The Los Angeles Lakers‘ playoff run got here to an finish a lot before many anticipated after shedding in 5 video games to the Minnesota Timberwolves within the first spherical of the playoffs. Because the Lakers flip the web page, coach J.J. Redick believes improving their title hopes for the next season begins right away, calling on his gamers to get in form this offseason.
“We have now a methods to go as a roster,” Redick informed reporters Thursday. “There are people that had been in phenomenal form. There’s actually different ones that would have been in higher form.
“That’s the place my thoughts goes instantly, is we’ve to get in championship form.”
NBA followers shortly started speculating that Redick was speaking about Luka Dončić, whose conditioning and protection had been extremely scrutinized in Los Angeles’ five-game loss to Minnesota. There have been a number of moments within the collection the place Dončić was blown by a Timberwolves ballhandler for a comparatively simple bucket or triggered the Lakers’ protection to should rotate and depart one other participant open.
However there have been some stats to again up the notion that Dončić’s conditioning wasn’t one of the best throughout this collection, both. Within the Lakers’ 116-113 loss to the Timberwolves in Recreation 4, the 6-foot-6 Dončić solely had one rebound in 46 minutes. Regardless that Dončić averaged 30.2 factors per recreation over the course of the collection, his play notably took a dip within the fourth quarter, too. He solely scored 20 factors on 5 of 15 capturing within the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ 4 losses.
“First Things First” cohost Chris Broussard believes that Dončić’s fourth-quarter play, together with LeBron James‘, all through the collection was why the Lakers in the end misplaced.
“[The Lakers’] two superstars did not ship within the fourth quarter,” Broussard stated. “These video games got here all the way down to the fourth quarters. Recreation 3, when it was tied 1-1, Minnesota entered the fourth quarter main by two factors. They (the Timberwolves) ended up successful by 12. In Recreation 4, the Lakers had been up by 10 factors however ended shedding by three. Recreation 5, LeBron appeared bodily spent, however the truth of the matter is, going into the fourth quarter, Minnesota was successful by some extent and ended up successful by seven. In these three video games, Minnesota outscored the Lakers by 29 factors within the fourth quarter.
“The Lakers shot 29% from the sphere within the collection within the fourth quarter. That is the worst of any workforce within the postseason ever. In the event you look again six years from now, 16 years from now, they’re going to say, ‘Luka averaged 30/7/6, and LeBron averaged 25/9/6, and so they couldn’t even make it to a sixth recreation?’ They did all their harm within the first three quarters.”
Broussard’s cohost Nick Wright additionally believes that Dončić holds the “lion’s share of the blame” for the collection loss.
“I believe that is the primary collection of his basketball life the place he both had the benefit from the workforce round him or it was a good combat and his workforce misplaced as a result of he did not ship,” Wright stated. “We have by no means seen that occur to him within the playoffs. We have seen him undermanned and lose or overdeliver and win. He was not the participant on this collection that I believe most of us anticipated he could be based mostly on his postseason historical past.”
Dončić’s protection has been scrutinized in current seasons, together with his play on that finish of the court docket being seen as a serious motive why the Dallas Mavericks misplaced to the Boston Celtics within the 2024 NBA Finals. The Celtics had a 67.7% blow-by proportion on drives in opposition to Dončić by means of the primary three video games of the NBA Finals as they took a 3-0 collection lead, according to Second Spectrum. Previous to his commerce to the Lakers in February, Dončić had a 44.7% blow-by proportion as the first defender on all drives for the reason that begin of the 2023-24 season, which was the worst mark within the league throughout that stretch, per Second Spectrum.
There was a span, although, the place it appeared Dončić had improved his play on that facet of the court docket. For just a few weeks after the commerce, the Lakers statistically had one of the best defenses in basketball.
Whereas Paul Pierce believes that signing a star who hasn’t been recognized to play high-level protection by means of the primary seven seasons of his profession is a misplaced trigger, Ric Bucher thinks extra must be requested of Dončić on that finish of the court docket.
“Why are we accepting that?” Bucher requested on the most recent editiof of “Speak.” “He would not should be an excellent defender. Steph Curry turned a a lot better defender through the years. That is all I am asking for Luka. Luka performs no protection. Why cannot I get [Dončić playing defense well] persistently? … The Luka that we noticed on this collection would not should be the Luka we see [going forward]. Why cannot he be what we noticed within the common season? Simply give me a bit little bit of power.”
Why did the Lakers crumble in opposition to the Timberwolves?
Dončić and Redick have spoken glowingly about one another for the reason that Lakers acquired him in February, as the 2 had been briefly teammates. Mavericks president of basketball operations Nico Harrison has stated that Dončić’s protection was one of many explanation why Dallas made the controversial commerce again in February, which some thought would mild a hearth underneath the Lakers star.
With Redick seemingly calling out Dončić and his protection nonetheless missing, although, Broussard believes that the “honeymoon part” between Dončić, the Lakers and basketball followers usually is over. Now, it is on Dončić to repair the holes in his recreation so he can get the monkey off his again, in keeping with Broussard.
“There will get to some extent, six, seven years, no matter it’s, the place it is like, you have to win,” Broussard added. “Folks begin nitpicking at your recreation as to why you are not there. Luka’s there now. It is not even nitpicking with the protection.
“We stated concerning the commerce that if Luka was going to get lazy and never maximize his means, he’ll now due to the commerce. Effectively, will he? That is nonetheless a query on the market. To me, this must be the offseason of his profession.”
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