Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - Karl-Anthony Towns, Austin Reaves, and the Challenge of Being the 2nd Best Player

Starting point is 00:00:00 What does Carl Anthony Towns's incredible postseason say about the second best player on a team role? Tell you 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 everyone for making Locked on Lakers, your first listen to every day. Brian Komenesky, Andy Komenesky, plenty to unpack as we talk. We get deeper into the Lakers offseason, and the NBA finals, Andy, have been, we'll see what happens Monday night in game three at the Garden, but the Knicks with a commanding two zero lead on the Spurs. I know thus far I am looking like my prediction is going to be wrong.

Starting point is 00:00:52 Yours not looking great either. But for those we don't remember, you had Spurs and six. I had Spurs in seven. Yeah. And I'm glad I didn't say Spurs in five because I'd already be done. But you look at this and one of the things that's gone right for the Knicks in this series, but really throughout the entire postseason is the play of Carl Anthony Towns. Shooting 57% from the floor, he's averaging 11 rebounds a game,

Starting point is 00:01:21 just the steadiness with which he's contributed on both ends. And if you get into like per 36 numbers and efficiency numbers and all that stuff, it's just, you know, his advanced numbers are just, crazy good box plus minus of 11.4, wind shares per 48, 335. It's just like these are numbers that are so far beyond his career norms. And it's interesting because like the way he's playing, I think most people would agree, he is not, he is not their focal point as a player. Most people would call Kat, their second best player behind Jalen Brunson.

Starting point is 00:02:00 it is instructive about that role of second-best player in ways that I know you have been talking about a lot as it relates to Austin Reeves, which we'll get to in a second. And why, you know, kind of what the Lakers do, like we were talking about it on Monday's big show, like where Reeves lands and what you're able to put around and all that stuff makes a huge difference. Yeah, it's interesting with Kat.

Starting point is 00:02:25 He hasn't just been playing so well throughout the playoffs, but he's been playing well in ways that he's shown flashes up at times, but I think never this type of consistent level when the games matter as much as they do in the playoffs. Like his defense, both in the finals, especially when guarding Victor Weimonyama, but throughout the postseason has been excellent. He's been used as much more of a playmaker in the playoffs

Starting point is 00:02:55 than he typically has for the course of his career. percentage of 26 over 26%. Yeah, I mean, he's averaging a shade under six assists per game in the playoffs, which I think is roughly double the next highest amount that he's ever averaged in the postseason. It's a reminder of, and this is something I've talked about a lot when it comes to team building broadly, but with the Lakers specifically and Austin. And Austin stationed whether you're talking about responsibilities, salary or

Starting point is 00:03:29 both as the second best player on the Lakers, my concerns about him not being at that level. He is a really good player. But the level required to be the second best player on a championship team, even before taking into account what Kat has done in these playoffs, Carl Anthony Towns is a six-time all-star, three-time all-NBA team member. and he's a guy that a lot of people have had doubts about being able to play at this level, like for a team with championship aspirations, is he good enough to be the second best player? It is so difficult to reach that level.

Starting point is 00:04:15 And part of being at that level is, is this player good enough that if for whatever reason, your number one guy is struggling and Jalen Brunson has been for the majority, of the finals struggling to make shots. He's been very good in the closing stretch of both games to make some big shots, but he has spent most of it really, really struggling. The spurs would at minimum be one in one in this series, maybe even up 2-0 if Kat were not playing so well. And that to me is one of the hallmarks of a truly, truly solidified quality number two player is depending on the reasons, they can step up when your number one guy is struggling to play at their level. That's something that we have not seen from Austin specifically in the playoffs in a while.

Starting point is 00:05:10 Well, I'll get to that in a minute here because, like, you know, for people who've been in the numbers, Brunson's averaging 25 points a game through the first two games. He's also shooting 34%. So, I mean, it's been highly inefficient. to say the least, you know, so the thing about towns, and again, if you want to look at the, you know, if you look at the advanced numbers, particularly the raw numbers for his playoff totals and stuff, don't leap off the page relative to his historic playoff performance, which has been sometimes good, sometimes not great, sometimes okay.

Starting point is 00:05:48 But, you know, the knock on cat is just he's not a complete player. He particularly defensively doesn't step up or whatever it might be. you know, his efficiency numbers, his true shooting is, you know, over 70%. His free throw rate is higher than it's really ever been in the playoffs. His rebounding rate is higher really, aside from the first time he was in the playoffs, five games in 2017, 2018 with the Wolves, his rebounding percentages is higher than it's ever been. His assist percentage higher than it's ever been. You know, offensive win shares, defensive win shares, everything that you want to

Starting point is 00:06:25 look at, pick whatever advanced metric that you need. I look at it this way too. It is a reminder, both of what you say, like, it's really, really hard to be like this number two guy. And most guys who are sort of up at this level are extremely inconsistent in the playoffs. I think people look at like stars and think, oh, those guys are just always, their money in the playoffs, they're nails.

Starting point is 00:06:55 look at the amount of guys, and these are excellent basketball players, you know, top tier, all-stars, some of them all-N-B-A players and stuff like that. We just watched the Chet Holmgren meltdown in the last series. He was bad, I mean, legitimately bad, and the guy belongs on every all-N-B-A team you're going to find. Brunson's shooting 34% in this series. Shea, who I think often was the best player on the floor, certainly for the Thunder, was still up and down with his efficiency.

Starting point is 00:07:25 And you can Some of that with Shay was the guys that he was missing. No question. He was in a position of being just focused on more than he would be. But also, he's also the MVP of the league. And so most, when you start going down the ladder, like most of the time, you're going to get inconsistent performances,

Starting point is 00:07:46 even from your best players as the playoffs go on, because the competition gets really, really hard. It is harder to be good. A, you're tired. B, the teams are better. They're always better defensively. Like, seven games against the Thunder, seven games against the spurs. Seven, like, good luck with that.

Starting point is 00:08:05 It's hard. Next, I want to talk about the two about sort of, like, how that relates to Austin, but also how that relates to the rest of the roster. We touched this a little bit for Monday's show, but I want to big show, but I want to expand on it a little bit. We'll do that next. Lockdown Lakers is brought to you by Fandul, the biggest, stage and world soccer is here. Every match feels like it has the potential for a memorable moment.

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Starting point is 00:12:11 I would say Wembe, but Wembe struggled in, you know, in the finals thus far. Like a Shea, one of these just sort of bulletproof guys where, even, you know, Yokic, even when they're kind of, eh, performances are just more like mortal than they are, like, legitimately bad. It, it, it, like, Austin, to me, when I see a lot of the way that the playoffs have played out, it kind of actually puts his, to me at least, postseason in a little bit better perspective. Like, there were some clunkers in there, but he also did some good stuff.

Starting point is 00:12:46 And he got into the paint and it's like some of his numbers of, of like when you break down playoffs, analytics and stuff like that were pretty good in terms of paint touches and paint scoring and things like that. But to your point, it like where they start on that thing, like what's Austin's top level versus Carl Anthony Towns versus you know, Stefan Castle or Deerran Fox or whatever might be? then it gets to the depth question because like who is the second best player on san antonio i don't know it's probably castle or maybe it's fox or you know dylan harper might it be their second best player right now or whatever maybe it's devon vassel or whatever it is a

Starting point is 00:13:36 but at any given night it can be any of those guys and so even if you don't have a clear number two or you could say like you know what austin's is good at least offensively as those guys or maybe a little more dynamic or whatever. San Antonio's got five of them. New York has towns. They've got Brunsson. They've also got O.G. Ananobe.

Starting point is 00:13:57 Josh Hart is a as top end a role player as you can find in the NBA. Just to fill in the cracks and do everything. And still can sneaky, you know, every seventh game put up 24 for you. Like, you know, you've got McHale Bridges. You've got Landry Shammit, like,

Starting point is 00:14:16 slotted into a perfect role there. They've got a lot of really good players. So even if you don't think that towns, year in and year out, has the stuff to be a perfect number two or whatever it might be, it matters less when you have four or five other guys around you. Wemby's performance matters, but it would be catastrophically even worse for, you know, because they've got Fox, they've got Castle,

Starting point is 00:14:45 they've got Harper, they've got the cell, and a lot of, you know, champagne has been really good. All that stuff matters. It's not just about Austin. It's also, okay, if Austin is that guy, how do we put a better infrastructure around Austin and Luca? And that to me is just as big of a challenge, if not bigger than picking who your second guy is. I think they're all equal challenges, but we're also, it doesn't change the fact that even though that's a big part of the challenge, you still have to evaluate correctly where Austin is. And like what's interesting, I mean, I, this, this comp between Kat and Austin is something that hit me while watching Game 2 of the finals and just thinking about how great Kat has been. And frankly, how awesome it is to see Kat celebrated the way he's been, just because he's always been a really good player.

Starting point is 00:15:37 He is a really good person. I think he is a sensitive person in a way that doesn't always translate well into sports. Sports culture, particularly sports culture that's consumed by men and somebody that can be vulnerable and at times imperfect and at times needing to be better over the course of his career. But what's interesting also what I was thinking about somebody like Harley Anthony Towns on this team and the position that he's in now on the Knicks, he began as somebody drafted to be the number one with the Red Wolfs. And it eventually became clear that he's not at that level. Because you're talking about a handful, like a small handful of players that really prove themselves at that level. But once he's been slotted to the guy that is behind in the packing order, but you know has the talent to perform as a number one, certainly on a semi-regular basis,

Starting point is 00:16:41 he's more properly slotted. And it actually got me thinking a lot about Powell. He took the Grizzlies as the number one guy to the playoffs a few years in a row. They got swept all of those seasons. And it was very clear, Pau was not good enough to be that guy. He ends up getting traded to the Lakers. He sure as hell is good enough to be the number two alongside Kobe. And there were many games where Powell offset whatever struggles Kobe may have been having

Starting point is 00:17:10 in a particular game. Like he was at that level. I'm just, as I've said, concerned that they have Austin slated at a level that I don't know, particularly alongside Luca, because he and Luca have so many of the same strengths and weaknesses

Starting point is 00:17:30 and are in a lot of ways, very similar players. Like Jalen Brunson and Carl Anthony Towns have some of the same weaknesses, but they're totally different players. I get nothing else. They're completely different prototypes. So at least the skill sets vary and the positions vary.

Starting point is 00:17:50 Those, this just, it underscores the recurrent concerns that I have expressed just about this build with Austin slated where the Lakers seem to envision him, but also may have no other choice than to put him there. Well, I think that's, you know, we talk about that a lot on Monday. the big show a Monday is to like they really don't have unless they have a really great plan to just revamp the whole thing and replace it and do something better like because I both of us have said I've said I was an Austin supporter I've said you can find a better fit go do it which is very skeptical that you can I'll say two things about what you're saying I'm less concerned

Starting point is 00:18:30 about the slotting and I don't think this is exactly how you mean it but just in terms of because I don't think those things are really set in stone it's not like your number two has to be like there's like an order in which guys have to perform and play in a certain way or whatever. But like, again, if you're paying Austin 40, you know, the difference between paying him 32 versus 37 versus 40 versus 42 is can be the difference between can you go find another player who is essentially at that level. And then you have two Austin's. And now you might be in good shape. Like that's, that's okay. Austin can be your second high.

Starting point is 00:19:08 player but your third best player like the way the NBA works like it doesn't always by highest you mean paid second highest paid exactly second highest paid player but you have another guy who you pick up because he's younger or maybe he's early and really whatever is who makes 27 million dollars but he's actually better like that's fine this sort of thing happens um you know I mean and anyway look at AJ Mitchell on the on the on the on the thunder there are you know so like that Part of it's okay to me. And I think, you know, you, the one good thing about Austin and Luca together, if you lock that up, you know exactly what you need to fix. Sure.

Starting point is 00:19:48 And to some degree, this is kind of the Nix model because it's not just your number two. It's also like you say, the combination with your number one. You have Carl Anthony Towns. You have Jalen Brunson. That's a lot of offensive talent with some, you know, especially with Brunson, some real defensive question marks. So how do you address that? you address it with Mikhail Bridges, you address it with Josh Hart,

Starting point is 00:20:12 with OG Ananobe, with Mitchell Robinson. You get guys who are really good defenders and two-way players and stuff like that. Those eyes are expensive, they cost money, they are hard to find,

Starting point is 00:20:28 and all that kind of stuff. But it is both of those things. It's not just who is your number one, who is your number two, how do they fit together? it's like, okay, what can you put around both of those guys? And so, I mean, I think the predictability, like I said, it's okay. And it's okay if Austin is the second highest paid player on the team.

Starting point is 00:20:48 But you have to be able to find ways to supplement those guys. And the more Austin makes, the harder it is to do it in the same way that if LeBron makes 30 next year, it's harder for next year to find. It's like you pointed out on Monday. Austin's deal really hurts helps hurts affects them not so much next year but for the remaining deals the years of Austin's group so it's it is a it's a tricky thing that is in front of them but it's a holistic look where you've got to be able to find you know that you know 15 to 25 million dollar level the Lakers just need to

Starting point is 00:21:30 find more impactful players yeah we'll see how it goes locked on Lakers on YouTube is we're going to hang out with over 30,000 subscribers of the channel. Lots of good guests coming up for you. I got Raj Chapalou coming up on Wednesday for everybody. So we'll see you all next time.

Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - Karl-Anthony Towns, Austin Reaves, and the Challenge of Being the 2nd Best Player

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