers’ rally falls short in Christmas Day loss to Nets Newsroom Guidelines News Tips Contact Us Report an Error
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