Tag: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

LeBron James says Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has ‘been phenomenal’

Earlier in the season, Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard came to KCP’s defense on Instagram.

While the Los Angeles Lakers are expected to get an update after they get back to L.A. on the status of guard Avery Bradley, the good news for them is that his replacement has performed amicably in his stead, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

KCP, at several points during his Lakers tenure, has been someone that many fans and media often harped on via social media (usually unfairly) to the point that Dwight Howard defended him on Instagram earlier this season. That moment was representative of the current Lakers group, a complete juxtaposition to the squad that performed well at times last year but truly never looked in-sync.

After Wednesday night’s win, LeBron James was asked about Caldwell-Pope, whom he said has “been phenomenal,” as transcribed by Harrison Faigen of Silver Screen and Roll.

Caldwell-Pope has usually had the task of guarding opposing team’s primary ball-handler, as Bradley did. He’s done an excellent job, using his 6-5 frame and length to put pressure on the ball. Offensively, he’s found his stroke as LeBron mentioned above.

Over the last 10 games, Caldwell-Pope is averaging 10.3 points per game on 52% shooting from the field and a scorching 45.9% from the 3-point line. He’s also thrown in nearly two assists per game to go with it.

When Bradley returns, Vogel may have to make a decision on whether he wants to keep KCP in the lineup and bring Bradley off the bench. The team has played very well when both have started, so it will be hard for the team to be upset no matter which way he goes. As far as problems go, this is one that you want to have as an NBA coach.

 

LeBron James ‘felt bad’ for refs after his brain had ‘malfunction’ on travel

LeBron James is always willing to sell for a call, but even he felt a little bad for the refs after his uncalled walk vs. Jazz.

If you deceive someone when you’re not even trying, it’s just not that fun. Which is probably why LeBron James felt bad about getting away with one of the most egregious traveling violations you will ever see in Wednesday night’s otherwise fun-filled night for the Los Angeles Lakers as they cruised to a win at Utah, 121-96.

After the game, James was asked about the walk and double-dribble on him that wasn’t called and said that he felt bad for the refs because they are judged by the calls that they make and he feels like that missed call was on him, according to Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group.

James is no stranger to selling contact or yelling to get a call, but he clearly felt bad about something he had no intention of doing and also really didn’t have any impact on the game itself. Nevertheless, the entire scenario from the action itself to James apologizing to the refs after halftime and then the postgame apology makes for a pretty hilarious gaffe in a Lakers season that has been mostly blooper-free.

LeBron James got away with a hilarious travel Wednesday night at Jazz

LeBron James got away with a hilarious traveling violation in the first half of the Los Angeles Lakers game against the Jazz on Wednesday.

Maybe it was the fact the Los Angeles Lakers were on the second night of a back-to-back but for a brief moment in Wednesday night’s game against the Utah Jazz, it looked like LeBron James had forgotten exactly where he was.

As the Lakers jumped out to a 34-26 lead in the first quarter, LeBron James appeared to think he was in a summer pick-up game rather than on an NBA floor playing against the Utah Jazz. Luckily for LeBron, however, the referees who were watching him may have forgotten where they were either.

During this possession in the first quarter, James picked up his dribble to take three steps before starting his dribble again. It looked like he was making sure everyone knew what the score was or something.

LeBron’s basketball IQ is regarded as the greatest in the game but even LeBron’s once-in-a-lifetime basketball brain isn’t immune to the effects of travel and fatigue. Nevertheless, despite the brief brain fart, James has his squad in a good position to come out of their treacherous Denver-Utah back-to-back with a 2-0 record.

 

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has been a key complementary starter

With his shooting and defense, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has been a key starter for the Lakers recently.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made his ninth straight start Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers’ 10-game win streak ended as the Mavericks won 114-100.

Caldwell-Pope didn’t score in double figures for a third straight game in the loss. But during the Lakers’ win streak, Caldwell-Pope shined.

During those 10 games, Caldwell-Pope made eight starts. In his eight starts, he scored 11.8 points per game on 54% shooting from the field, per Basketball Reference. 

Caldwell-Pope has showed he can be a key complementary starter recently. In the previous eight starts before Sunday, Caldwell-Pope shot 51.5% from the 3-point line. He scored seven points and went 1-of-2 from the 3-point line in Sunday’s loss.

While Caldwell-Pope is one of the Lakers’ best shooters, he is also a solid defender. He isn’t necessarily a lockdown defender, but he does well containing his opponents as best as possible.

In the video below, Caldwell-Pope struggled at first to get through Dwight Powell’s screen, but he recovered well and helped JaVale McGee force a bad pass from Luka Doncic.

 

Caldwell-Pope began the season on the bench, starting only one game in the Lakers’ first 11 contests. That was for good reason, though, as Caldwell-Pope didn’t show any sort of consistency.

He particularly wasn’t the threat he’s capable of being offensively, scoring 5.3 points per game in the Lakers’ first 11 games.

During those first 11 games, he posted three games where he didn’t make a shot from the field.

Now, though, as the Lakers lose their first game since Nov. 10, Caldwell-Pope has shown the Lakers are perhaps better off with him in the starting lineup.

During Caldwell-Pope’s previous eight starts, the Lakers shot an average of 40.5% from the 3-point line, well above their season average of 35.8%. During his eight starts over the 10-game win streak, Caldwell-Pope was the Lakers’ top 3-point shooter three times.

Caldwell-Pope’s role could end up being similar to the one J.R. Smith had with the Cleveland Cavaliers during the team’s 2016 title season. Smith shot 40.0% from the 3-point line during the regular season — it was the second-highest mark of his career from deep.

With the Lakers 20 games into the regular season, Caldwell-Pope is shooting a career-high 40.4% from the 3-point line.

Despite a slow start to the season, Caldwell-Pope has shown he will be integral for the Lakers’ future success.

The Lakers will play the Denver Nuggets on the road Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST.

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LeBron, Anthony Davis and KCP combine for epic gamebreaker

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers may as well have been in a video game during a moment in Friday night’s game.

The Los Angeles Lakers likely got more than they bargained for as they were pushed to have a very competitive game against the Oklahoma City Thunder for the second time in the same week. To Oklahoma City’s credit, they didn’t backdown against what has been the best team in the Western Conference and a bonafide championship contender.

But nobody would have faulted them if they had wilted midway through the third quarter of Friday night’s game when a trio of Lakers combined for a play more usually apt for a video game than a regular game that’s only televised on NBA League Pass. The steal from KCP, the pass ahead to a stumbling Davis over his head to a dunking LeBron looked more like a scene from NBA Street than a game between professionals.

James set the tone early on in this game and Anthony Davis says he’s getting healthier, creating opportunities for his teammates while he’s also shooting better than he has all season over the last few games.

The Lakers must remain tight to close Friday night’s game out but without a doubt, they continue proving on a nightly basis that Showtime is really back in purple and gold.

LeBron makes incredible Odell Beckham-like catch before assist to KCP

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is buddies with Cleveland Browns star Odell Beckham and took a page from his book Friday night.

LeBron James brought a lot of fury and activity in the first half of the Los Angeles Lakers game on Friday night against the same Oklahoma City Thunder team they played on Tuesday in L.A. But his ferocious dunk in the first quarter of Friday night’s proceedings was only a taste of what was to come later in the first half.

James and Davis were again leading the way for the Lakers while the Thunder offense made the Lakers No. 1 ranked unit look very regular compared to the elite level they displayed in the first month of the regular season. Down by four points, the Lakers closed the first half with a crucial 3-pointer created by an Odell Beckham Jr.-type catch by LeBron and a pass to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

Caldwell-Pope has been a monster over the last three games as he has started in place of the injured Avery Bradley, which continued into Friday night. Caldwell-Pope had nine points and two assists in the starting role. Kyle Kuzma also had 10 points off the bench playing through an eye abrasion.

But despite LeBron’s heroism and the other solid offensive play, the Lakers  find themselves in a rare position for this season: trailing on the road in a hostile environment, 67-66.

Avery Bradley (hairline fracture) out for at least another week

The Los Angeles Lakers starting guard for 10 games this season will miss their upcoming four-game road trip.

The Los Angeles Lakers are heading out on their first long road trip of the season without a key piece of their team and a starting player for 10 games early in the season.

Avery Bradley, who was expected to miss one-to-two weeks with a hairline fracture in his leg, will miss the team’s upcoming four-game road trip, after which he will be evaluated, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

Perhaps making things easier on Bradley and giving him more time to recover has been the phenomenal play of late from shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Pope has been a monster on both ends as of later, bringing phenomenal ball pressure along with some high-level shot-making. KCP is averaging 14 points on 63% shooting from the field and 54.5% from the 3-point line.

With Bradley out, KCP will likely continue to get the start while Rajon Rondo and Alex Caruso will provide the guard depth behind him. Rondo looked excellent in Tuesday’s win and Caruso has been solid all season, coupled with Caldwell-Pope’s excellent play, Bradley and the Lakers have the luxury to take the time to heal. At this time last year, such luxuries for the Lakers were unthinkable. What a difference a year can make.

Lakers – Kings: Why Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s 4th-quarter explosion was so important

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, which helped Lakers win game, but also sent a strong message to LeBron and Co.

The Lakers held off the Sacramento Kings on Friday night, winning a nail-biter 99-97 and improving to 10-2 on the year. While the final play came down to an Anthony Davis block, and LeBron James iced the game with two key free throws, the star for Los Angeles down the line was … Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Seriously. That guy!

With the Kings keyed in on the two All-Stars, KCP got aggressive in the fourth, finishing with 12 points in the quarter alone and giving the Lakers huge buckets when they needed them.

For one stretch, starting at 5:29 in the fourth, Caldwell-Pope scored four consecutive buckets for the Lakers, concluding with a huge 3-pointer that gave LA a 93-90 lead.

KCP. Of all people!

This is big for the Lakers, and not just because it gave them a nice win. KCP’s performance sent a message to his teammates that he will be aggressive when he needs to be.

As LeBron James has shown on multiple trips to the finals, he can’t just do it alone, and this league is so good at the top that it’s hard to do it with only two people.

James and Davis need people around them to step up and contribute offensively. Dwight Howard has finally started playing well by focusing on his defense and dunking the ball, but he can’t (and shouldn’t) do much more than that. (It also helps that he stopped eating 24 candy bars a day, but I digress.)

Kyle Kuzma can score a bit when called on, and Danny Green can hit an open 3. If the Lakers want to go far, though, they’ll need players like KCP and Avery Bradley to take (and make) open jumpers when called upon.

James has always made it clear that he wants his teammates playing aggressively, and he’s only really run into trouble with teammates when they start playing passively or refuse to attack when called upon. KCP attacked on Friday night, basically because the Kings dared him to.

Making those four shots is going to do a lot to help this Lakers team — not only because those shots gave them a win, but because it showed James that KCP wasn’t afraid to take them.

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LeBron James hits clutch free throws to put Lakers past Kings

The Los Angeles Lakers earned their third straight victory thanks to 29 points and 11 assists from LeBron James on Friday night.

LeBron James had 29 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to their third-straight victory — a 99-97 win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night. Thanks to a valiant effort from an undermanned but energetic Kings squad, the Lakers barely escaped.

Seven straight points from Bogdan Bogdanovic brought the Kings to 97-97 with just under 20 seconds left, leaving the Lakers and James with the final possession. The Kings’ Harrison Barnes was called for a reach-in foul on James with 5.5 seconds left. James made both free throws, leading to a final play for the Kings. Barnes couldn’t convert on the final lay-up attempt to send the game to overtime, however, thanks to an incredible defensive stop by Anthony Davis.

For much of the early going in Friday’s matchup, the Lakers appeared a little sluggish. But the Lakers closed the half with a fury, capped off by a dunk from James over Kings forward Nemanja Bjelica. Following the half, the Lakers rode that momentum and amassed a four-point lead after three quarters.

James was the catalyst for the Lakers all night long, scoring more than usual while assisting at his regular league-leading rate. With Davis back in the lineup, James once again enjoyed an efficient source of assists offensively and the safety blanket defensively that The Brow provides.

Still, even though the two stars played well, they were unable to pull away from a scrappy Kings team that came into Friday having won four of their last five games. The Kings had a lead midway through the fourth quarter, putting the Lakers on their heels on their home court.

James came out firing in the early going of the final period.

Up by three points, James missed a 3-pointer for the Lakers and then Howard was called for a loose-ball foul with 3:54 remaining. Richaun Holmes made two free throws to cut the lead to one, which was followed by a Lakers basket.

The Kings went to Holmes again, who was guarded by Alex Caruso, but drew a three-point play on LeBron James to tie the game at 90 with 3:25 left. A 3-pointer by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who had a huge fourth quarter, put the Lakers ahead. Caldwell-Pope had scored four points after three quarters but finished with 16 points.

 

 

Avery Bradley out at least 1-2 weeks with hairline fracture in leg

After getting Rajon Rondo back this week, the Los Angeles Lakers continue to deal with other injuries in their backcourt.

Just when it seemed like the Los Angeles Lakers were entering a healthier stage of their season, they’ve lost a key member of their backcourt for at least a couple of weeks.

The Lakers announced on Friday morning that an MRI on starting guard Avery Bradley revealed a hairline fracture on the ‘non-weight bearing’ portion of his lower right leg. Bradley missed a game earlier last week after initially suffering what looked like an ankle injury in a Nov. 3 win at San Antonio. According to the Lakers release, Bradley will be re-evaluated in 1-to-2 weeks.

Bradley has stayed in the starting line-up, averaging 9.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He’s stayed in the line-up mostly because of his on-ball defense and activity. He’s also doing a good job scoring inside the 3-point line to off-set a cold shooting start from the outside.

Without Bradley, the Lakers started Kentavious Caldwell-Pope against Chicago on Nov. 5 but Caldwell-Pope is currently listed as questionable for Friday’s game against the Kings. If KCP can’t go, Alex Caruso or Quinn Cook would be the likely next candidates to take Bradley’s place in the starting line-up.

Bradley will get to do a good portion of his recovery in Los Angeles as the Lakers aren’t scheduled to play a road game until a week from Friday in Oklahoma City.