[Grades] Grades @ Lakers, 11/26/21

The Game Ball goes to...

  • Total voters
    47
Tetsujin

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
#1
#1

The face when you lose a triple-overtime game against a struggling Kings team missing 60% of its starting lineup.

Well that certainly was something! It's been nearly a month since I've done grades and I'm procrastinating on an actual work deadline doing these but it's not often that the Kings beat the Lakers in a 3OT thriller so LET'S GOOOOOOOOOO
 
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Fear the Putin

Fear the Putin

Starter
#3
#3
Hali is such a great free safety equivalent in basketball. The man has instincts that cannot be taught.

Also, amazing what a real coach can do for the Lakers and not the fumbling bullcrap we had with Puke Walton. Not only on offense with a real strategy on what plays they will run and drill into the opposing teams, but on defense as well. They were undersized, but gang rebounded, boxed out, tipped the ball, and sacrificed by positioning themselves inside. Some may say the Kings are playing harder for Gentry and that may be right, but they also don't look like a bunch of discombobulated Keystone Cops out there.
 
T

The_Jamal

Hall of Famer
#8
#8
I think it's Gentry. Realistically could be like 5 different guys from the game-ball, but he's got the team back to playing hard and with effort. Fox is looking like his old self again and possibly most importantly, Bagley is looking like an NBA player after being left for dead in the Walton era. Who knows if this is just the "coach gets fired bump" that most teams get, but things are looking good through 3 games of the Gentry era.
 
M

mac

All-Star
#9
#9
The_Jamal said:
I think it's Gentry. Realistically could be like 5 different guys from the game-ball, but he's got the team back to playing hard and with effort. Fox is looking like his old self again and possibly most importantly, Bagley is looking like an NBA player after being left for dead in the Walton era. Who knows if this is just the "coach gets fired bump" that most teams get, but things are looking good through 3 games of the Gentry era.
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Well... 2 games. Let's forget about the first one.
 
KingsFanSince85

KingsFanSince85

All-Star
#11
#11
The_Jamal said:
I think it's Gentry. Realistically could be like 5 different guys from the game-ball, but he's got the team back to playing hard and with effort. Fox is looking like his old self again and possibly most importantly, Bagley is looking like an NBA player after being left for dead in the Walton era. Who knows if this is just the "coach gets fired bump" that most teams get, but things are looking good through 3 games of the Gentry era.
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Well, according to Pollard the problems had zero to do with the head coach.

However you just pointed to at least one notable difference that the former HC assuredly was sure at fault. Not playing Bagley. Unfortunately it took the coaching change to make that happen.

Swipa’s improve play might be another, but we’ll have to see more of it first.
 
ShastaKingsFan

ShastaKingsFan

All-Star
#12
#12
steelevt said:
Gentry even took the bullet for that bad inbound pass
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He understand the psychology of how to pull a team together to gain some belief. I have to disagree with Tristan Thompson. A good coach can make all the difference in motivating players, getting them to enjoy the job, and keeping everyone on alert that they might have a chance to contribute
 
jcassio

jcassio

Starter
#14
#14
Bagley: A- | OK, so my bad for saying I'm done with Bagley back when he refused to enter that game. If he keeps showing this kind of potential (on both ends), well, that really makes Walton and a lot of others look bad, doesn't it?

Davis: B | I've heard others say it, including Gentry, but it's true... TD brough the team energy tonight. He plays really hard and is probably only second on this team for on-ball defense. Has he always been a streaky shooter? Please tell me that TD has never missed so many outside shots. That'll give me hope that he's due to make about 50 shots in a row at some point.

Fox: A | Fox has had some good games in recent weeks and has been bringing his averages up to "good player" status. But tonight was one of those games where it was all working for him. Well, except maybe the 3. If his teammates could shoot a lick during the first 48 min, Fox may have had 20 assists tonight. But who cares about that when the dude makes clutch shot after clutch shot after clutch shot? Westbrook had a triple double, but Fox won the battle tonight with his solid and clutch playing.

Hali: A | Outstanding game from our very own "Little Magic" to beat LA in LA. He didn't start off shooting 3's with confidence, but he got his confidence along the way and then became a weapon. He's always confident in his ability to steal and deflect. And make plays. But if his first outside shots aren't falling, he tends to overcorrect. Tonight the overcorrection corrected itself.

Hield: A- | Buddy will be Buddy. Gentry understands that. Benching him to correct his behavior is like trying to turn a wild Mustang into kid's pony ride horse. The horse will die, or be bad, if he can't be free. I'm just thrilled that he now takes pride in his defense. When he first came to the Kings, he had a "that's not my problem" attitude about everything but his shooting. Thank God for Bogdanovich for getting through to Buddy that he could (should) be a complete player. It's taking a while, but he is moving in that direction and I am happy to see it. I have a hunch that Buddy is (or would be) one of the top Ironmen in the NBA. Not in terms of consecutive games played, but in terms of endurance.
 
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