Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - The Lakers End 2024 With 122-110 Loss to Cavaliers. Dorian Finney-Smith, Shake Milton Make Debuts.

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey, everyone, welcome to Lockdown Lakers for Wednesday. Brian Komenetsky, Andy Kaminetsky, the Lakers finished 2024 with a loss to Cleveland, but it wasn't the end of the world. We'll explain 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 of every day, Monday through Friday, no matter how or where you get your podcast. This one, Andy, is always going to be free. It is never going to be behind a paywall. Locked on Lakers on YouTube, of course, is where over 26,000, very quickly approaching

Starting point is 00:00:50 27,000 subscribers to the channel are all ready to start 2025, Andy, after the Lakers finished this year with a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the same cavaliers that, beat the snot out of him at the end of October in Cleveland, a much more competitive game on Tuesday night, New Year's Eve. Lakers still, though, do lose 122 to 110. You know, it's crazy because I know people are going to say they lost by 12, how competitive could it be? The Cavaliers point differential this season is plus 11.9.

Starting point is 00:01:31 So basically beating a team by 12 is an average night at work for the cavaliers. Every day. They are. That is crazy. Look, look, the calves ran their record to 29 and 4 in this game. And I understand it's still early, Andy. We're not even at the All-Star break.

Starting point is 00:01:52 And maybe it's too early to crown the calves and this and that, whatever. But right this very second, when you win 29 of the 33 games of the National Basketball Association that you've played, They've played nine games against the Western Conference. They are undefeated. They're good. And ultimately, I think that's what this game was. And when I said in the open, it's not all bad. I think this was a potentially positive night for the Lakers for reasons we can get into here.

Starting point is 00:02:32 over the course of the show. But I mean, just from a mechanical standpoint, this is going to be a tough night for the Lakers. No Gabe Vincent. He was out with that oblique injury suffered against the Kings on, where are we, Monday? Saturday. Saturday.

Starting point is 00:02:50 These holidays, like, popping up on Wednesdays and stuff, I am completely lost. I have no idea what day it is. Plus NFL games are playing on Wednesdays and Saturdays. All of my signposts are on Wednesdays are on Wednesdays are on Wednesdays and Monday. are wrong. Yeah, it's completely screwed up. Get your bleed together 2025. Let's just do things in a little more orderly fashion. The hell's going on. Hanukkah is still happening? Like, it's like January 1st and we're still, we're still finishing up Hanukkah? What are we doing here? Can't handle it. But anyway, so, no.

Starting point is 00:03:26 So the, I mean, I kind of commend the Lakers for realizing this Saturday. night they had a game to get to because I could have easily forgotten. Right. No, it's like, oh my God, it's, wait, it is Tuesday. I'm supposed to be a theater. I mean, the day before was LeBron's birthday. Like, I mean, it all is just wacky right now.

Starting point is 00:03:46 So kudos to them for showing up. But run organization. I they get their reminders on their phone. I, you know, so with no gay Vincent because of the oblique injury,

Starting point is 00:04:00 then the Lakers were integrating two new players, Dorian Finney Smith and Shake Milton, both making their debuts with the Lakers. So you combine that. It was going to be a little clunky anyway with two rotation guys that hadn't really done, I think, in one practice with the group. Like, that's a lot to go against a team that is easily the best offensive team in the NBA. They certainly showed why on Tuesday, but is also a top 10 defense. So, and you're doing this. without DeAngelo Russell as the guy who typically runs big chunks of your second unit. And obviously, I want to make clear from the jump, I was in favor of the trade when the Lakers

Starting point is 00:04:43 made it. I remain in favor of the trade. I think it's a good trade. That being said, we talked about how the ball handling and floor generaling by DeAngelo Russell was going to be, it's going to be something that needed to be accounted for. This was a difficult game to account for the circumstances, but you could see where it was missed tonight. Yeah, for sure. And it's something the Lakers are going to have to adjust to. I would just like to note that I am also in favor of the trade until it doesn't work,

Starting point is 00:05:17 in which case I was always against it. So because that's just the right way to handle these things. I, you know, look, there was there were some good stuff. there was definitely some good stuff in this game. And we start with Austin Reeves. You talk about having to pick up the slack in the playmaking. Part of the reason the Lakers feel comfortable in doing what they were doing is because Reeves has shown the ability to do that playmaking, to do that organizing and stuff, particularly in conjunction with LeBron. You know, Reeves went for 35, 9, 9, and 10 in this game.

Starting point is 00:05:52 And that is certainly a positive stat line. you know, four turnovers. It didn't matter at all because the game was totally out of hand at this point. The Lakers were down 12 and there's like 20 seconds left in the game. But Cleveland put up a shot to miss or to basically just beat the clock. Austin went so hard for that rebound trying to get the triple double. It actually knocked it away, I think, from another Laker. And Cleveland ended up getting it again, did not matter in the slightest.

Starting point is 00:06:25 But it's one of those reminders that whenever guys say they didn't know their stats, they always know their stats. It's a gigantic scoreboard hanging right above them. They all know exactly where they are. Again, all plays with right there. I'm not accusing. This was not Ricky Davis level triple double chasing. I'm just saying it was very obvious. Austin wanted that triple.

Starting point is 00:06:47 I don't blame them. Two in a row. They're hard to get. And two in a row, I don't blame them. But it was transparent. Yeah. You're saying, we see you, Austin Reed. But there was 13 free-through, the big number for me beyond the 10 assists and four

Starting point is 00:07:07 turnovers. And I think, you know, that sort of two and a half, two to one, like he's going to be a high turnover guy for the rest of the. They were very front-loaded too. Yeah, they were. And, you know, hopefully it's something that he can cut down on and all that. but the 13 free throws to me were critical here. And I just, I don't think it's coincidental that Reeves has been able to do more and be more effective offensively

Starting point is 00:07:35 since they've taken some of that defensive burden away by putting Max Christie in the starting lineup. And, you know, it's that effect for both him and LeBron should get even stronger with the addition of Finney Smith. And so both of those guys are going to find themselves not needing to play defense. They do. But not having to do it under the most difficult circumstances possible, where you can focus more on being a really good member of a solid team defense than you are, I got to get out there and try to shut down Donovan Mitchell or Darius Garland or whatever. And my team also needs me to score 25 points tonight to win. And I'm talking about both LeBron and- Sure. I mean, in the case of Austin, it gets to the general concerns that I have had, and frankly, still have about putting more on his plate than he's just capable of handling, that he's just not at that level of a player.

Starting point is 00:08:43 He's very good. But the level of being able to handle it, that type of responsibilities as a, two-way player or a really, really even high-end one and a half player. Like, those are damn good players and really like the upper 5, 4% of the league. I think it can be underestimated just how good you have to be to do that. So hopefully you are correct that those other guys easing that load for what it's worth. I thought Max Christie defensively was quite good in this game. I think he's great.

Starting point is 00:09:17 Like he made, you know, we can talk about. some of the numbers. So I do want to focus a little bit on Christy because, you know, you look at Cleveland putting up 122 points and I would again like to remind people they are the best offensive team in basketball. But the numbers inside here are really interesting in terms of how Cleveland got to 122. So we'll get to that next. Lockdown Lakers is brought to you by Rocket RX. If you're ready to boost your confidence, take control in the bedroom. Rocket RX has the solution. Imagine feeling more prepared. Performing at your best. Rocket RX. It's simple, stress-free. Rocket RX offers FDA-approved treatments for erectile dysfunction at a lower cost than branded alternatives. No more uncomfortable doctor visits or pharmacy trips. Everything delivered straight to your door in discrete plane packaging with Rocket Rx. You'll get trusted care from a real U.S. clinical team complete with a quick 100% online consultation. And you can get your free prescription today. Visit rocketrx.com to get started. only takes two minutes. Right now, our listeners can get 40% off your first order when you use the code

Starting point is 00:10:27 locked on NBA. That's rocketrX.com code locked on NBA for 40% off your first order. Terms and conditions apply. Rocket RX, better sex, made simple. A lot of you out there saw the postcast with Dave Pele. Make sure you are tuning into that quick reaction off of every game in that is on game nights. Dave Palet will bring you the postcast on the channel. And of course, you can sign up for the Locked-on Lakers newsletter. Go to Lockedond Daily.com, click on Lockedon Lakers and have the show, along with a bunch of NBA analysis delivered to you every single day except for Wednesday because there is no newsletter on New Year's Day. Just learn that myself.

Starting point is 00:11:16 Anyway, it's a new thing we're doing. It is. It's a brand new thing. And I am at least learned. I am pleased that I learned this before. writing the newsletter because I made that mistake earlier in the holidays. Anyway, that's neither here nor there. I could have used an email.

Starting point is 00:11:35 Anyway, you look at this box score and obviously Cleveland didn't exactly struggle to put up points. They certainly got buckets when they needed them. And, you know, okay. But Donovan Mitchell is 8 of 20, needed 20 shots to get 26 points. That is certainly very tolerable from a guy. And a few of the threes that he hit were like, not many guys in the league can do that to begin with type of threes. Yes.

Starting point is 00:12:10 And, you know, Darius Garland needed 16 shots to score 14 points. And, you know, that is obviously very good work from the Lakers there. It was really guys like Max Strues who hit four of his eight threes. And, and, you know, but like he, heater, man. Max Drews to me, I mean, that's what you hope, to some degree, Dalton Connect can become. It's like a guy who is just incredibly dangerous from there.

Starting point is 00:12:39 And while not a, you know, all-star level player is somebody who you always have to account for and can win games for you over the course of a season just by, like you say, going on a heater like that. And then the Lakers really struggle with Jared. for the entire game, 12 of 14 from the floor, 14 rebounds, including three offensive rebounds. He had three blocks. He had 27 points.

Starting point is 00:13:05 And so, you know, it was really the bigger guys. Evan Mobley had 20. But to your point about Christy, he was working hard and fighting over screens and contesting shots and all that, like, you could see the impact he was having, making Cleveland work. I was very impressed. Yeah, I remember there was a sequence where I don't remember if it was Garland or Mitchell

Starting point is 00:13:34 or Struce. It was one of the three point guys, but they were running Max off multiple screens to try to shake whoever it was loose. And Max ended up getting skinny around like the third screen of that sequence and managed to challenge it into a miss.

Starting point is 00:13:50 It was just incredible effort. And I thought he did just a really good job staying with very difficult covers. They clearly had Max Christie on their scouting report and like a guy that they were focusing on to take out defensively in order to try to get their shots. Meaning see if you can avoid, you know, put him,

Starting point is 00:14:14 get him away from the guy who's trying to do. Yes, yes. Yes. I mean, Christy was top of mind in terms of guys we have to account for in order to run our offense. and it was very clear that they were focusing on taking him out of place, and I thought he did a really good job fighting it. You mentioned Jared Allen.

Starting point is 00:14:35 I thought he was the most impactful player in this game, and I actually thought he outplayed Anthony Davis, which says a lot because Anthony Davis had 28 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, three steals, two blocks, and certainly had a good game. but I just thought Jared Allen was the force for Cleveland and really the force in this game that the Lakers could just not figure out a way to account for. And there were just so many different times where he kept a play alive for Cleveland.

Starting point is 00:15:14 And Cleveland doubled the second chance points of the Lakers 24 to 12. That's 12 points. Lakers lost by 12. I'm not saying it was just those second chance points that led to the loss, but I think it's indicative to the effect that Jared Hallen was having in general in this game. He was, plus the rim running, he was phenomenal. He was. And to me it speaks to the kind of the whackamol nature of trying to defend an offense that good,

Starting point is 00:15:43 because, okay, fine, you figure out a way to keep Garland down, you can keep Mitchell, you know, at least in check, like a normal, a 264 and 4 game from Donald and Mitchell on 8 to 20 shooting, you take that as an opposing coach. You're like, okay, that's fine. We can work with that. But then you couldn't quite account for Evan Mobley, and you couldn't quite account for Max Drews.

Starting point is 00:16:09 And they move the ball well. And they're just really good. And I look at this game as a, As a potential positive, you know, certainly listening to the postgame show, I was waiting to hear JJ Redick speak, you know, guys who have been around a little bit, you know, James Worthy and Robert Orie, they had kind of the same feelings that I did. It's like this, they played a good game, kept fighting back, you know, double digit deficits and stuff, getting it pretty close, couldn't get ahead because every time they really need,

Starting point is 00:16:49 you know, it was getting late at Cleveland got a stop. They got a couple buckets. They got timely shots. The Lakers certainly didn't. You can't shoot nine for 35 against a team like Cleveland from three point range and expect to win. They had some in and outs too. Rui had a couple that rimmed in and out. Max had a couple that rimmed in and out.

Starting point is 00:17:08 Like they actually got some decent looks. The looks were, yeah. And they just could not knock any of them down. Like, you know, we'll talk about Jake Milton and Dorian Finney Smith. how they looked, I'm sure, in the next segment. But it was funny, like, Jake Milton ran the gamut from these, I think this was in back-to-back sequences. He had a corner three that he could have had like a straight drive to the rim, and he ended

Starting point is 00:17:34 up taking a step back and draining the three. And then his next attempt was an air ball three. It was a pretty wide spectrum. Life comes at you fast. Yes, it is. We connect, Dalton Connect, was missed all five of his threes, really missed all three. all three of his. Reeves for the 35 points was only one of four from three point range. Christie was only one of five. Like you,

Starting point is 00:17:59 JJ Redick said afterwards, like you have to play near perfect to beat a team like Cleveland because they're not going to do you any favors. And part of near perfect is you can't be nine of 35 from three point range. Especially with two were from Anthony Davis because that's not something you're counting on. No. And LeBron was three of six. So you like that percentage. And they played really hard in this game. They gave themselves chances to get back into it. And you see the difference between an elite team in Cleveland and a good team in the Lakers is one of the things. It was the timeliness of when you hit a shot.

Starting point is 00:18:36 And I've said a few times over the course of the season. I don't know if got to have it three-pointers are like a really quantifiable statistic. Like how exactly do you define it? but like we all know what it is. Like you're sitting on your couch or you're sitting in the arena and you're watching it. And you know at that moment in the game, somebody shoots a three and you're like, that's got to go in. It's like the way the Supreme Court described pornography.

Starting point is 00:18:59 Yeah. I know what it is when you see it. Supreme Court's made up a bunch of purves. I think it was Felix Frankfurter who said that, which sounds like kind of a dirty name. or a gnome de plume for adult films. I perform under the name Felix Frankfurter. It's also unfortunately my name. Everyone thinks it's fake, so I can just use my regular name.

Starting point is 00:19:32 Oh my God, we can see as Frankfurter. Probably time to break. Not quite there yet. But I just, the Lakers, that is a place the Lakers have suffered all season long, is that got to, like, that's got to go in three. And clearly they didn't have that on Tuesday. But I look at this game and I was the point I was making, we'll break after this, talk about the new guys. When you play a good game against a team that's better than you and you lose, that's. sort of like, okay, it was nothing about this game was particularly unexpected, at least to me.

Starting point is 00:20:19 The more surprising thing would have been for the Lakers to win. Yeah. So I wasn't surprised by the results. And I feel like it's a good thing to go play a good game, a competitive game against a really good team. And now you see what the gap is. You really see what it is because if you play like garbage, you don't learn anything about where you need be. You have to play well against good teams to get that measurement. And the Lakers got it on Tuesday. They can see where the gaps are between them and the most elite teams, a team like Cleveland.

Starting point is 00:20:59 And like in a way that they couldn't see it in that game they played in Cleveland in October. And so now you know. And how do you apply those things to lesser opponents like Port and Atlanta on Thursday and Friday. That to me is going to be the test. You lose Cleveland, fine. That's part of it. We said you have an opportunity to go run your record to 20 and 14 if you play this stretch right.

Starting point is 00:21:27 Well, now they've got to win both of these games to do it. They should beat both of these teams. So let's see if they do. You mentioned the new guys, Andy. They both made their debuts, Dorian Finney Smith and Shake Milton. How they do. Andy will tell you next. Locked on Lakers brought to you by Rocket Money.

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Starting point is 00:23:01 Real quick, Brian, it was Potter Stewart, the Supreme Court Justice who described pornography as I know what it is when I see it. Right. But not to short, you and I were both looking up the same thing during break. It's not to short change Felix Frankfurter. If you, if you, and I feel terrible for him. Again, it's not a great name for this. Well, if you Google, we came up with wrong. Right. If you Google, well, let's be honest, Felix Frank, Googling Felix Frankfurter

Starting point is 00:23:35 pornography is funnier than Googling Potter Stewart. Sure. But he, Felix Frankfurter did in fact deliver many important, um, opinions from the bench. about pornography, just not that one. So kudos to Potter Stewart. It dawned on me during this game that for the time being, Dorian Finney Smith and Sheikh Milton are the only players in NBA history who have exclusively played with the 40-year-old version of LeBron James as a teammate.

Starting point is 00:24:09 They're like the only guys who've only played with 40-year-old LeBron James. All right. that is that is very true it is a difficult um group to uh to enter there but you know lebron in his first game as a 40 year old 23 4 and 7 so you know statistical output in this decade's down a little bit um but it i suspect will will come back up i thought both of those guys like you saw a little bit from milton like why he's here a night where Gabe Vincent can't play. He's got the oblique injury.

Starting point is 00:24:48 You can turn to Shake Milton to give you 10 minutes that would have either gone to players already on the floor, meaning the starters are going to have to just play a little bit more. You risk guys getting a little more tired. Maybe you know, you play Reddish more. You can't. But if, you know, or whatever it might be. Or you're playing Jalen Hooghino. You're playing Brony.

Starting point is 00:25:12 Like you're out of guards at that point. And so Milton was two for four from three point range, had a couple rebounds. You know, I mean, he was fine. And then obviously the bigger piece of this is Dorian Finney Smith, who missed three of his four shots, both of his threes, had a couple rebounds, had a couple assists. But you can see why the Lakers wanted him in terms of like how he moves defensively and all that stuff. he's been with a team an hour, but I got it. You know, visually I got it. Yeah, he's extremely active.

Starting point is 00:25:51 There was a great play that he had where he ran a corner shooter off the line. And I forget who the shooter was, but they ended up passing out into a turnover. And it led to a Laker Basket. J.J. Reddick was experimenting a lot with basically a three power forward look, with DFS, Rui, and LeBron going small without a center. Jackson Hayes was available for this game, but JJ said afterwards he wanted to try to go with a look that allowed for more shooting, which you can get with LeBron, Rui, and DFS out there.

Starting point is 00:26:32 Side note, it is also why I remain of the opinion that if the Lakers can get an upgraded backup big, more than Jackson Hayes or Christian Coloco or Christian Wood should he ever return this season. Great. But it's not an area that I would heavily prioritize because between the fact that Anthony Davis is the best player on this team and he plays center and the fact that JJ, all things being equal unless the matchup dictates it, I think his preference is to go, if not small ball, medium ball, you know, with a big enough. undersized five, whoever you bring in as a backup, unless they're very good, they're only going to get so many minutes anyway.

Starting point is 00:27:21 What you're saying, Andy, is you're sort of sub-tweeting, Jonas Valenchunis and explaining why it may not be a great idea. I've already said since the beginning, since last off-season when Jonas Valentunus was apparently one of the guys LeBron would take a haircut for, which really I think he was doing because that would have made AD happy.

Starting point is 00:27:42 Like I, and I said then, I don't see as a great fit for the Lakers or frankly, even Valenciunis if he wants to play a lot, which I presume that he does. I just, there's only so many minutes that any other center is going to play on this team unless there's somebody like Miles Turner who's just a, you know, maybe Walker Kessler cuts it, maybe. but like the point being the guy's got to be very good. Yeah. I mean, it's just, and it's, to me,

Starting point is 00:28:16 not to get too, we can get deeper into this. To me, the biggest appeal of Kessler is both obviously the rim protection, which Valanchunis is not like, and the age. Right. Right.

Starting point is 00:28:28 That was the second one. So you get a, you got a, Valentunis provides you a large body and obviously is good rebounder, but he is not a, you know, noted rim protector, not a particularly good defender. And that to me makes it, again, the kind of a weird feeling, what are you really upgrading there other than having another good offensive player and a little bit more rebounding?

Starting point is 00:28:49 We've had talent to the roster, depending on how you have to bring him in. But Kessler is, I think, 23. He is. And is a rim protector. Sure. He is metrically a very good and impactful defender. So that to me at least makes a little bit more sense. I do think watching Reddick over the next two or three weeks mess around with combinations,

Starting point is 00:29:18 I think that include Finney Smith is going to be interesting because I think, you know, played a lot with, you know, in the initial shifts with AD. And I think you're going to see a lot of minutes with LeBron as well. like some with both, but trying to figure out how you, you kind of distribute his minutes. That way he played 20 on Tuesday.

Starting point is 00:29:42 I think that'll eventually rise to absolutely five, 28, you know, a game. Where they come from who he's paired with, I think is going to be, it's going to take a minute to figure that out. Like, what's the best way to do it? He is a very versatile player.

Starting point is 00:30:00 He's a guy who fits in with a lot of a lot of people. It's mostly how do you maximize the effect that he can have for everyone else more than it is, I think, figuring out how do you maximize Finney Smith, make him most comfortable, make him whatever. Offensively, it's pretty obvious what he's going to do. Like, everybody knows that, he knows that, and he doesn't stray from his lane. I'm just curious to see how Redick figures this out mostly in terms of rotation and defense. I mean, Dorian Finney Smith is a very established commodity in the league in terms of what he does. He's a high-end role player.

Starting point is 00:30:38 There's a reason that reportedly a lot of teams around the league were interested in him, there's a reason that Memphis, according to Mark Stein, and I believe that was backed by, I want to say, John Hollinger as well, they offered a protected first-round pick along with Luke Kinnard and John Conchar, trying to get DFS. And ultimately the Lakers preferred the three seconds, or excuse me, the Nets preferred the three seconds from the Lakers.

Starting point is 00:31:06 But he is a player that any team can use. He is easy to plug into whatever you're looking to do. It is, I feel like we're going into 2025 with some optimism. I'm not talking about, you know, I think the Lakers are going to win a title. That kind of optimism. I do not, not currently. But I feel like what we got coming between now and the end of this season has a potential

Starting point is 00:31:40 to be pretty entertaining. Like some good entertaining basketball with the Lakers solidly in the mix in the Western conference with the potential to get a little bit better, the conference because it is so good. and some of the attrition and what has been an extraordinary year of injuries in the NBA, you know, it's helping the Lakers out a little bit. But I feel like, you know, I'm looking forward to what's coming

Starting point is 00:32:10 as opposed to dreading it, which is a nice thing, is beginning of the year, I don't really sure, could go either way, really. And so I like where the Lakers are starting 2025, especially too. I mean, you mentioned not knowing where it was going to be after the start of the season. Once the season began, it felt like any direction was possible because they'd been so all over the map with so many different highs and different lows. So like you, I am very much looking forward to what the rest of the season and these 50 games in 2025 have in store for us. I think it's going to be fun. Locked on Lakers on YouTube is where everyone goes to leave questions and comment. Comments to learn more about Jacobelis versus Ohio, please consult your local library.

Starting point is 00:32:58 We will see everyone on Thursday.

Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - The Lakers End 2024 With 122-110 Loss to Cavaliers. Dorian Finney-Smith, Shake Milton Make Debuts.

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