Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - Is LeBron James Back After a Big Game on Sunday? Plus, Why Have the Lakers Been so Clutch?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey everyone, welcome to Lockdown Lakers for Tuesday. Brian Komenetsky, Andy Komenetsky. Important question, Andy. Is LeBron James back? Follow up question. What exactly does back mean in season 2000 that he's in? We'll do that next. You are Locked on Lakers.

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Starting point is 00:01:25 the season visit fendul.com and place your NFL live bets all season long. So we want to get into one of the interesting, statistical quirks. Some people might call it a fluke. Some people might call it a defining characteristic of this team. I was going to say it's, and I don't know if we'll be able to settle the discussion over the next 30-ish minutes. Oh, it will be.

Starting point is 00:01:53 But the idea of whether or not it is actually a quirk is a pretty, it's a pretty relevant question to be asking in terms of just what you think. this team's overall potential is because what they are doing specifically in clutch time this season so far it cuts against a lot of what you see in the opening 43 minutes of all of it of the opening 23 games this season but there's enough there that I don't think it can just be casually I don't know they are 8-0 in what the NBA defines as clutch situations, which is within five points with five minutes to go. Lakers are 8 and 0 in those situations, including Sunday's win against Philly. So we'll get to that both probably, you know, some will start into that on today's show.

Starting point is 00:02:51 It could extend Andy into tomorrow's, but we got to start with a big question, Andy, is LeBron James back? Because man alive, he had a great game on Sunday against the Sixers. He came back. He was aggressive offensively at the beginning. He helped carry the Lakers in a fourth quarter where, and this is not a criticism, the man flew across an ocean. He helped birth a child. He flew back across the ocean. It's a lot.

Starting point is 00:03:21 Luca was tired. It's okay. He still had a triple double. Still played well, but Austin Reeves was having a really rough going. Lakers needed LeBron James to look like LeBron James. And he did. And this has been after a sort of uneven, we'll say, uneven return from the sciatica. And so we'll ask the question, Andy.

Starting point is 00:03:46 Is LeBron James back? We'll start there. But I have a follow-up question to that, a corollary, if you will, which is what exactly does back mean in season 23? 24? Where are we even? I don't even remember. Season 23 feels like you should have. you ought to know that one by now.

Starting point is 00:04:05 Well, it's so many. It's so many, I never trust myself to exactly remember the number. Just remember his jersey. Right. That's where he's at. That seems too easy. Well, no, it's actually clearly not easy enough because it's right there. Can he change it next year to 24? No, he absolutely cannot, Brian.

Starting point is 00:04:26 That's true. Certainly on this team. Not on this team. You've landed the plane. Be quiet. But anyway, as far as the answer. to the question, is LeBron back? How do we know if he's back? If we're really being honest about all this, the answer to both questions is I don't know, because we are dealing in such uncharted

Starting point is 00:04:45 territory right now, like the idea of what LeBron wants to be doing as a player in season, as we've established 23, at his age, you know, with this type of mileage, oh, and by the way, coming off a bout of sciatica, which I believe also Al Horford has been dealing with this season. So, you know, no country for old men. Stars, they're just like us. But like, LeBron looked great in this game against Philly. And he was crucial in terms of the Lakers winning it. The fourth quarter, he was absolutely instrumental. And I would argue the biggest part of them winning that game. It was clearly the most comfortable, the most physically lively, the most confident that he seemed when he was out there on the floor, does that mean that's going to be the version that we see against San Antonio

Starting point is 00:05:39 on Wednesday? Quite possibly in the sense that he will have had multiple days off. What does that mean for the rest of the regular season? I honestly have no idea. Like, you know, last year, LeBron required two weeks off from the team. because he got off to a very rough start and eventually he needed to physically and mentally recharge. Hopefully that's not the case again this season. But I don't even think LeBron knows exactly how his body is going to cooperate with trying to keep the sciatica thing under control, the arthritic foot joint under control, the ab strains that he's had over the, you know, the doctor the last new seasons.

Starting point is 00:06:26 He's probably got gout. Old people get gout. Look, man, there's a lot that there's a lot of wear and tear that this man's put on his body. I want to be super optimistic that the Philly game was the sign that, hell yeah, dude is back and we can maintain the realistic but high-end realism expectations for LeBron pushing one in season 23. But to be totally honest, I don't know if it's accurate, but I don't know if that's fair to LeBron. I look at this in a couple different ways. The first one is from a playing standpoint, like, was this like, you know, flip on the switch

Starting point is 00:07:12 and LeBron, you know, found his rhythm and he's good to go. No, I don't think it's going to be quite that simple. I certainly don't think it's going to be quite that linear to where it, like, suddenly LeBron just from here on out looks like the guy who. was second team all NBA last year. You know, you noted the time away. He's played 141 games in the last two seasons. I mean, for all the talk of, you know, you have to treat him with kid gloves and the

Starting point is 00:07:39 Lakers have had to work around him and like you've had to make these special concessions and this. He's played 141 games in the last two years. That is far more than most stars in the league. Most of them have not played 141 games. So he's been quite reliable in terms of being able to get in the lineup. I do actually think the fact that he's missed so many games this year already. And we'll get to this, I think, in the next segment,

Starting point is 00:08:04 actually makes it easier for the Lakers to hold him out more because he will also, you know, he will almost certainly miss enough games at this point that he's not going to be able to be all NBA, all that kind of stuff. So like that's going to be off the table. Which I think, by the way, will dictate how he, manages the course of his season in ways that for what it is worth, I think could be helpful.

Starting point is 00:08:33 I agree. That's what I'm getting at. Like I think the Lakers will be able to be, because like, and I'm not saying it's like selfish, like guys care about this kind of stuff. Like it's, you know, LeBron just cares about playing. And so like he's not going to, he doesn't want to, he's not going to want to sit out for the sake of sitting out. They also care about and I would care too in season 23 about the opportunity to be on an all NBA team because that's pretty cool.

Starting point is 00:09:00 So all that, none of this to say that, man, it's pretty cool in season three. Like I will never begrudge these guys for wanting the awards, wanting the accolades. As long as you don't play out of pocket, gunning to try to get this stuff,

Starting point is 00:09:15 I will never, ever criticize a player for wanting to add things to the resume. Like, this is history, man. Like, these guys want to be part of history. Small. side note, I'm not sure there are going to be players who are eligible to be all NBA this year. I don't know if anybody will be.

Starting point is 00:09:35 Why are you taking away from first team all NBA Jake LaRavia? I'm just saying. He's far off. He's not based to do this. We're going to be disqualified that you look at and say these are star players in the NBA who simply cannot be on the team. There'll be some changes this offseason. But, you know, so I think that will make a difference with LeBron. But I look at this in two different ways.

Starting point is 00:10:01 There are questions of performance and there are questions of health. And obviously those two things are related, but they are not the same. And I'll explain next. Locked on Lakers is brought to you by Fanduel. NFL Sundays, man, they move fast. play and suddenly everything feels different. And that's what makes live betting with FanDil so exciting. You're not just watching the game.

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Starting point is 00:12:27 access, ad free shows, stuff like that. This is a way to do it. So, What I was saying in the first segment, Andy, I think it is fairly, for me, I am pretty confident that LeBron, not right away, but over time, as he again gets that rhythm back, is going to look more or less like he has in the last couple seasons. I don't think he'll be quite as good as he was last year. he's one year older. There's, you know, he, I think not having training camp and not having his normal prep is just going to erode how good he can be this year. I think it's just, it takes from the ceiling. It would do that for almost any player in the league. So I don't know if he's going to get quite to where he was last year, but I think he'll get close.

Starting point is 00:13:22 That to me is a separate question than will he stay healthy? I just don't know how his body is going to respond. To me, not a doctor, but the fact that he missed training camp, the fact that he missed a lot of his prep to go into the season, to me makes me feel like he is more likely to find an injury at some point in the year. We spent the last two years waiting for the big injury to come and never did. Again, 141 games in the last two seasons.

Starting point is 00:13:59 I mean, yes, except he did spend two weeks away from the team. He played 70 games last year. I understand he, you know, that means he missed the last year. He was either 70 or 71. One is 70. One is 71. He stepped away for two weeks. He still played 70 games.

Starting point is 00:14:17 So, okay. Most, again, most stars in the league. Sure. I haven't played 70 games in, you know, in the last two season. So I'm not saying there's. There's no injury consideration, but I'm saying last year, there was no long-term injury that kept LeBron out the year before. There was no long-term injury that kept LeBron out.

Starting point is 00:14:38 This year, there may not, we may have already had the long-term injury that keeps LeBron out. I'm just more concerned because he, as he said a couple of times, the only year, this is the first time he's never had his routine. and that athletes have a routine for a reason and his routine has been particularly effective. And so that's the part that concerns me. I am less concerned about how he performs. And I'll let you respond.

Starting point is 00:15:08 Then I have other reasons why I think the performance aspect should be okay. But to me, they seem like separate issues. How well can he play and how many games can he play? They are related. They are not the same to me. I don't know. I mean, I feel like his health is going to dictate in a lot of ways how well he can play. And if he isn't able to play as many games, my guess is it's going to affect his performance. I also think, though, and this is a good thing for both LeBron and the Lakers, based on what we're seeing so far,

Starting point is 00:15:44 assuming he can stay on the court, and that is as much a matter of just his body cooperating as anything else, the level that he needs to raise this year isn't as high. Like he does not actually have to play as high of a level. And while I do think, you know, LeBron has a standard for himself. And if he can't meet a certain threshold of performance, I don't think he wants to play anymore. It's like it's the same way, you know, I say all the time,

Starting point is 00:16:15 if Kobe was not capable of being the number one option, like the focal point of a high-end team. He wasn't interested in playing. And obviously the last few years of his career post-Akillies changed the math on that because I think Kobe really wanted to beat the challenge of coming back from an Achilles tear. But had that not have happened, if Kobe avoided the Achilles, but he just started dropping off, but was still capable of being like, you know, a quality second or third option, I don't think you would have had any interest in doing that.

Starting point is 00:16:49 Like we covered Kobe for 10 years. That was not really something that would be of interest because he wanted to play at a certain level. I think LeBron wants to play at a certain level, but the necessity of reaching the highest, highest version of LeBron isn't the same as it was before. And I think now that he in all likelihood will not be eligible for an all NBA team, trying to push himself for that type of threshold is off the table. I think that's good for the Lakers. The fact that Luke is the best player on this team,

Starting point is 00:17:26 the fact that Austin Reeves has raised his level this year, the fact that D'Andre Aiton has been a wonderfully, I'm not going to say surprise, because you and I both thought he'd be a really good fit, but for a lot of people a wonderfully pleasant surprise. It's gone well. I mean, like, I thought he'd be really good, but this is like,

Starting point is 00:17:43 the upper area of where I thought it could be. Rui is shot for shot, one of the most efficient players in the NBA. There's a lot that is going, there are 11 games above 500. There's a lot that lessens the need for LeBron to be whatever peak LeBron at 41 actually means. It doesn't have to.

Starting point is 00:18:11 What I do think, though, is interesting, is JJ talking about after the Philly game, LeBron, he was asked something to the effect of LeBron, whether that game gave him some confidence, given how rough things were for him against Toronto other than his playmaking, which was outstanding. And the fact that since he's been back, it's been up and down and it's been a process. J.J. said, quote, I don't think LeBron needs confidence, but it's a fair question because I do think it's important to be reminded every now and then of what you're capable of. And for him to have injuries and then sort of start the season playing catch up in a way

Starting point is 00:18:48 and start the season playing catch up with a team that is also in a really good rhythm. As a player, I don't care how good you are. That's tough to figure out. So tonight was super important. Like, I don't think, I don't think LeBron has suffered a conscious, you know, a conscious crisis of confidence, that sort of thing. But I will say against Toronto, he looked uncomfortable and unsure of himself. And Philadelphia was a much different outing.

Starting point is 00:19:16 I mean, Kobe in Game 7, you know, against the Celtics when he was missing every single shot and clearly out of character. When he was at the line, fans weren't chanting MVP. They were chanting Kobe, Kobe, like a reminder, dude, you're Kobe Bryant. Like, remember who you are. All these guys, even the all-time greats, need that tangible reminder now and then. So I think the Philly game matters. Oh, I absolutely think it matters. I remember when I said before, like, there are other reasons I'm optimistic.

Starting point is 00:19:45 You listed them all. You know, the ascendance of Austin Reeves, the fact that they're 17 and 6, they've earned some wiggle room, the fact that Luca is Luca, they need to be. Like, that switch with Austin, where like Austin and LeBron can kind of switch roles like, and on any given night, LeBron probably won't, most given nights, LeBron probably won't need to be the best player. And if he does, he won't need to be the best by a lot. that all makes a huge difference. I think JJ was spot on. I think you're spot on. It's not that LeBron needs confidence because he's LeBron.

Starting point is 00:20:23 But the Toronto game, for example, he looked uncomfortable because I think he was still rhythms off. When he stepped confidently into a couple third quarter three, it's like catch, shoot, like look good out of the end. Those shots didn't fall in Toronto. they did fall in Philly. Like some of that is just shot went down. Shot didn't go down. I get it. Like they looked kind of the same to me.

Starting point is 00:20:46 Where he really looked like he wasn't sure, was in, what do I do in a game where, you know, AR is there or Luke is there? I'm not playing well. Do I, you know, force the issue? Do I let Austin Reeves kind of take us home? What do I do? because I'm LeBron James. I am used to.

Starting point is 00:21:12 I don't care if I'm four for 16 to this point. I'm going to take more shots. I'm going to keep doing it. He kind of seemed uncomfortable with what do I do. And so that part of it I found pretty interesting in terms of a confidence question. And I think over time, they'll do a much better job. of figuring that rhythm out. How do we do it when we're all three on the court?

Starting point is 00:21:47 How do we do it when, you know, AR is having a tough night, but LeBron's feeling good. Luca's always going to do Luca stuff. Like, Luca isn't. It doesn't matter if I've missed 10 of my first 15 shots in the fourth court. I can still do what I want because I'm Luca Donchich. It's exactly how it should be. But, you know, I, there's not, it's not just physically how am I playing, how am I doing.

Starting point is 00:22:09 it's also what's the pecking order? What's the rhythm of our team now? And it's different than it used to be. And I think he's very aware of that and is trying really hard not to screw it up. I've said on a few shows. LeBron's role is a work in progress. Thankfully, again, 17 and 6, it gives you more time to workshop when there isn't desperation fueling the need for an answer ASAP.

Starting point is 00:22:37 Let's ask this question. get into the clutch thing a little bit because this to me is fascinating. We'll talk about all that stuff next. Locked on Lakers is brought to you by Mint Mobile. There is no reason to let big wireless drain your wallet, especially during the holidays. A lot of spending. Right now, Mint Mobile is running their best deal of the year. All of their unlimited plans, 50% off.

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Starting point is 00:24:13 see mintmobile.com. So let's set the scene here, Andy. The Lakers are now 8-0 after winning in Philadelphia, 8-0 in clutch, what the NBA calls clutch situation, clutch time. Up by five, a game is within five points with five minutes to go. Generally speaking, these things even out.

Starting point is 00:24:44 There is, you know, if you are, 8-0 in these situations, usually, you know, you're going to get a couple losses thrown in there, just sort of law of averages and all that kind of stuff. That is often the thinking, and it is often the case that sometimes a record like this can be kind of fluky. However, with the Lakers, statistically there is some really interesting stuff going on with them in this clutch stretch of games that if you are a Lakers fan and a Lakers optimist and I can only presume most of you are, you should feel really good about why and how they got to be 8-0. First of all, it's all on the defense.

Starting point is 00:25:38 Like it is largely, I mean largely fueled by the defense. They have the number one clutch time defensive rating of 85.7, which is effing insane. That's like bad boy Pistons era defense. It is nearly 10 points better than the Effen Thunder who are an amazing defense. It's also responsible, very, very much responsible for. their nearly 27 net rating in clutch time is third, only behind OKC and Detroit. Their offense in clutch time is 12th, so good, not great. They are the number one clutch time defense for opponent field goal percentage,

Starting point is 00:26:25 for opponent three point percentage, for opponent effective field goal percentage in the clutch best. They are top five for opponent fast break points, opponent points off turnovers, opponent points in the paint. And those first two categories, the Lakers are bottom five to ten in the league for the entire game as a whole. They are just a completely different team defensively in the last five minutes of games. Everybody who has played at least three clutch time games has a defensive rating of 92.6 or better. So I'm talking Luca, LeBron, Austin, Rui, Marcus Smart, whose defensive rating in the clutch is 66.7.

Starting point is 00:27:09 DeAndre, the lower, the better for people who don't know. You shall not pass. DeAndre 8 and Jake LaRavia, they all have defensive ratings in clutch time of 92.6 or lower. Interesting, also clutch time wrinkle. Nobody has played minutes in all eight of the Lakers clutch time, And Jake and Rui have the most at seven, then Austin at eight and at six. Luca has only played in four or yeah, Luca's only played in four, LeBron only in three. So this is, the success is not about just being carried by the stars.

Starting point is 00:27:43 Their fourth quarter defensive training. Real quick, though, when you, when you mentioned that earlier, when we were sort of prepping for the show and stuff, that was a number that I hadn't seen that you dug up there. And that, to me, is really indicative of coaching. and a group that understands what it is supposed to be doing from top to bottom. And everybody, to the best of their ability, gets in there and plugs in and is capable of executing that plan. That, to me, is very impressive. Yeah, their fourth quarter defensive rating 111.2 is 11th in the league.

Starting point is 00:28:20 And it's five points better than their overall defensive rating, which is 116.20th. they're playing their best defense in the fourth quarter consistently, and they consistently get better defensively, the more the game goes along. Interesting, the best fourth quarter defensive rating among the rotation players. Luca has the best of everybody in the fourth quarter among rotation players. Another wrinkle that I found very interesting about this that I find optimistic, their defensive rating overall and for each quarter better on the road than at home,

Starting point is 00:29:00 which tells me, and obviously I'd have to look at every single game and, you know, the road wins and who they played against or whatever, but it speaks to me of they get more focused and dialed in on the road when the circumstances bring out more urgency and more focus in them, because we've talked before about how this team at times, If they can get by on 60% effort and win, they will get by. By the way, it's true of most. Sure.

Starting point is 00:29:28 But, you know, crypto.com arena too, you have the, you know, the stars and the, the ladies walking around the court all the time to make sure everybody's being seen. Maybe that's a distraction. I don't know. That should also be what focuses on, man. You know, you play well. You're focused on the wrong thing if you're watching the people walk by. I'm saying you could use that to inspire you.

Starting point is 00:29:49 One of those ladies could be your next. lady friend. Well, for some of them, it had better not be. For some of them might already be. Moving on. So real quick, because I was shocked by this number when I looked it up. Do you know what Oklahoma City's clutch record is? Yes, I do, because I just saw this.

Starting point is 00:30:13 Is it 10 and 9? It's 9 in 1. 9 in 1. 9 in 1. What's surprising to you about that? that that's that they've had that's what I was thinking of that they've had 10 clutch games yes I didn't think they had that many that's what I was thinking the 10 at 9 the 10 was stuck in my head so yeah so just I found that I was like I did not think they had that many close games this

Starting point is 00:30:34 season um the what if the Lakers hadn't made these improvements I'm like you can't get by like this all year long they're going to be there's going to be a time where the Lakers are going to need to play defense and say the second quarter or the first quarter or the third quarter as well as the last five minutes of the fourth quarter. But if they're playing defense for to be fair, they're playing defense in the fourth quarter. Yeah, I know, but you understand what I'm like they're really playing defense in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter. It's that, you know, obviously it shows that it's there. But what I think if their numbers didn't change a whole lot, if it was like, okay, they're a little bit better.

Starting point is 00:31:24 They're really hitting more threes than they did. In the last five minutes, they're dialed in and they're hitting a bunch of threes. They're getting really accurate. That would be a red flag because that will even out. Like your three point shooting in the last five minutes of a game, that will even out. your opponent's three-point shooting in the last five minutes of a game will even out. So, like, if the whole thing was built on teams suddenly go from shooting 47% against the Lakers

Starting point is 00:31:58 to, like, 19% in the fourth quarter. Okay, some of that is defense. Not all of it is. But the numbers aren't that. Like, it's not that just one thing. Like, you can point to it and say everything else is the same. but we're either hitting too many shots or they're not hitting shots. Those things even out.

Starting point is 00:32:17 But like, these are real statistical shifts that happen that make me think that they're not going to, they're going to lose a game in the final five minutes at some point of this season. They'll lose a few of them. But they could still win more than they lose. Lakers are going to be practicing on Tuesday. I'm planning on being there. And I want to ask JJ and some of the players, like how do they account for this?

Starting point is 00:32:42 because, for example, I rewatched the fourth quarter of the Philly win. And other than noticing just they seem a bit more physical in the way they played a lot of the defense in the fourth quarter, like a lot of the switching, I think, is more intentional or has more intentionality. It's definitely intentional. I think sometimes it's too automatic. But they're doing it with more intentionality. I think they're doing it with more physicality that can at least make it more difficult for the opponent, as opposed to what sometimes feels like the opponent dictating the defensive look that they want.

Starting point is 00:33:18 There's a certain amount more energy. But I'm wondering if it's about more than just truly locking in for the final five minutes or the final 12 minutes. Like if there's anything schematically that they're doing differently or anything JJ has or the players have noticed. But like there's there are a few interesting stats about. this team. Like they are undefeated in games where they turn the ball over fewer than 20 times. And I know that say 19 turnovers in a game feels too many and that feels like playing with fire and like, you know, that's that's not a great job taking care of the ball. And yeah, you're right. But it speaks to the idea of they don't necessarily have to play perfect

Starting point is 00:34:09 basketball in order to win these games. What they do, though, need to avoid is passing the threshold of shooting themselves in the foot or doing the things that often reflect a lack of focus that lead to excessive turnovers in the first place. I hold that thought because there are some numbers of sort of how their offense operates that I do think as the season goes along could become a little bit worrisome. I will explain what that means. We'll talk more about this. Let us know what you think about LeBron James,

Starting point is 00:34:44 your confidence in what he's going to look like going forward. How confident are you that he's going to play the next, whatever it is, 50-something games that they've got left? All that stuff. Leave us questions. Leave us comments on the YouTube page. We like to use that stuff on the show. Locked on Lickers on YouTube is where you can go hang out with over.

Starting point is 00:35:07 37,000 subscribers. Thanks again for being part of the number one podcast in the universe, number one sports podcast network in the universe. And we will see everyone tomorrow.

Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - Is LeBron James Back After a Big Game on Sunday? Plus, Why Have the Lakers Been so Clutch?

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