2010-11 NBA Blogosphere Previews: Los Angeles Lakers
Posted by Neil Paine on October 20, 2010
Welcome to our 2010-11 NBA Blogosphere Previews, in which we contact the finest team bloggers on the web and ask them to contribute their thoughts on the squad they cover. What follows is their take, along with the team's depth chart (courtesy of ESPN.com), projected 2011 stats via our Simple Projection System, and polls where you get to have your say. Enjoy!
Los Angeles Lakers
Coach: Phil Jackson
2010 Summary:
Record: 57-25, Finished 1st in NBA Pacific Division
Pythagorean W-L: 54-28 (5th of 30)
SRS: 4.78 (5th of 30) ▪ Pace Factor: 92.8 (14th of 30)
Offensive Rating: 108.8 (11th of 30) ▪ Defensive Rating: 103.7 (4th of 30)
2011 Depth Chart (with 2010-11 projected per-36 minute stats ... yellow = newcomer)
| Pos | Player | Age | PTS | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | FG% | 3PM | 3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PG | Derek Fisher | 36 | 11.1 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 0.397 | 1.4 | 0.365 | 0.847 |
| PG | Steve Blake | 30 | 10.8 | 3.1 | 6.0 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 2.0 | 0.419 | 2.0 | 0.403 | 0.783 |
| SG | Kobe Bryant | 32 | 25.1 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 2.8 | 0.456 | 1.3 | 0.337 | 0.825 |
| SG | Shannon Brown | 25 | 14.5 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 0.439 | 1.3 | 0.339 | 0.810 |
| SG | Sasha Vujacic | 26 | 13.4 | 4.6 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 0.415 | 2.0 | 0.363 | 0.861 |
| SF | Ron Artest | 31 | 14.0 | 4.9 | 3.3 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 0.412 | 1.6 | 0.370 | 0.713 |
| SF | Matt Barnes | 30 | 12.8 | 7.5 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 0.458 | 1.4 | 0.327 | 0.741 |
| SF | Luke Walton | 30 | 10.7 | 5.6 | 4.9 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 0.423 | 0.7 | 0.342 | 0.713 |
| SF | Devin Ebanks | 20 | ||||||||||
| PF | Lamar Odom | 31 | 12.8 | 10.5 | 3.5 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 0.474 | 0.7 | 0.315 | 0.671 |
| PF | Derrick Caracter | 22 | ||||||||||
| C | Pau Gasol | 30 | 17.9 | 10.0 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 0.541 | 0.0 | 0.271 | 0.787 |
| C | Theo Ratliff | 37 | 8.2 | 7.0 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 0.461 | 0.1 | 0.347 | 0.715 |
| C | Andrew Bynum | 23 | 17.9 | 10.0 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 0.575 | 0.1 | 0.341 | 0.738 |
2010-11 Blogger Outlook by Darius Soriano, forumblueandgold.com
While the focus has shifted East to the Heat and to other storylines like the rise of Durant and the return of Yao, the Lakers have reloaded a back to back championship roster in search of a third consecutive Larry O’Brien trophy.
With the additions of Steve Blake and Matt Barnes, the Lakers have filled their two biggest holes from last season (floor general for the 2nd unit and a back up SF) and combined them with a group that is still hungry for titles. And while there are the yearly concerns of an injured Bynum, the potential decline of Kobe, and whether or not the Lakers’ shooting will make defenses pay for crowding the paint, those concerns really are minor. Because at this point, the Lakers still have the length, versatility, depth, coaching, and moxie to play any style against any type of opponent.
Also understand that Kobe is not yet done being a dominant player. He still garners massive amounts of attention from defenses whether probing the perimeter or parked in the post and his ability to make the right read (though not as often as many would like) is still top notch.
So let the light shine bright on other teams as the current campaign begins, but the Lakers still have the team to beat come June.
Poll Time
October 20th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
"Also understand that Kobe is not yet done being a dominant player."
I don't think so either, but his preseason has been brutal. I know the next thing people will say is that it's the PRESEASON, but it's still a little interesting since 1) apparently the preseason isn't as irrelevant as people think when it comes to future performance and 2) Kobe isn't exactly a spring chicken anymore. I think Kobe will still play well but he could also struggle a little to maintain a high-level of performance on a consistent basis (then again, when you have a guy like Gasol on your team you can pace yourself if you need to).
By the way Neil, are you planning on doing a win-share based prediction of the upcoming season?
October 20th, 2010 at 1:05 pm
Yes, I'm planning to post some projections early next week.