“Playing Simple Sh**”: Lakers’ Guard Reflects on Game 2 Approach Against Blazers

Blazers had played nine games in the Orlando Bubble, excluding the scrimmage games, before meeting the Los Angeles Lakers. In those nine, they had posted an average of 126 points per game and won seven of them. 

That Lakers restricted them to 100 points in game 1 was commendable on the front of the defense. This was the second-lowest score for the Blazers since they lost 99-127 against the Denver Nuggets in February this year. Nevertheless, the Lakers lost and further proved that their offense is far from improving. Although, Kyle Kuzma seems to understand the urgency of getting better.

Los Angeles Lakers forward has got some answers

Kyle Kuzma, who was the hero in Lakers’ last win against the Denver Nuggets, has got some important pieces of advice for both himself and his team to follow. In a practice report interview, he was quoted as saying, “It’s just playing simple shit. We got to hit shots. We got to hit shots in game 2. Obviously I don’t know how the playoff works in the real world. You know from the standpoint of having fans if we’re down 0-2. But I feel like in the Bubble it’ll be different. So we got to hit shots. We gotta handle our business and be professional.”

Just look at how much he emphasized on making those shots. This gives us a fair sense of the psychology of the entire Lakers’ unit, which is facing terrible offensive woes.

What can we now expect?

To understand the lack of depth in the Lakers’ offense, consider this. The Portland Trail Blazers had recorded one of the poorest defenses in the Orlando Bubble seeding games. They were ranked 20th among the 22 participating teams. But the Lakers could not capitalize on this and failed to even touch a three-figure on board. 

The Lakers ensured they play a center (JaVale McGee/Dwight Howard) close to Anthony Davis and opened the way for the Blazers to attack. Their 3P% was embarrassingly low and even a great performance from both LeBron James and AD could not save their boat from sinking.

Can Kuzma help them as their third-best? He had averaged 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and had shown some caliber to make accurate buckets from down the line.

The two sides will next face on August 20 at 9 PM ET, ESPN in the NBA Playoffs 2020.