Young Core’s Ups and Downs
Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, and Josh Hart each have had their highs and lows respectively this season. The latter two have struggled mightily on the defensive end. Kuz tends to be way too upright in his stance which allows guys to beat him off the dribble. Hart shades his man too much towards the middle which allows too many easy drives to the basket. He also gets back-cut far too often.
However, both have been solid scorers for the Lakers so far. Kuz’s jumper has been off, though. He is only shooting 29.2 percent on 5.5 three-point attempts per game. But, he is shooting 71.0 percent from 0-3 feet, which is 7.1 percent better than last season. His true shooting percentage is decent at 55.7 percent, which is up 0.8 percent from last season, per Basketball Reference. He is averaging 18.5 points per game and has been their most consistent scorer outside of LeBron.
Josh Hart has been an efficient machine. He is shooting an astounding 43.5 percent on 5.3 3PAs per game. Hart’s 61.6 percent true shooting rate is second-best on the team behind McGee. 90 percent of Hart’s shots come either 0-3 feet from the rim or from three, so for a role player, his shot selection has been fantastic.
As for Ball and Ingram, they have been a mixed bag. Defensively, they have been tremendous. Their versatility is outstanding. They utilize their length well. Their stances are excellent. If they aren’t all-NBA caliber on defense, they are pretty darn close.
Offensively, they’ve been up and down. Lonzo has often been relegated to the spot-up shooter role. He is shooting 36.2 percent on 4.5 3PAs per game, which is about league average, but it is 5.7 percent higher than last season. His 53.0 true shooting rate is sub-par, but it is 8.6 percent higher than last season. He is shooting 62.5 percent from 0-3 feet, which is 13.1 percent higher than last season, per Basketball Reference. While Ball is limited as a ball-handler and creator off the dribble, he has been more efficient in his off-ball play this season.
Unfortunately, the Lakers’ offense has been less than creative in their sets. It relies too much on the ball-handler to create everything off-the-dribble. Other than JaVale McGee rolling to the rim, the Lakers have little off-ball movement. Because of this, Lonzo can often disappear since he is sitting out on the perimeter a lot. I’d like to see him be used more as an off-ball screener because he is good at it when given the chance. Ball also needs to get more scoring opportunities off cuts. He has only had 6 of them so far.
Also, let’s address the elephant in the room: Lonzo Ball should be closing games. He is one of the few guys on the team who spaces the floor and is arguably their best defender. They need that down the stretch instead of Rondo’s ball-handling and playmaking. They have LeBron and Ingram to do that.
Now with Ingram, his shot selection has been suspect so far this season.
Brandon Ingram by Shot Distance
At the Rim…………23-39 (1.18 Points Per Shot)
3PT…………………….6-17 (1.06 PPS)
Everywhere else…24-61 (0.79 PPS)I think both Brandon and Luke need to re-evaluate where and how he gets his shots. Way too much mid-range.
— Laker Film Room (@LakerFilmRoom) November 12, 2018
With LeBron James, Rajon Rondo, and Lonzo Ball, Ingram should get more spot-ups from three or cuts to the basket. Ingram is sixth on the team in catch-and-shoot FGAs and he is only averaging 3.6 of them per game. His 56.0 effective field goal percentage on those shots is very encouraging. He just needs to get more of those attempts. He is forcing way too many contested mid-range jumpers.
He also needs to be more patient and kick out if the shot is not there on the drive. Last season, Ingram did a very nice job at driving and kicking. Brook Lopez was a big part of that. I’d like to see them use LeBron or even Lonzo more in pick-and-pops with Ingram. It should give Ingram an easier driving lane and more space to operate.
Next Up: The Veterans
