Los Angeles Lakers: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s role must be scaled back

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was signed to be a star. The Los Angeles Lakers, however, didn’t sign him to be a trigger-happy ball hog.

I get it. The Los Angeles Lakers are paying Kentavious Caldwell-Pope big money to be one of the go-to guys. You don’t hand someone nearly $18 million and expect them to sit around twiddling their thumbs on game day.

But let’s be honest: Caldwell-Pope needs to be reined in a bit. As the season has gone on, his offensive efficiency has wavered. As the Lakers’ young core continues to blossom, the veteran 3-and-D guard shouldn’t be out there cranking up shots like he’s in the 3-point contest.

Just look at his efforts during the month of December.

Through six games, Caldwell-Pope has averaged 14.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game. While the steals are impressive, the rebounds and assists are his lowest monthly averages of the season. And while the scoring isn’t terrible, it’s the amount of shots (and inefficiency) it’s taking to get to that number that’s alarming.

In December, Caldwell-Pope is shooting an ugly 36.3 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from downtown. He’s taking 13.3 shots per game, but connecting on only 4.8 of them.

On top of that, he’s not looking to create opportunities for teammates, instead appearing to have tunnel vision when he’s got the ball. It’s just him, five defenders and the basket sometimes. The worst part when this situation arises is that, more often than not, it doesn’t end well.

Here’s a prime example:

Yes, that’s how embarrassed Kobe Bryant was for Caldwell-Pope. On his jersey retirement night, he peaced out before overtime. Then again, maybe he just wanted to beat the traffic.

More from Los Angeles Lakers

• NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers
• A surprise LeBron ranking should raise alarm bells for the Lakers
• Surprising Austin Reaves contract detail confirms Lakers got him for a steal
• Instant Grades for the Lakers’ unprecedented Anthony Davis extension
• Report: Lakers have big plans for recent top-10 pick amid roster shakeup

What’s worse is that, the more Caldwell-Pope is on the floor, the more Jordan Clarkson is riding the pine. While KCP may be a slightly more reliable 3-point shooter, the Lakers’ sneaky Sixth Man of the Year candidate is a far more efficient shooter in general. Just ask Clarkson’s 47.6 field goal percentage on the season, compared to Caldwell-Pope’s 40.7 percent.

Take Monday’s showdown with the Golden State Warriors for example. Caldwell-Pope played 41 minutes, only allowing 19 minutes for Clarkson. As a result, the Lakers’ top backup guard managed a measly four points — tying a season low. Keeping the player who owns Los Angeles’ highest Player Efficiency Rating on the bench for all but 19 minutes isn’t acceptable.

Now don’t get me wrong — I’m not saying Caldwell-Pope isn’t a key piece to this lineup. I’m just saying he needs a talking to. He needs to not be so trigger happy, especially with quality shooters like Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram regularly on the floor alongside him.

Even Lonzo Ball has looked like a more reliable marksman as of late.

I know Caldwell-Pope is trying to raise his stock before hitting free agency again in 2018. The only way he’s going to do that is by proving he can fill the 3-and-D role better than other top talents from around the league. However, if all he’s going to do is chuck up 3s on the offensive end, landing another $18 million contract next offseason will be a pipe dream.

One way or another, the opportunities need to be shared more evenly among the Lakers’ long list of scoring threats. There’s too much talent on this young roster for it to be wasted by Caldwell-Pope’s insistence on being the star of the show.

Next: 2017-18 Week 10 NBA Power Rankings

If he’s not a fan of the idea, maybe a trade is in order….