Trek Life reviews Laker game stats and discusses the good, bad & ugly of the 2023-24 season.
The goal is to talk about the game and get away from the corny hot takes that lack respect for the sport.
What up y’all welcome to another edition of what’s in the box track as we come off a weekend that I don’t know it wasn’t a happy one um wasn’t a entirely sad one the Lakers beat Portland last night one uh 1 to 134 that’s the game
I’ll talk about the most but they lost to the Nets 130 to 112 in a game that many of us all of us thought that the Lakers should win um what’s the difference well Portland didn’t have a cam Thomas that’s part one um in the three-point shot so let let’s get into
It the Lakers last night again beat the Blazers 1 134 Lakers put up about 86 shot or put up 86 shots for 54% almost 55% shooting while holding the Blazers to 47% shooting on 90 shots now remember going into the fourth if you were watching the game the Blazers were
Shooting about 52% so the fact that the Lakers were able to get this down to their average 46.6% one of the top midtop in the league uh and defensive percentage or field goal percentage that was a pretty good fourth quarter that’s pretty much when they took off now this game
Compared to last game of 90 shots the Blazers shot 29 threes the Lakers being one of the lower in volume and percentage but lower in volume three-point shooting team shot 33 Lakers shot about 40% from three which is 39 to 40% from three which is great they held
The Blazers to 31% now going into that Nets game man look of 95 shots the Nets took they shot 52% they shot 40% from three and they shot 47 threes over half of their shots were from the three-point line I mean I I know that there’s the
Statistic the Lakers last in league in open threes but I mean 47 threes is crazy and if you’re on you’re on so the Lakers 12 of 33 36% I guess not too great against the Nets but 19 to 47 193s is a lot that’s just a lot and some of
Them was just right over the top of people but anyway back to the Blazers game listen offensive rebounding they tied right so Second Chance points the Lakers got 18 and uh the Blazers uh 15 um I think actually that’s vice versa the Lakers gave up 18 and scored 15 not
Too bad points off for turnovers now the Lakers turn 14 turnovers is not my favorite um and they gave up 15 points or gave up 23 points off turnovers ah no not not a fan of that where the Lakers did dominate again was in Fast Break points this 35 fast break points to
Eight that’s pretty much the design of the game especially when you have two excellent excellent Playmakers in Lebron and D’Angelo Russell people are a little down on D’Angelo Russell overall as a player career-wise but what we have seen is when D’Angelo Russell has the ability
To play freely which is not just a DLo thing this is this is a lot of players in the league when they have the ability to play freely they actually do a lot better uh as players overall at least offensively you don’t all the way see it defensively with most players like that
So let’s get into a few things here first of all big shout out to Irish bgs and imus’s on uh on threads Irish I apologize for misreading the salt comment that’s my bad that was really stupid on my part and IMU thank you for the stat the stat help I’m going to try
That stat out particularly with D’Angelo Russell as a couple games go forward just to figure out what the scoring ratio is and what the percentage of it three ratio is for him as an individual for the Lakers last year the Lakers were 13-2 on the season when D’Angelo Russell
Scored 17 or more points and they were 5-0 in the playoffs when dezel Russell scored 17 or more points this year it’s not that cut and dry with scoring Lakers are eight and seven when D’Angelo Russell scored 17 or more points right so a lot of you are like yeah trade the
Guy it’s a wash hold on a second let’s talk about plus minus us now plus minus is a stat that we all love when we we all want to use when we want to down a player and when we want a Super Hyper player I only trust plus minus when I
Look at minutes played all right so plus minus and 7even minutes not so much plus minus in 25 or more minutes that’s when I’m going to be more so you’ve have more time on the floor right plus minus in 30 plus minutes I’m valuing that I’m valuing
What you did in 30 minutes of the game over half the game on the floor the Lakers are three and 14 three wins 14 losses when D’Angelo Russell was in the minus they are 0 and four when D’Angelo Russell does not play so right now as we as we combine those
Two if DLo doesn’t play or is in the minus the Lakers are three and 18 okay that’s 22 losses in total okay 22 losses in total for the Lakers 18 of them are when D’Angelo Russell doesn’t play or is in the minus and yes it is very CL look
At the other players it is very closely tied to D’angelo Russell is a plus minus player they are 19 and4 when he is in the plus now does that mean that D’Angelo Russell was Irreplaceable absolutely not absolutely not okay I am not here to argue with you or debate that d’angel
Russell is the only possible Savior for the Lakers that is a ridiculous statement that is not what I’m saying I’m also not here to debate with you or argue with you that d’angel Russell is the problem with the Lakers nor is Darin ham but I don’t have enough episode for
That what I am here to discuss with you is you have to replace production okay you C you cannot lose production because the Lakers for the last whatever amount of Seasons since LeBron got here have been looking for a player that will be able to take the
Offensive production load off of AD and Bron so they can have more chill Knights offensively right for example okay ad took seven shots last night he was four of seven he played 27 minutes LeBron subbed himself out at the end whatever such a stupid story but he
Didn’t have to have a he I mean he he can play as I’ve been for the last four episodes within the offense he can get out and run easy points easy baskets Etc right the Lakers are eighth and assist in the league and they are fourth and
Assist ratio and assist ratio is uh assist versus attempts and turnovers right so they are actually moving the ball really well this season in total regardless of the fact that they’re 500 team they are a team that moves the ball well defensively is where their problem is which is also a D’Angelo Russell
Problem so let me get get back to my point here if you’re going to replace D’Angelo Russell you need a primary ball handler on the floor to spell Lebron so if Skyler Mays is it then boom We off and running if Gabe Vincent is going to come
Back and be it then boom We off and running you get somebody like Murray or LaVine but you need a primary ball handler on the floor what the NBA no longer we went from devaluing the center position to complete devaluing the point guard position and saying a combo guard
Is a winning formula and yes teams have won but when you look at Players like kyari when he was with uh when they were with Toronto if you look at the Clippers over the last couple years a team good enough to win in spite of injury but once they removed the primary ball
Handler they did not look as good you need a primary ball handler to spare to spell your dominant players James Harden is making the Clippers better respectfully as a primary ball handler kawhai doesn’t have to do it LeBron is a better ball handler better playmaker
Than Kawai is overall but if you want a 39y old and I don’t care that he’s 39 y’all do but if you want a 39 year old to run control the pace and offens of a game every single play Then you basically don’t want a winning team and
The Lakers have enough to win right now they have enough to win right now okay look I’m just going to conclude this thought cam Thomas is a streaky player right but you cannot leash him Brooklyn can’t put cam Thomas on a leash he’s got to learn to live and die and
Fail before he becomes a great player Minnesota I like Minnesota leashed D’Angelo Russell a lot Brooklyn did not okay the Lakers did with Byron Scott before now Darin ham is unleashing him and this doesn’t mean that he’s going to average 25 27 points for the rest of the
Season depending no matter what team he plays for if he goes for a team that’s not more playoff bound you’ll probably see more scoring Etc but he has to be Unleashed as a playmaker he needs to be Unleashed if you are going to do that then this tide is going to shift you’re
Not going to have a cam Thomas knight from every team every player uh on every team under 500 this tide is ultimately going to shift if you trade D’Angelo Russell I mean the other player better be close to two-way as possible part one and they need to be able to handle the
Playmaking mode so that LeBron doesn’t have to do it all that is my only argument here if you see me on threads that’s my argument Facebook that’s my argument I’m not trying to make DLo out to be the goat I’m just saying from a basketball perspective do not leash a
Playmaker and expect positive results all right y’all my name is Tre life hoodie up because I need a haircut big shout out to to NBA threads Ash NBA threads on threads you can find me on threads treklife you can find me on Instagram at treklife and you can find
Me on Facebook at treklife music YouTube at treklife music I will holler at y’all next time peace
