Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - 2nd Half Turnovers Crush Lakers in 126-102 Loss to San Antonio

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey, everyone, welcome to Locked on Lakers for Tuesday, Brian Keminetsky, Andy Keminetsky, the Lakers collapse in the second half, and they get blown out by San Antonio. Defense is starting to slip. That's next. You are Locked on Lakers. Your daily Los Angeles Lakers podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Thanks to everybody for making Lockdown Lakers first listen to every day, Monday through Friday,

Starting point is 00:00:34 no matter how or where you get your podcast. This one's always going to be free. It is never going to be behind a paywall and locked on Lakers on YouTube. It's where you can go hang out with over 27,000 subscribers, Andy, all of whom are wondering who exactly this team is. The Lakers lose their third straight,

Starting point is 00:00:54 collapsing in the second half of their game against San Antonio, 126-102, the final score. obviously a lot going on in this game in terms of, you know, emotions, in terms of what's happening in the city and playing for fans and, you know, honoring first responders, honoring Michael Cooper. There was a lot going on in this game. And we'll talk about some of those things over the course of the show.

Starting point is 00:01:22 But the bottom line is, in terms of the game itself, the Lakers were just throttled in the second half and they lose this one big. I want to let people know that today's episode's sponsor. by GameTime, download the GameTime app, create an account, use code, locked on NBA, for $20 off your first purchase. So I know we talked to Andy for Monday's show, kind of wondering, you know,

Starting point is 00:01:43 how they would play coming out after a long layoff, but a layoff that isn't really a layoff because, yes, they're practicing, but there's also the added stress of what's going on around the city, the impact of their families, JJ Redick, obviously, his family, with their home,

Starting point is 00:02:02 literally, quite literally burning down. Their initial response to the beginning of the game, I thought they played solidly, certainly played a solid first half. Turnover is notwithstanding. The initial response was pretty good, I thought. Look, I'm not in these guys' heads, and I don't want to make a sweeping definitive judgment about what guys were or were not feeling. if for no other reason, then again, I'm not in the locker room.

Starting point is 00:02:36 That being said, it feels to me like using the backdrop of what's happening in L.A. Well, I'm sure it is affecting all of them because there's not a person on the Lakers that feels, you know, on this roster that doesn't feel like they're a decent person. So the idea that they are not affected by this at all is a stretch. But the idea to me, at least the way this game played out, that they were too distracted by what was going on in the city, frankly, feels like a reach. And I would hesitate to go there because I feel like it could cheapen what is actually going on in this city that is so horrific that we've all been dealing with.

Starting point is 00:03:25 It doesn't feel to me based on the way the game played out and where things fell apart and why. I would very much hesitate to say that this was too much for them to play through. Yeah, and that certainly wasn't what I was trying to imply. No, I know, but I just wanted to make that clear. I think the closest thing you can get to that, and that's sort of why I said, all those things, the basketball itself, they've got blown out in the second half, game. I think, you know, you could certainly see the fatigue on JJ Redick after games. Absolutely.

Starting point is 00:04:01 And the exhaustion and all of that. And you could maybe say they just got tired out in the second half. I don't know. But it doesn't, the, and I think, you know, for our purposes, the focus is on what do they do on the court? They can explain for themselves, you know, and will and they'll talk about it. None of them are going to look at, you know, none of them are going to say, you know, we just, you know, we just couldn't, you know, they're not going to use the challenges and, you know, that the people are facing, you know, around the city as an excuse and hide behind that for how they performed in this game. You know, and I think when you look just at the basketball, the disturbing trend for the Lakers

Starting point is 00:04:49 who have now lost three in a row. Two straight by 20 plus points. Yeah. And suddenly find themselves looking more again, you know, what was it, a six-game streak? And, you know, put themselves up to near fourth in the conference. And now they're back to seventh. And, you know, they look in these three games,

Starting point is 00:05:09 much more like the team that was struggling that we were all wondering, uh-oh, you know, here comes the train. And it's not good. Then they did, like, the team that was, you know, dominant defensively and helping them to a nice win streak. You know, they gave up 36 points in the third, 37 points in the fourth. And so you're talking to what is that? 73 points. Like, that's not going to win you many games.

Starting point is 00:05:40 The defense that had been a calling card for this team has certainly slipped and slipped. and slipped badly in the second half of the game on Monday. Things really fell apart for the Lakers with 243 left in the third quarter. The Lakers at that point were up 10. They turned the ball over six times in the third quarter, but they turned it over four times in that 243, and they ended up in the third quarter at an 89 all tie. After, again, with less than three minutes left in the third being up 10,

Starting point is 00:06:16 and then they just never got themselves back on track in the fourth quarter. I thought they got increasingly sloppy and careless as the game went along. Like I know San Antonio, their defense has improved a lot over the course of this season. I know when Minyama is always somebody that you are going to be wary of in the same way teams are wary of Anthony Davis's presence. I think this was more about the Lakers, frankly, relaxing. and we've seen them make a habit of inexplicably relaxing a lot during games. And that is not uncommon of teams. You and I have covered championship teams.

Starting point is 00:06:59 Believe it or not, the Kobe Pow teams used to relax all the time. The difference is they were good enough to pull it off. Well, I think all teams, I guess it depends on, and I don't want to get into a deep game of semantics. but like what I would ask is this like when you talk about relaxing

Starting point is 00:07:19 do you mean relaxing in the sense of like an arrogance like we are really this good we got this like no worries like you're sort of almost like dismissive of your opponent and inflating yourself

Starting point is 00:07:33 or relaxing in the sense that because here's where I agree with you the Lakers as especially as they are constructed right now must always maintain a rigid focus on dotting every eye and crossing every T on every offensive possession. That is what I'm talking about. So you're talking about it.

Starting point is 00:07:59 I would define that as a losing of focus. But in that sense, relaxing, totally understanding. I'm defining relaxing. I'm defining relaxing. And to me is what a very, it's a very literal way of putting it, which is you don't feel an urgency. And I think that this is a group that often loses a sense of urgency when they're on the floor, and they are not good enough to just crank it up whenever they want to.

Starting point is 00:08:25 Like I said before, you and I were boots on the ground coverage of the Kobe Pow teams. And even with Kobe there, you know, the most intense of competitors this league has ever seen, those teams would relax too, including as. at times, Kobe. The difference is, though, they were good enough to crank it back up at will when they really needed to. This team is not. So they need to play with a sense of urgency for 48 minutes. And there's other specifics to this as well, like JJ mentioned the defensive slippage over the last three games. I think it directly coincides with the Lakers falling back into more of the switching everything automatically and passively,

Starting point is 00:09:14 no questions asked approach defensively, which sucked then and sucks now. And I've been seeing more of that. I heard JJ recently even talk about the ability to be more of a switching defense. And I just don't, it's not even so much a mechanical thing for them, even though the mechanics and approach matter. I think it leads to a mentality with this. group that doesn't work.

Starting point is 00:09:42 They are a group that are both not good enough for anything that could be sort of a shortcut or also disciplined enough to even pick their spots with shortcuts. And they look for shortcuts. I think execution-wise, they look for shortcuts on both sides of the ball and they're not good enough. I will tell you, I think, I don't, after the break, I'll respond to that because I, I, I, I at the very least, wholeheartedly agree with half of what you're saying. So we'll talk about that next.

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Starting point is 00:11:22 Head to Wayfair.com right now. That's W-A-Y-F-A-I-R dot com. Wayfair, every style, every home. So, you know, I think here's where I definitely agree with you. Because you and I have had a little bit of disagreement. And by the way, reminder, sign up for the daily newsletter. Lockedon Daily.com. You go to Locked on Lakers.

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Starting point is 00:12:08 And also check out the postcast of Day of Palais after every game night. So where I 100% agree with you is, offensively absolutely think they look for the how did you describe it this sort of least shortcuts

Starting point is 00:12:28 short cuts yeah shortcuts thank you I think offensively they're really getting stuck on that and that in part is why they are

Starting point is 00:12:39 not the offense isn't improving a ton while the defense starts to backslide the turnovers which both cost them possessions and put them on their worst possible defensive footing got,

Starting point is 00:12:59 you know, I think it was nine per half, just too many. They have 19 total, like including team total. I know they had nine in the first half. And they gave up 25 points to San Antonio in the process. I remember there was one point with,

Starting point is 00:13:14 I think, three minutes left in the first quarter. All five starters and DFS, the guys who at this point have played more than like three minutes to that point, all had at least one turnover. LeBron, who was not good in this game at all, had seven turnovers. Austin Reeves, who was not good in this game at all, had four turnovers. And when your two primary ball handlers are basically going with one-to-one assist turnover, ratios, that in and of itself is problematic for what you want to do. I wonder if you can start and, you know, I realize they just traded away a guard.

Starting point is 00:13:59 But I wonder if at this point you can add to the list of the Lakers needs a third ball handler because and a third playmaker because teams particularly. Well, the third guy's Gabe Vincent, he had three turnovers. Right. But he's not... I'm just saying he's the... Right, he's not that... He only had one of a sit.

Starting point is 00:14:22 He was one to three. Yeah. That's not... That's, you know, Reeves's 8, 2 to 1 looks a lot better than that. Even LeBron's, you know, essentially 1.1-2 or whatever to 1 looks better than 1 to 3. They, the Spurs did a really good job of being very aggressive on the ball

Starting point is 00:14:42 when either LeBron or Reeves, was on the floor without the other guy. And the Lakers just become very easy to pressure, whether that's losing time on the shot clock to be able to run something effectively or turning the ball over or never really getting into something. They're just so easy to pressure and slow down and muck up because they don't have playmakers,

Starting point is 00:15:17 and ball handlers to help relieve some of that pressure. And I don't think that means that the trade wasn't worth it, but it does point out what we said at the time that they made the trade, which is the trade off is this. And so they have to figure out how to solve that problem. The irony of acquiring Doreen-Findy Smith and trading away DeAngelo Russell to then use the trade deadline to acquire another guard, depending on who that guard is.

Starting point is 00:15:47 It could be an upgrade. It could be you put for yourself right back where you started. But that was a weakness that was exploited by San Antonio on Monday. And, you know, Reeves was hounded into a very inefficient night offensively. You mentioned the turnovers from LeBron. I mean, Anthony Davis, I thought, did Yeoman's work offensively, but he didn't get much help. He got into early foul trouble, too. picked up two early files. Anthony Davis had the best game, I think, of any Laker, but he also,

Starting point is 00:16:20 the first three files he picked up in this game, maybe the three worst fouls of his career. He picked up one away from the ball, like in the first 15 seconds. He picked up another one on a three-point shooting foul. And then he picked up a third going after an offensive rebound on an incredibly ill-advised one-on-three transition three from Dalton Connect that I hope that goes down as the worst shot of Dalton's career because it was just in exchange that one that one that one he's not going to like the way that looked on film and look Dalton made up for it like the very next play he got he got a transition and one dunk that I believe he forced the the turnover on or he grabbed the defensive rebound and that said he wasn't he wasn't very good but like

Starting point is 00:17:10 Like AD, AD, because of foul issues only played, I think, 12 or 13 minutes in the first half. Yeah. Like 32 minutes overall. But you know what? They got through the first half. This is this. I'm glad you brought that up because that's one of the things I was going to mention. This is why I think a lot of this has to do with not maintaining their urgency.

Starting point is 00:17:34 Because during the season, we've seen, usually they struggle badly when Anthony. Danny Davis isn't on the floor. And AD, because he picked up a third foul, didn't play for like the last four minutes of the first half. And they actually went from up eight when AD checked out to up nine to close the half. So without their best player. Like, but I know. But like you mentioned, but like you mentioned before, the Lakers were up through most of the third quarter. Yeah. So they came out of the locker room. San Antonio got back in a little bit, but then they pulled back out. And that happened. I mean, like, you know, that's the Evan Flood. San Antonio is a good team. Right. I mean, I know I've talked them up, you know, they're 19 and 19.

Starting point is 00:18:22 I've talked them up more than maybe some of it. I think they got off to a slow start. It's a good team, and they're only going to get better over the course of the year. It was that last, like you pointed out, that last three minutes or whatever, the third quarter, where they started to get really sloppy. The turnovers caused the defensive collapse, and then they couldn't tighten. it back up on either end of the ball. But, you know, I'm not going to, of all the people that you could, you know,

Starting point is 00:18:48 I'm going to blame some of the people in this room. I am not blaming Anthony Davis. I am going to give Anthony Davis an add-a-boy for, you know, I agree the foul trouble was not great. But 13 of 18, 13 points, two steals, two blocks, 30 points. I mean, other than maybe you could say, didn't get to the line enough, but that, you That's not totally under his control. Anthony, you know, Davis gave them 30 points.

Starting point is 00:19:15 But you know what? We had this discussion when the Lakers, it was either, I think it was the Dallas game. You need a certain amount of production from the big three. And in that game, none of them really provided. But in this game, you still ended up with 60 points from those three guys. and on most nights 60 points from LeBron, AD, and Reeves is really in the danger zone of not going to get it done offensive.

Starting point is 00:19:51 You are threading a needle if it's just 60 from those. You've got to do real solid work on the defensive side of the ball to get through a game where those three guys provide you with 60 points. And then, you know, we'll talk about it this week. You know, what do you do with Jackson Hayes? What do you do with Cam Reddish? What do you do with Connect if his offense isn't going to be there? You know, Christy gave you 10.

Starting point is 00:20:23 Not a lot of peripheral stuff, but he gave you 10. And you're just not going to win a lot of games shooting 14 of 44 from three point range. That's too many, you know, 19 turnovers and. 20, 30 missed three-pointers. That's a lot of open possessions. And even though, you know, I think AD, you know, particularly did a pretty good job crashing the offensive glass. That's still just too many empty, scoreless possessions.

Starting point is 00:20:57 The offense is terrible. And it's putting a real, it's putting a ton of pressure on the defense. Yeah. Speaking of the defense, as we mentioned, there is that slippage. Like I said, I think they are falling back into some bad habits. And I also feel like it is time for JJ to press a button and talk about that coming up next. Lockdown Lakers is brought to you by game time. I love going to live events, not necessarily tonight's Lakers game.

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Starting point is 00:24:11 an NBA. That's hungary root.com slash locked on NBA code locked on NBA to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life. Hunger root.com slash locked on NBA. Code locked on NBA. Don't miss out. Real quick before we get to the defense issues we were alluding to, I just want to make sure we acknowledge the one bright spot of this evening, which was Michael Cooper's jersey going up into the rafters. It was a great ceremony with Magic and Pat Riley serving as the pre-Jurzy Lyft MCs. They were both great. Michael Cooper's speech was really awesome, really heartfelt, funny at times. You had Byron Scott and Jamal Wilkes, Norm Nixon, Vladie, all these different

Starting point is 00:25:10 showtime luminaries. Michael Thompson was obviously on hand. He's calling the game for ESPNLA radio, the Lakers radio affiliate. It was worthy was there. It was really, really great. And it was awesome to see such a beloved member of this franchise's history get that moment. I wish the team had done their part to make it a perfect evening. But that piece. of it was really, really great. Yeah, for sure. And, you know, it, Coupe, I know we've had that sort of discussion about like the Hall of Fame for

Starting point is 00:25:52 role players. And like the current Hall of Fame structure doesn't let role players get in unless you happen to be such a souped up version of that. Like, you know, Michael Cooper, I guess, qualifies as a role player of sorts, you know, you know, Mono Genoblee, maybe, if you really want to stretch the definition. Dennis Rodman, Draymond Green, when he eventually gets in. Ben Wallace, you know, guys like that. But they were also just, you know, they were so good at one.

Starting point is 00:26:21 We just tend to think about defense as a role as opposed to, you know, not equally as important as everything that happens on the other side of the ball. It's just, it was so great to see the closest thing you're going to get to kind of a role guy, a selfless player who certainly could have done more on another team with his own numbers and his own stats get that kind of recognition. And he is so well loved, not just by, you know, his former teammates, but by the Lakers community. And it should be noted too, has been a very successful coach outside of that, both of the, you

Starting point is 00:27:01 know, the G-League level, won a title, want a title of the WNBA. Two? Yeah. So there's, there is more. to it than, and that's the basketball Hall of Fame takes that in consideration. But it was really cool. And there was also, if you ever get a chance to meet Michael Cooper, please do so because he is a just tremendous human being and a wonderful guy to get a chance to say hello

Starting point is 00:27:23 to. There was also, I thought, a really poignant moment when he mentioned, quote, this is such a bittersweet moment after the week we just had, but then said, but we're Angelinos and we're going to build back better. And it dawned on me as he was saying this. like Michael Cooper is an LA native. You know, he grew up in Pasadena. Pasadena is right next to Altadena, Pasadena.

Starting point is 00:27:45 Pasadena City College, I think, for a couple years. It's been affected by this. And just hearing that from Michael Cooper with this backdrop, I thought just added an extra layer of emotion because you know that he's feeling this for this city beyond his relationship with this franchise. this is his home. No question about it.

Starting point is 00:28:09 So that part of the night was cool. As our friend Kurt Heelan at NBC noted, the Lakers didn't necessarily honor Michael Cooper and his contribution to the NBA, which was on the defensive side of the ball of what they did following his speech. But that is neither here nor there. Andy, you had a button you wanted the Lakers to push.

Starting point is 00:28:33 I think it is time for J.B. AJ to flip DFS and Rui, put DFS into the starting line. I play Rui off the bench. A, because I think it will help the team get off to better, not just defensive starts, but also I think more of the urgency that they will need to start halves. I mean, that's something DFS will always play with that level of energy. but also too, on a night where Rui takes six shots,

Starting point is 00:29:09 makes three or four from behind the arc like nine points, but his involvement keeps decreasing, in part because he is at best going to be the fourth option with this group and sometimes doesn't even get the same looks as Christy spotting up. I just feel like you're going to get more utility from Bruey, Rui and more opportunity to actually use what he's best at coming off the bench. You know, the Lakers bench has been an issue with their lack of production all season. It gets exacerbated because DeAngelo Russell isn't there both as a source of scoring,

Starting point is 00:29:52 but at the very least a source of facilitating. And if you're going to have to at times rely on the bench to create for themselves, it feels like that is a better spot for Rui. And DFS, I feel like, fits more of a direct role starting. And again, the defense itself, like that's not going to fix the defense just by it. No, but it will help. And it will help LeBron. Yes.

Starting point is 00:30:28 Because the other part of, I think, the defensive issues is particularly as games go, on. Again, the Lakers were perfectly fine in the first half of Monday's game, and they were actually pretty good through a lot of the third quarter and the collapse defensively started actually with their offense, I think. But broadly, I'm going to read you a couple numbers. You may already know the answers to this, but I'll still do it out loud for the exercise because not everybody listening may know it. Rui played 28 minutes against Houston, 26 minutes against Dallas, and 30 minutes. I know the answer on Monday again. the answer. You know which stat I'm getting at though? Yeah, I'm going to give you the answer before you

Starting point is 00:31:08 even ask the question. Okay. Five. Five rebounds. Yep. Five rebounds in well over an hour of basketball. That is not getting it done. Ruey-foot, 8, 145 pounds. It is not getting it done. No. And it's not at all. He's got three assists. I mean, Rui has never been confused as a guy, you know, piling up the dimes, you know, it's not really what he does. No, but if you're not referred to as magic at any point in his life. If you're not getting the rebounds and you're not providing any assist and you're not providing points, you know, nine points on Monday, six points against Dallas. He had 13 against Houston. Um, but that that's just not good enough. He's getting completely.

Starting point is 00:32:03 overlooked right now. There's no way. There's nothing for it. Like the role he's being asked to play is really a better role for for Finney Smith, who is, I don't want to say. Rue is still shooting the ball pretty well. But like offensively, it's a lane that he would feel better. He supports LeBron better defensively.

Starting point is 00:32:24 And, you know, it's just at this point. At this point, I don't feel like it really makes any sense. if you're going to be bringing in DFS for the type of role you want him for in the first place, particularly when you don't have enough playmakers on this team right now, period, much less to filter them around in the second unit where maybe a theoretical DeAngelo Russell or whoever comes in to replace D'Angelo Russell, whatever, can set up DFS. Like if you're using him primarily just to spot up, he can do that with the first unit providing more defensive integrity.

Starting point is 00:33:04 And Rui can be a guy that when he's playing more with those second unit guys, you can actually feature him because he's going to be able to score against a lot of second units. Now it is the second unit of Rui Hachamora and Dalton Connect and all that's going to be going to be an adventure defensively. It is, but it's already going to be a problem. So I was going to say as opposed to what? I agree with you.

Starting point is 00:33:30 It was last week we did some episodes or might have been the week before. The last week has been a bit of a blur in terms of remembering what we did when. But you know, you've certainly advocated for it. I agreed with you that ultimately this was going to be where the team needed to go anyway. And so you might as well get it done. But I think Monday's game really revealed some of this, particularly as you get deeper into the season and you're going to start leaning. meaning on your starters to play bigger minutes.

Starting point is 00:34:03 You cut down a little bit on what the bench is doing. You get Jared Vanderbilt back. Now, look, this could mean that Rui's minutes get cut down considerably, that maybe it means that suddenly he starts getting squeezed. I don't know what this looks like. I don't know because right now I would play him ahead of Dalton anyway. I would too. But like the trade deadline comes around.

Starting point is 00:34:24 You get Jared Vanderbilt back. There's a little bit of positional redundant. Like, I don't know. Like certain guys play more. Syracorgaris played, DeAngelo Russell went from 30-something minutes a game to 20. And like this can happen when the needs and the chemistry routine changes. And obviously, too, we're getting towards the deadline when that shiny contract of Rui Hachamura, if you're going to acquire somebody who makes a lot of money, it's almost certainly

Starting point is 00:34:49 going to have to be included in it. So I don't know what's coming. I don't know what the Lakers are going to be able to pull off. I remain skeptical that. the cavalry, that there's even a deal put together that would kind of let the cavalry come, so to speak. But yeah, I agree. Push the button.

Starting point is 00:35:09 Yeah. And I think also, you're starting to see, and I'm not going to lie, considering the lake, I mean, reasons notwithstanding because they're tragic, the fact that the Lakers have had this many days off and LeBron had the defensive effort that he had tonight, I found a little alarming. It's just, it's not sustainable. Like what he, you know, you can't, you need to protect him more, especially if you're going to be in a situation where he is one of two ball handlers on your team. Well, and also two, it's another reason to put DFS in there because you're not just looking to protect LeBron.

Starting point is 00:35:46 You're also looking to offset Rui and the defensive issues. And I mean, this night to say that Harrison Barnes was looking at Austin Reeves. They found that matchup, didn't they? They just, they need, and your teams, they need. they need to have a counterpoint when teams make, you know, and again, you're Vanderbilt back, and it looks like it'll be sometime next week maybe before, it's not going to be this week, Redick said.

Starting point is 00:36:10 We'll talk about a little more for tomorrow's show. But, you know, I mean, the euphoria of the long streak is certainly died down. And, you know, for all kinds of reasons, the stretch they were in that seemed like an opportunity has been, you know, the upheaval around it while understandable, they certainly got to work their way through it. So we'll see what happens. We'll be back tomorrow. Locked on Lackdown, Lakers on YouTube. So we can go hang out with over 27,000 subscribers to the channel. Please sign up for that newsletter that we keep pointing out there. We'll see everyone tomorrow.

Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - 2nd Half Turnovers Crush Lakers in 126-102 Loss to San Antonio

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