The lesser-known names behind the superstars will decide whether the Los Angeles Lakers win an NBA championship in the Orlando bubble.
After more than four months on pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Los Angeles Lakers are back in action.
One month after the NBA was originally scheduled to crown its 2020 champion and hold the NBA Draft, the 2019-20 season officially resumes this week in Orlando, with teams contained to a “bubble” environment aimed at limiting exposure to the virus.
The bubble is an appropriate setting for these Lakers.
No team has more eyeballs on it right now than the Lakers: In part because they have historically been the NBA’s marquee and most fascinating franchise, in part because they currently employ the NBA’s marquee and most fascinating player in LeBron James.
Playing under intense scrutiny is nothing new for LeBron, and it’s been the norm for his teammates throughout his career. That may give them an edge in this unique format in which there’s no escape from the spotlight.
Two constants that put L.A. in position as a championship favorite have been LeBron and Anthony Davis. Both have legitimate arguments for league MVP.
LeBron is averaging 25.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 10.6 assists (leading the league) and 1.2 steals per game. If you want to call him a point guard, he’s the best point guard in the NBA. He’s arguably still the best player in the world.
Davis is averaging 26.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game. He is probably the best big man in the league and maybe the best overall player in the world.
The Lakers don’t have to worry about LeBron and Davis, so long as they’re healthy.
What will determine L.A.’s postseason fate is the play of LeBron and AD’s supporting cast.
The role players who complement the superstars can make or break this team. Here are three X-factors the Lakers need to step up in order to finish the job they started way back in November.
3. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
The Lakers’ backcourt took a significant hit when Avery Bradley decided to sit out the remainder of the season due to COVID-19 concerns.
While L.A. responded by signing LeBron’s old buddy J.R. Smith, the man who is more ready and able to step into the void left by Bradley is shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Few can match Bradley as a perimeter defender, so KCP won’t be expected to replicate what Bradley brings on that end of the floor. He just has to be adequate defensively. Where KCP can really shine is on the offensive end, in particular as a shooter outside the 3-point arc.
With LeBron’s playmaking ability and Davis’ tendency to draw defenders in the paint, it’s crucial that the Lakers have long-range shooters to make defenses pay for collapsing on LeBron and AD.
Caldwell-Pope ranks fourth on the team in scoring at 9.5 points per game. If he can average double-digits during this final stretch of the season while maintaining or improving his shooting percentages, the Lakers become that much better. Among the players who shoot enough 3-pointers to qualify, KCP leads L.A. in 3-point percentage, hitting 39.4 percent of his tries.
2. Dwight Howard
A lot of people laughed when the Lakers signed Dwight Howard last summer.
The 34-year-old future Hall of Fame center still looks like The Incredible Hulk in a basketball uniform, but Howard was clearly past his prime by the time he made it to L.A. for his second stint with the team.
The first time around, in 2012-13, was kind of a disaster. Howard joined the Lakers back then via trade from the Orlando Magic, and he was supposed to spark memories of Shaquille O’Neal while helping Kobe Bryant win another championship or two in the latter stage of Kobe’s career.
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Instead, the one season Howard and Kobe spent together saw the Lakers barely make the playoffs, Kobe suffer an Achilles’ injury that effectively ended his run as an elite player, and Howard treat L.A. like a pit stop on his way to Houston.
After a solid run with the Rockets, Howard went from superstar to journeyman seemingly overnight.
Between 2016-19, he landed on five different teams — Atlanta, Charlotte, Brooklyn, Washington and Memphis — and two of them waived him before he ever played a game for them. The Dwight Howard that signed with the Lakers prior to this season was supposed to e washed-up and a non-factor.
There were also valid concerns that Howard’s personality, which appeared to alienate him from teammates and franchises in the past, would create problems for the Lakers. Not to mention Lakers fans already kind of hated Howard from what happened before.
As it turns out, Howard has been great. And he’s not causing any trouble. He’s not an All-Star — he’s not even a starter — but Howard has flourished in his role for the purple and gold. He’s averaging 7.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while making 73.2 percent of his field goals. He’s even hit a few 3-pointers.
Given limited responsibilities to focus on defense and rebounding, Howard helps give the Lakers the league’s most formidable frontcourt and an intimidating, rim-protecting trio alongside Davis and starting center JaVale McGee.
But Howard is also valuable offensively, whether it’s setting screens, being half of a deadly pick-and-roll, or finishing above the rim in transition. Few big men can run or jump with Howard, even in his 16th pro season.
There were early reports that Howard was going to sit out the rest of this season similar to Bradley, but he’s back with the Lakers and can do a lot to help them win it all and earn the first championship of his career.
1. Danny Green
This is exactly what Danny Green was brought in to do for the Lakers: Be the X-factor of a role player that makes the difference between another championship or another disappointing finish for this franchise.
Green is averaging 8.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. He’s making 37.8 percent of his 3-pointers. But the numbers are almost irrelevant when it comes to the 33-year-old wing.
Green’s greatest value is in the elements of basketball that are hard to measure with statistics. On-ball defense. Communication on defense. Being in the right place at the right time on offense and defense. Hustle. Leadership by example. Basketball IQ. Clutch shot-making and playmaking.
It’s no coincidence that Green has been a key contributor on two NBA championship teams (Spurs in 2014, Raptors in 2019) and an NCAA national championship team (North Carolina in 2009).
Four members of the Lakers have been in the starting lineup every time they suited up this season: LeBron, Davis, JaVale McGee and Danny Green. Green has only missed two games and ranks fourth on the team in minutes played. He’s the kind of player you just want on the court, even if he’s not producing a lot of points or steals.
Green’s success is measured in helping produce victories.