Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - Luka Dončić DOMINATES WITH EUROBASKET TRIPLE-DOUBLE... Plus, Will JJ Redick Keep going Small?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey, everyone, welcome to Lockdown Lakers for Monday. Brian Komenetsky, Andy Kaminetsky, Luca Donchich, has another great weekend for Slovenia. Will his team advance in Eurobasket? We'll tell you the next. You are Locked-on Lakers. Your daily Los Angeles Lakers podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network,

Starting point is 00:00:24 your team every day. Thanks to everybody for making Locktale Lakers first listen to every day, Monday through Friday, no matter how or you get your podcast, Andy. This one's always going to be free. We're never going to put it behind a paywall for people, not like some podcasts. We really do have to go pay for. Locked on Lakers on YouTube is where getting close to 37,000 subscribers are all hanging out.

Starting point is 00:00:45 They're talking to us. They're talking to each other. And they are watching. Lukat Dantzic in the Eurobasket competition continue to throttle opponents, whether Slovenia itself is able to win or not. The performance of Luca Dantzic has been incredibly strong throughout. We will break down. happened over the weekend and let you know how long Luca might be playing in this tournament.

Starting point is 00:01:11 And so we'll do all that. We'll open the mailbag, which is another thing that Lockdown-Lakers listeners and viewers have been contributing to, which we appreciate. Please keep that going. But first, Andy, we do need to tell people that this episode of Lockdown Lakers is brought to you by Monarch Money. Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use the code Lockton MBA at Monarchmoney.com, 50% off your first. year. So Slovenia itself split over the weekend. They lost to France. In a very competitive game, France is considered a title favorite in Eurobasket this year. With a wacky last five seconds.

Starting point is 00:01:51 Yeah, it was a lot going on. A competitive game for Slovenia against tournament favorite France, which we'll talk about in a second. We'll give you the numbers from all that. And then Slovenia did turn around on Sunday morning very early on the West Coast. That game, I got up at seven o'clock on Sunday morning to take my son to a soccer game, his game. That game against Slovenia versus Belgium had been over for like an hour and a half by the time I got up. So it was early. So we'll give you an idea of both how Luca did Andy, but also too, whether or not Slovenia can advance because you talked about this last week. There is an understandable impulse, I think, among Lakers fans specifically,

Starting point is 00:02:39 not fans of Slovenia, but like if you're just Laker fan, want to see Luca, there's at least an understandable impulse to see them, maybe exit the tournament a little earlier. Luca plays well. Slovenia goes out. I know a lot of Lakers fans would be okay with that. I'm not saying it's right or wrong. I'm just saying that is the reality.

Starting point is 00:03:04 If you are a Laker fan who is a Laker fan first, as opposed to a Laker fan that is really a Luka fan first, and you are welcome. The water is great. We Zadravo, all of that. We enjoy everybody that is coming over to become a Laker fan for whatever the impetus is. Or even like I get a Laker fan, who's a Luka fan,

Starting point is 00:03:27 but not to the, you know, but up to a point where you're not willing to risk certain things about your Laker season, if you will. I consider those people Laker fans first. I mean, just be honest, there is a certain conflict of interest going on where you want Luka to succeed because you are now a Luka fan. And also, the more Luka thrives in these games, the more excited you feel about the upcoming. coming Lakers season with Luca. However, the more that he succeeds, the more he may be playing for these games, that to be totally honest, you don't really care about the final results. So again, it's a delicate dance.

Starting point is 00:04:14 Right. Because there have been a couple injury scares. And I forget, was it the game, was the second game of the tournament where, you know, Luca, teammate was trying to take a charge. that player fell into Lucas leg. I think that was the second game against France. There was a play where a player on the French team was, I think it was Elia Kobo going after the ball

Starting point is 00:04:43 and went through Luca's leg sideways. It looked uncomfortable, and it started some pushing and shoving. And that, you know, those moments are very, very frightening to people. And so I will, I mean, I don't think it really requires much psychological explanation.

Starting point is 00:05:03 If you are rooting for the Lakers, you need Luca to be there. Therefore, you are worried about him getting injured this summer. Like, it's not all that complicated. No, I'm saying,

Starting point is 00:05:12 but like the, you know, the, I make these points because there have been moments. It's easy to say, like, guys, quit freaking out,

Starting point is 00:05:20 like, guys aren't getting hurt. There's, like, there have been moments in this tournament where like, oh my God,

Starting point is 00:05:26 that was scary. That was an awkward play. That could have been a lot worse, whatever it is. So, like, these things have already come up. My understanding from double checking and as much as possible, what is left is that for Slovenia to get out of their group, to advance in this tournament, they need to win their final two games. They are now one and two after beating Belgium on Sunday. They need to beat Iceland, which is their next game. that will be a game where Slovenia is favored because Iceland.

Starting point is 00:06:03 But the last game that they play in their group against Israel is a game where they will not be favored. The Israelis are a good team. Deniaavia is sort of the headliner there, very good NBA player. And they've got a lot of good players on that team. They actually beat France over the weekend. And so, you know, the French team, I think, was, looked a little bit like they might have been resting some guys, because they are already through.

Starting point is 00:06:31 But nonetheless, Israel beat them. So it could be a challenge for Slovenia to get through. I think that is what happens. If I am wrong, please leave comments, whether at Cam Brothers on Twitter on the YouTube page or whatever it is, and we will then correct ourselves. But, I mean, if you want to just focus, Andy, on Luca himself, in these two games.

Starting point is 00:06:55 The numbers he put up were fantastic against the French. Luca finished with a robust 39 points. He was 8 of 20 from the floor, 4 of 10 from 3 point range, 19 of 20 from the free throw line, 8 rebounds, 9 assists.

Starting point is 00:07:19 He had two steals. To say he did Yomans' work in that game against the team that has a lot of NBA players on it or guys who have been in the NBA. It would be an understatement. He was not as efficient against Belgium, only nine of 23 from the floor, but he did have what is rare in Eurobasket play, a triple double, 26 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists. So Luca continues to play dominant level basketball in this tournament. It's just the fourth Fibba Eurobasket triple double. Since 1995.

Starting point is 00:07:55 Luca also became the youngest player to reach 400 Eurobasket points in total, like in the 19 games that he's played since Tony Parker did it in 2007 at age 25. Lucas about 100-ish days over 26. Tony Parker was 100-ish days over 25. And from Slovene, only Gorond Dragic and Yakovic have reached his mile. Stone. Luca also has reached at least 400 points, 100 assists, 100 rebounds over those 19 games. He is the fastest at compiling those numbers in the 21st century. So like we've talked about before, Luca takes his Eurobasket very seriously. He also takes dominating in it very

Starting point is 00:08:45 seriously and he's done it really well. It's a great quote from one of his teammates. Alan Omec. Luca's triple double is normal. We were just waiting for the moment, and it happened today. Another one of his teammates, Ido Murrick, he's breaking records. I've always believed he could do this. This is a normal day at the office.

Starting point is 00:09:05 I'm even more glad that today we showed we can play a good defense and that we won. So, you know, this is one of those things where with Luca, it's almost just him meeting the insane expectations that he's created

Starting point is 00:09:20 for himself like this just really, really high baseline. And like a lot of great athletes, you know, Great Lakers before him, LeBron, Kobe, Magic, Kareem, down the line, just keeps topping himself. A couple more things on this Eurobasket weekend for Luca, and then we will bust open the mailbag talking first about JJ Redick. So all of that coming up next. Locked on Lakers is brought to you by Monarch Money.

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Starting point is 00:11:44 You can find the link in the show notes as well, and we appreciate you helping us out. I just wanted to mention, like, you know, when we talk about what Luca did, particularly on was it Friday morning against France and yeah the the quality of Luca's performance against a team

Starting point is 00:12:05 that has a lot of players that have NBA experience or are currently in the NBA four guys on the team are still in the NBA Right Gershine Yavisseli Zachary Rishasei Alexander Sarr

Starting point is 00:12:23 Bill Al-Kulibali is, these are four guys who play rotation minutes in the NBA. I believe Jalen Horde has NBA experience. I know Theo Maladon does Timothy Luawu Cabaro. He's got NBA experience. So this is a team that has a lot of high-quality players. And so, you know, again, the numbers that Luca put up against the French team to keep, you know, a very much. underdog Slovenian squad in the game.

Starting point is 00:12:56 You know, and he realized the triple double was against Belgium, but he still put up 39, 8, and 9 against France, damn near a triple double. And I just keep getting back to it, Andy. The amount of free throws that Luca is able to pile up in these games so far is really the sign to me of, you know, something special going on in terms of explosiveness. in terms of being able to get your body and get himself into positions to draw contact,

Starting point is 00:13:30 to get himself to the line. And I know it's not NBA defenses that he's facing, but if there was a kind of a lingering concern, at least for me, it was this notion that Luca, you know, his finishing rate at the rim has gone down since he was a rookie. And if you play that out, that trajectory of like, hmm, Is he going to hit this spot where he's just going to start not just settling for jumpers or whatever because he wants to, but maybe because he kind of has to. And at least over the summer, it looks like that's not a problem. He's getting back into the paint.

Starting point is 00:14:09 He's getting to the rim. He's drawing files. The only thing that really isn't working for Luca this summer in Eurobasket is the three-point shot, which obviously if he's shooting 20-ish percent during the Lakers season, that's going to. to be a problem, but I don't expect it to happen. So for the time being, I'm not worried about it at all. There was also this, the last like five seconds of the loss to France. There was an incident that turned into a minor brouhaha between Slovenia and France. A guy named Sylvan Francisco for France was seemingly dribbling out the clock and he and Luca met at the top of the arc, shook hands, little brohug. Then as Francisco was dribbling out the clock, he all of a sudden darts to the

Starting point is 00:14:57 basket and ends up scoring. And you see him actually look back towards his bench. And I am guessing because his coach, Frederick Falvo, defended him, you know, reminding of a point differential and that's how you end kind of like the play in tournament in the NBA. Or not, excuse me, the NBA It matters. Differential matters. And I am guessing, as he was dribbling this out, all of a sudden, folks on his bench, including maybe even his coach, started signaling him, hey, hey, score. Like, don't dribble this thing out.

Starting point is 00:15:31 He apologized afterwards and said, quote, I should have told him, no, defend, I'm going to attack. Suddenly, I remembered the basket average. I regret shaking his hand too early. That's why I told him afterwards, I accept what happened. We have to move forward now. it was kind of hilarious watching it in real time. I get why the Slovenians and Luca were pissed off.

Starting point is 00:15:53 Like I get it. But I don't think there was any malice behind it. No, Luca has too much stature for players to try to punk. Like they're not going to try to embarrass it. No, I agree. But like what I think what it indicates and just a reminder of is just how competitive the tournament is.

Starting point is 00:16:09 Like, you know, that this, you know, Luca has, you know, even setting this sort of thing aside, you know, and again, point differential matters and, you know, these things can, it can become important and all that stuff.

Starting point is 00:16:23 But Luca's picked up teas, I think, in every game, if not, maybe not one, but like, he's gotten teed up a ton in this tournament. There have been pushing and shoving.

Starting point is 00:16:33 Luca got, you know, I mentioned in the, in the game against France, he got kind of side swipe there and like that started pushing and shoving under the bench. There was a little scrapping,

Starting point is 00:16:42 I believe, against Belgium. There's just like these games are really chippy. European basketball in general is very chippy. And the crowds, it should be noted, are insane. Like we've, we've done a lot of interviews and stuff like that with guys, American players who've played overseas. And to a man, they will tell you, like, some of these buildings and some of these crowds,

Starting point is 00:17:01 like you think, you know, Oklahoma City is a rowdy crowd. He's like, you know, go play in, you know, some of the, you know, in these European leagues and some of these buildings. And they are crazy. And so they frankly in some of these games can get dangerous. It's a different level of crazy. No, they're like throwing things sometimes. Right.

Starting point is 00:17:21 It's like soccer. The stuff can get out of hand. But anyway, my point in mentioning that is not to impugn European basketball fans, but just to point out again, how intense of a competition this is. And so it's, we will see what the Slovenians do against Iceland. and then we will see what they do against Israel, and then we will know if they are continuing on in this tournament. So another thing that we have been trying to remind everybody to do is the mailbag.

Starting point is 00:17:56 You send us questions leaving comments here at the YouTube page. You can send them to Cambrothers on Twitter, Kamineski Brothers at gmail.com. We are findable, we are reachable, and if you leave us questions, we will try to answer them on the show, including Andy, questions like this one from Venice Beach Sports HQ. And we'll put the question out there and maybe get in a little, a little bit, and then we'll go to break. Perspectives on JJ Reddick and his management of a more classically big lineup and rotations,

Starting point is 00:18:29 as well as any other areas he might need to demonstrate development. Basically, now that JJ's got more of a normal rotation than he did at the end of last season, What do you think he'll do with it? The part of it that jumped out to me most interesting was the part about managing bigs. Just because JJ, there is a perception I've certainly seen among fans, and even some of the people that cover the team,

Starting point is 00:18:57 that JJ prefers to go small and will always be looking for ways to go small. And in particular, this became magnified during the playoffs as Jackson Hayes started playing less, and Alex Lenn was never an option for the playoffs, which is why he should have never been on the playoff roster. In the first place, Christian Coloco, I think should have been there, but if not Coloco, Jemison or whatever.

Starting point is 00:19:22 But the fact that neither one of them was ever even put on the playoff roster with JJ, I think fully aware, I am not playing Alex Lenn unless it's a matter of, I need enough players to legally finish a game, would reflect to a lot of people that JJ just doesn't want to play centers unless he has to. And I would caution reading too much into what we saw last year into what JJ wants to do automatically. I'm not even saying that I think JJ doesn't have some preferences towards going small because I think that's true. A lot of coaches do.

Starting point is 00:20:00 But it is worth noting that when the season began, JJ was going. way out of his way to run an offense through Anthony Davis. Like he was very much we are running, he is our first option, we are designing the system to operate through him.

Starting point is 00:20:19 There were a few occasions where he basically called timeouts to remind everyone, get the effing ball to Anthony Davis stop screwing around. Once Anthony Davis was traded, his center options in terms of talent,

Starting point is 00:20:35 dropped dramatically. So I think DeAndre Aiton, if nothing else, represents a more judgeable middle ground between Anthony Davis and Jackson Hayes as your best center. So we'll see where it goes from there. I've got some thoughts on this related to what you're saying. And then, you know, I'll let you know where I agree. There are a lot of places where I agree with you.

Starting point is 00:21:02 And I think there is some alarmism around JJ that isn't necessarily deserved. And we'll do it next. Lockdown Lakers is brought to you by Fandual. The NFL season is almost here. Fan Duel is making sure you are ready for kickoff with a can't miss offer. Right now, new customers, you bet just five bucks. And if your bet wins, you get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. So find something super obvious for that $5 bet and then boom.

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Starting point is 00:21:57 Download the Fandual app right now by visiting Fandle.com to get started. That's fandual.com to place your first $5 bet. Okay, so you alluded to this, Andy. I think so much, so much of the angst around JJ in terms of this lineup question. Is he determined to play small all the time or whatever? Is just the memory of the game where he subbed nobody in the second half? Game four of the playoffs against Minnesota. where he didn't play a big really functionally and didn't even try to get anybody you know any

Starting point is 00:22:45 size on the floor in the second half and so I I think there is this assumption because of that because of that sort of recency of the most you know in the minds of a lot of fans I've defended it more than some and would have done it but I at least understood it was a couple minutes away from working whether it should have or shouldn't know i i think that i'm not sure about that but go on they were they were winning up until the last couple minutes of the game it wasn't that you know it wasn't like they got run out of the gym is my point okay they almost got away with it it doesn't wouldn't have made it necessarily a good idea okay sometimes you can get away with a bad idea but i'm all but the perception of that game and of j jay would have been much

Starting point is 00:23:31 different if the lakers had escaped with a win it would the we'd talk about that game and much differently. You might not, but no, I wouldn't. But many people would. Okay. So I don't think that game is reflective of a larger philosophical belief in going away from Biggs. I think that game was reflective of having zero confidence in any of the centers that he had on the roster.

Starting point is 00:24:06 and a sense of understandable desperation that in this game, I need to play who I think are the five best players that I have. And I'm going to ride or die with them. And in that sense, it's just not reflective of what we would see under more normal circumstances. I don't disagree with you in terms of what Spark J.J. going there. I disagree with you though that the idea of so much of this is born from that game. This was

Starting point is 00:24:41 something that was being talked about with JJ all season. So I, and that's the reason I don't. In the first half of the season, not only was even just a matter of playing things through AD, you know, the Lakers played large

Starting point is 00:24:57 a lot. They played with AD and Rui and LeBron on the floor. They play the Lakers were a big team. Sure, but the other two guys were not centers. And I think it's specifically, it's not even so much specifically a matter of wanting to be like Golden State small. It's more a matter of playing without centers and valuing the skill sets of a Rui or a LeBron or last season, a DFS, more than the skill sets of a guy that's closer to an actual traditional center. And I, and like, I said, this went on during the regular season. Why? Why? Why do you think that went that way? I think it was, I mean, once I already talked about what happened post-A-D, there was also a period

Starting point is 00:25:47 that I think sort of gets lost in all the details of everything that happened during the season, but Jackson Hayes missed like 15 or so games with an ankle sprain. And from there, the options were Anthony Davis or Coloco or Jemison. And in those moments, and I think a lot of coaches would have done the same thing, JJ opted for either DFS or Rui or LeBron. Because those guys are better. Of course. Of course.

Starting point is 00:26:13 Players. Right. That's why I would have, I personally would have a bigger problem with a coach shoehorning in a lesser center. I love the effort that Trey Jamison puts into a game. I, you know, I think Coloco did some good things. I'm glad they've kept them around.

Starting point is 00:26:31 I think he's got potential to become a rotation caliber. center all the to say the least moments of you know the more you play either one of those guys the more you get a diminishing return and like they're just they're marginal NBA players and if my choice is to you know go small and you know

Starting point is 00:26:55 put DFS out of position play LeBron a little bit out of position forced to play ruby up you know as a center I'm going to do that sure because right and so this year he's got a center that's like you said, much closer to the impact that Anthony Davis is going to have. And I think what you will see is Davis, I'm sorry, Aiton plays 28 to 30 something minutes. And then you're still left with, and this is another mailbag question that we probably won't get deep into in this episode. We'll do it maybe for tomorrow.

Starting point is 00:27:33 you're still left with a situation where the backup center is at the very least a gigantic question mark. And so if you don't get, I think Hayes will play some. I think Claibah actually could play some. And then they may mix and match. He's the last center that JJ played. That's right. Well, they'll mix and match a little bit based on what you need

Starting point is 00:27:55 out of a backup center that night. But they're going to be nights when you go from Aiton, back to Rui smaller lineups, LeBron and center, whatever it might be, depending on the matchup, because those are still better players.

Starting point is 00:28:09 Absolutely. All I was just... That just reinforces to me, though, the idea that it's not... You're not... You know, again, philosophically, he's not saying,

Starting point is 00:28:25 like, I'm going to play small, come hell or high water, because that's what I want to do. It's, I'm going to try to maximize my best players. And that's a different thing to me. Absolutely. I mean, like I said before,

Starting point is 00:28:37 the only thing I was disputing was that so much of this came from that game four in the playoffs. I think it came way before then. I do think that there is some evidence in the way JJ has, I think, generally talked about basketball. And some of the players and the skill sets that he seems to covet, that I understand where people's perception, positive, negative, or neutral, that JJ prefers to go small when possible, I understand where that comes from. And to be clear, this season may provide some evidence that that actually is correct.

Starting point is 00:29:16 I just think this upcoming season is the better one to actually judge it on than last season. That's my larger point is I don't think contextually there were enough options there for JJ to really say he was going small a lot of that time because that's just philosophically what he prefers. That's all. But the only other thing I would add, and this is more just less about your analysis and more about just the way this gets talked about. It is a mistake in my mind to talk about, and you said it yourself, like a lot of times what people are saying when you talk about going small is just playing without a center. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:29:59 It is a mistake to call that and make that the primary and only criteria for whether you're playing big or whether you're playing small because you can still play with a lot of size on the floor without playing with a center. If you're playing five guys who are 6-5 to 6-9, you know, 6-5. to 610, something like that. You're kind of big. You know, you're playing with a lot of length, if nothing else, in the floor. And the Lakers

Starting point is 00:30:33 have multiple lineups that they can put out where the shortest guy on the floor is going to be AR. 6.5. That's 6.5. No, I'm just double checking. I would forget what Smart

Starting point is 00:30:49 is listed at. But he's got a, you know, Smart's got a pretty long reach. And he's just he is super strong. He's stronger than a lot of guys. I knew he was shorter than Reeves and I just wanted to double check. He's listed at 6.3. I wasn't sure if it was 6.3 or 6.4. But he's stronger than a lot of like fours in the league. Right. He's a really strong dude. And his deep, you know, former d. O. Y and all this stuff. So it's like a little bit like they're going to there's it is it just don't just make it about are you taking one center off the floor and putting

Starting point is 00:31:24 another center on the floor with him? Are you taking your center and pairing another big with him? Are you playing two centers at once? You know, you have a guy like, it's a little too reductive for me to look at it that way. So he says some more flexibility this year. But when Aiton isn't on the floor, if that's your criteria, then the Lakers are going to be small a lot because they don't have great backup centers. Well, I think, I think in the minds of a lot of Laker fans, and again, even some of the to cover the team. They would say that JJ's instincts to go small or the preference to go small, the way we're talking about this, is indicative

Starting point is 00:32:08 of him valuing the shooting that you can get from a Ruey, a DFS or a LeBron, over the skill sets that you would get from a more traditional center, whether AD, Hayes, or whoever. And again, I would say that last season, certainly from about December onward, was not really a great way to judge it one way or another, regardless of how you actually feel about it. I think this coming season will give you more info. Locked on Lickers on YouTube is where you can go hang out with over 36,000

Starting point is 00:32:41 subscribers to the channel. We, of course, will be back tomorrow. Keep sending us those mailback questions. Maybe put out another call for this week. But yeah, send us to us at the YouTube page. send it to us at Twitter, and we will respond to as many of them as we can. And we'll see everyone tomorrow.

Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - Luka Dončić DOMINATES WITH EUROBASKET TRIPLE-DOUBLE... Plus, Will JJ Redick Keep going Small?

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