Anthony Davis‘ subpar game in the Lakers’ playoff opener may be linked to a lineup problem, suggests Zach Kram of The Ringer. Davis is known to be more comfortable at power forward than center, but playing alongside Andre Drummond is making him less effective, according to Kram.
Davis managed just 13 points in the Game 1 loss and shot 31% from the field, his career low for a playoff game. Kram notes that Davis played more than half his minutes at center in last year’s postseason and has been more productive at that position this season because it enables to get better shots.
The numbers since Drummond signed with the Lakers in late March are particularly bad, Kram adds. Starting lineups with Davis and Drummond were outscored by 3.5 points per 100 possessions during the regular season. Drummond’s presence forces Davis farther away from the basket, leaving him with midrange shots, where he is less efficient. Kram points out that the Suns were able to exploit spacing issues when Drummond was on the court in Game 1.
There’s more on the Lakers:
- Bill Oram of The Athletic also examines L.A.’s frontcourt situation and states that backup center Montrezl Harrell presents the same issues as Drummond. Marc Gasol, who was signed during the offseason to be a floor-spacing center, didn’t play in Game 1 and neither did Markieff Morris, who solved a similar problem against the Rockets in last year’s playoffs. “I think with the lineups, with the big lineup, we just didn’t have enough time to work on it (during the regular season),” Drummond said. “So it’s something we’re just kind of throwing out there with little time and little experience. I think we’re doing a good job of figuring it out on the fly.”
- LeBron James is obviously feeling the effects of his high-ankle sprain, writes Ethan Strauss of The Athletic, who contends the Suns should probably be considered favorites to win the series. Strauss points out that James hasn’t dunked since re-aggravating the ankle in the third quarter of the regular season finale.
- The NBA has issued a statement (via Twitter) explaining why James didn’t have to quarantine after violating health and safety protocols this week. The league determined that James’ appearance an event promoting his tequila brand “did not create risks related to the spread of COVID-19 and therefore no quarantine was necessary.”
Excuse
Davis played terribly too when Drummond was not on the floor
Shhhh!!! Your ruining the “ everything is Drummonds fault!” Narrative the media and fans hold onto. He’s a flawed player to be sure but the hate and blame is way over the top.
Go on Lakers Reddit and show me any other player with posts dedicated to mocking them by fans of the team he plays for. It’s very personal for some reason.
Sure, ignore fans of his previous stops. People who know. After all it wasn’t LA… Laker fans will have to learn the hard way, sooner or later.
It’s not an issue of spacing, it’s an issue of playing Drummond, and him taking a second from reacting to evaluate his own interests.
The Buyout Market Is Still Unfair Though.
Everyone goes small during the playoffs these days, if AD can’t handle playing center then he’ll just have to get used to not participating in the postseason, it’s that simple.
You don’t have to be Captain Obvious to say the Suns should probably be favored.
Your Rockets are quite familiar with being eliminated in the postseason
Buuurn
I bet the Rockets lose fewer games than the Lakers in the playoffs this year…
I know warm-up time is not game time, but there were multiple shots of LBJ dunking during warm-ups. He’s healthy enough. No excuse. They should win this series. AD needs to be dominant. Since winning last year, he doesn’t look like he has the same level of hunger.
Your last sentence summed it up perfectly.
Think. One does not have to worry about landing on someone’s foot in warmups.
The team is hugely distracted by trying to integrate Drummond.
“The league determined that James’ appearance an event promoting his tequila brand “did not create risks related to the spread of COVID-19 and therefore no quarantine was necessary.”
NBA is a sham league.
Yeah, loosely translated: “We’re not willing to take the risk of the ratings hit…”
The NBA is a real league, but they made a sham statement.
Honest League Statement: Looking at Lebron’s COVID protocol violation we examined the risk that enforcing the rules would have on our ratings and money, as well as the health and safety of our bank accounts, and determined no quarantine was necessary.
Rules only apply to players not named Lebron James.
Danuel House in the Building mad!!
No one cares ’bout House, as simple as!
Move on dude!
Watched all of Game 1. Happy for Suns, who has an improved Booker stepping up. But man, I didn’t even notice they didn’t play Markieff. He was pretty good last year for them. They barely played Kuzma, too. I would definitely play them plus Gasol some tonight.
Vogel can’t figure out that he needs a smaller starting lineup in the playoffs?
Start AD at 5.
Lebron/Kuzma at the starting forwards.
Drummond as the backup 5.
Harrell at backup 4.
What? LeBron needs to be suspended waaaaaaaa, eventhough him and most of the league are vaxed and Porzingus wasn’t suspended for the same conduct. To the Laker haters, LeBron haters, your tears are the manna for the souls of laker nation. Thank God I was on vacation when the crybabies were crying it was rigged because LeBron wasn’t kicked out of playoffs. Those rules were drafted pre vax so enforcing them the same after the whole league is vaxed is dumb and shooting themselves in the foot, no wonder the dopes on here were railing for it. The only way you guys can keep the GOAT from finals number 11 is begging like scared Karen’s for LeBron to be kicked out the playoffs, pathetic.
Little LeFlop James is pitiful to watch. Lakers suck.