Lakers Restart Refresh: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, called in to start

With the absence of Avery Bradley, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is expected to start, but the Lakers were just fine when he did this season.

With the NBA Restart on the horizon, we are going to take stock of who is on the Los Angeles Lakers, what they did, or didn’t do this season, and what to look for as the Lakers look to march towards their 17th championship banner in the most unprecedented circumstances in NBA history.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had a great season for the Los Angeles Lakers and that’s very important for their championship hopes, because he will be asked to play an even bigger role for the Lakers in the NBA Restart at the Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

With the decision of usual starter Avery Bradley to opt-out of the Orlando Restart, Lakers coach Frank Vogel has confirmed that he intends to put Caldwell-Pope in the starting line-up. The data backs up Vogel’s decision: the Lakers went 17-3 in games that KCP started and that KCP played even better when thrust into the starting role, shooting 43% from the 3-point line and over 50% from the field. Of course, he also saw his minutes creep up from 24 minutes per game to 28 minutes per game as a starter.

The Lakers played their first scrimmage on Thursday and they also survived a bit of a scare, as Caldwell-Pope turned an ankle but eventually made his return to the court and the Lakers did not report any type of injury that would keep him out.

Without Bradley, Caldwell-Pope may be the best on-ball defender the Lakers have to take on the best guards in the league. Should they face Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers, it would be wise to give Caldwell-Pope the assignment of covering him.

Caldwell-Pope can also create his own shot in a low shotclock situation, if needed. He can get his own shot, which is a skill and this season, his shots have mostly been pretty good.

But more than anything, Caldwell-Pope will need to support Danny Green as a 3-and-D wing that gives LeBron what he needs in the playoffs: release valves and efficient shooters to make his incredible passes in the lane worth it. If he maintains the efficiency he had this season, the Lakers may very well taste the “manna from heaven,” that Rob Pelinka referred to when the Lakers signed Caldwell-Pope three summers ago.