The Lakers bench has not been high scoring by any means, and actually ranks amongst the lowest in the NBA. However, despite the collective inconsistency, the Lakers bench has had some solid individual play.
Matt Barnes (Grade: B): The good news for the Lakers is that Metta World Peace is backed up by the energetic Matt Barnes at the small forward position. Barnes’ numbers don’t jump out at you either (7.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 21:36 minutes per game), but Barnes can always be counted on to cut to the basket either before or after a shot. He has had plenty of crucial hustle plays, and continually plays with a very high energy level.
However, at the small forward position, three-point shooting is necessary for a team that features two targeted big men and Kobe Bryant. Barnes is shooting just 25.5 percent from three-point land, which is seven percent less than his career average of 32.5 percent. We expect Barnes to pick up his shooting percentage, and be a consistent contributor going forward for the Lakers.
Steve Blake (Grade: B+): Although Steve Blake missed 12 games due to a rib injury, he has definitely shown his value for the Lakers. Blake struggled last season, averaging just four points in 20 minutes per game, but has seemingly bounced back a little bit this year under the new system. The Lakers’ backup point guard is averaging 6.8 points and 3.8 assists in 25 minutes per game. Although Blake’s 34.6 percent three-point shooting isn’t great, it doesn’t necessarily reflect the way he has been shooting the ball during certain stretches. Before Blake went down with the injury, he showed promise in the form of sharp shooting.
Additionally, after he came back and got back into a rhythm, Blake had a breakout game against Portland recently, scoring 17 points on 5-6 shooting from three-point range. Although we would like to see Blake be more of a play-maker on offense in order to alleviate Bryant’s duties, Blake is showing that he can be counted on to knock down big shots. The aggressive play that he exhibited upon his return showed the Lakers how much they really missed him when he was out.
If Steve Blake can continue his solid play, it will also allow Derek Fisher to get more rest and hopefully regain his shooting proficiency. We hope that he becomes more aggressive in the second half of the season, and remains healthy.
Troy Murphy (Grade: B): Murphy’s numbers by no means have been spectacular (3.9 points and 3.6 rebounds in 19 minutes per game), but he has been a spark for the Lakers nonetheless. Murphy is leading the Lakers in three-point percentage at 43.1 percent, and has exhibited hustle on the defensive end. Never known as a defensive player, Murphy has seemingly bought in to Mike Brown’s defensive system, and attempts to get as many deflections and/or blocks as possible. His biggest asset for the Lakers, though, is his three-point shooting. His ability to knock down the open shot allows Pau Gasol and the rest of the Lakers to operate in the post with more space. He isn’t asked to create his own shot, facilitate the offense, or become a defensive stopper, so we feel that he has done what has been asked of him pretty well so far.
Andrew Goudelock (Grade: B+): For a rookie who was taken in the second round, the Lakers didn’t expect much from Andrew Goudelock. But, he has been a bright spot for the team. Lacking a player who can create his own shot, Goudelock has proven he has the ability of creating instant offense for the Lakers, so much so that Kobe Bryant nicknamed him the “Mini-Mamba.”
His stats (4.7 points in 11 minutes per game) won’t reflect the impact he has had overall. He has shown that he can make open three-pointers, as well as drive into the lane and convert on a tear drop shot that has gained the nickname “the Glock Drop.” However, Goudelock has had trouble being consistent, which is expected of a rookie. At the same time, compared with the almost nonexistent expectations from the coaching staff and Lakers’ fans at the beginning of the season, Goudelock has been a surprise player for this team. We hope the “Mini-Mamba” can continue to grow going forward as he should maintain his stay in the regular rotation.
Rest of the Bench (Grade: Incomplete): The jury is still out on the rest of the bench, as the players have not had adequate playing time to be graded. Jason Kapono was expected to be the Lakers’ knockdown three-point shooter, but he hasn’t shown the promise that was expected of him, and therefore has not played much. Josh McRoberts became an early fan favorite after displaying his high-flying ability, but the coaching staff has opted to play Troy Murphy ahead of him because of his shooting ability. McRoberts appears to be a solid hustle player off the bench, but it is unlikely he will get the time on the court that many expected him to get at the beginning of the season. The rest of the guys (Devin Ebanks, Darius Morris, and Luke Walton) simply haven’t had the playing time to receive judgment. Ebanks started the first four games and appeared to be an offensive threat, but Mike Brown saw some faults in him and quickly pulled him out of the line up, and eventually sent him down to the D-League.
Overall (Grade: C-): Individually, certain players have shown their worth, but collectively, the bench has not been consistent enough to receive a decent grade. This may not make sense, but think of it as a group project in which the group as a whole simply can not compete against the other groups. Or perhaps each member did what was asked of him, but the group as a whole decided to put off the project until the last minute and figured they would still do as good of a job as the other groups. All the members participated and did the job that was assigned to them, so the blame couldn’t fall on one individual, but the overall planning just couldn’t compete with the other groups’ preparation.
The bench’s main problem is being inconsistent, particularly on the road. Most of the time, the “Big Three” plays relatively consistent at home and on the road, so the disparity between wins at home and on the road (15-2 at home, 5-12 on the road) largely falls on the bench. The bench tends to play much better at home, and much worse on the road. The rest of the team follows this as well, but to a lesser degree. The bench needs to somehow find a way to play consistently.
Perhaps the inconsistent rotations have had something to do with this, which leads us to the man who controls those: Mike Brown.
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