Los Angeles Lakers: 3 players need to step up in NBA playoffs vs Blazers
3. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Since the NBA bubble basketball has tipped off, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has not been bad in any way. Unfortunately though, he, like pretty much everyone on the Lakers, did not play at 100 percent during those eight games.
What separates KCP from the pack in terms of having to pick up the slack, is that he is about to be given an extremely important role in the playoffs, the one of the starting point guard.
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With Rajon Rondo likely to miss at least the first game against the Blazers, Caldwell-Pope will be faced with the task of going up against the bubble MVP, Damian Lillard. Due to his size, guarding CJ McCollum appears like the best option, though, but one can’t be anything but impressed by the way Lillard has performed so far.
Lillard has been tearing it up in the bubble so far, averaging 37.6 points and 9.6 assists per game, while shooting just outside the 50-40-90 club. Even though the bubble games were worthless for the Lakers, KCP seemed to slip off on the defensive end, while his shooting percentages took a major dip.
The Trail Blazers are a team whose success almost entirely rests on the shoulders of their two star guards. Stopping, or at least limiting to a degree, those two scoring freaks would greatly improve the outcome of the game for the Los Angeles Lakers, an area where Caldwell-Pope should look to shine.