Thought Starter...
The Lakers, after a very encouraging start, have hit a very discouraging stretch. They’ve lost three of the first four games of the first big road trip of the year, including a decisive loss to Detroit. Now, LA need to find a way to beat Memphis on Wednesday, or they’ll come back to town with a sub-.500 record on the year.
Not great!
And on Monday, after the loss, it was reported that Anthony Davis, who was clearly hobbled against the Pistons, has been dealing with a foot injury not just since the start of this year, but going back to last year, as well. Now, how sore was he in the Olympics? Was it just something that needed to be monitored, like most bumps and bruises players who have been in the league as long as he has have to deal with? Certainly his performance in the tournament and through the first seven games of the season was outstanding. But as the injuries seem to be piling up -- he’s listed as questionable tonight in Memphis with what is being called a heel contusion -- one thing is clear: The Lakers are leaning too much on Davis early.
The supporting cast isn’t pulling its weight, and when AD doesn’t play, performance suffers mightily for the squad. That isn’t sustainable through the season.
Some of that is LeBron, who has started slow this year (by his lofty standards). Some if inconsistency from Austin Reaves and poor shooting from D’Angelo Russell. And a ton of it is a complete lack of production from the bench. The reserves, even when they’re providing a little defense (Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish on Monday) are such a black hole offensively that the Lakers are increasingly finding it hard to compensate.
So what can they do?
Three Questions...
1. If AD can’t play in Memphis (or is limited), where do the points come from?
2. Should JJ Redick find more time for Dalton Knecht?
3. What strings are available for Redick to pull, in a rotation with limited scoring?
