If there’s anything the Lakers proved in their loss to the Bucks last week, it’s that they need more — make that much more — consistency from their bench if they plan to take the measure of the best of the best in the National Basketball Association. For all their vaunted depth, they have yet to show their supporting cast can step up exactly when needed. Against their fellow holders of the league’s best record, they were blitzed early, and the effort the First Five had to make in order to catch up told on them late. Tellingly, the six other players who weren’t part of the starting lineup managed to put up a mere four points in 75 combined minutes.
Make no mistake. The Lakers were handicapped, and not just because they competed on the road. Even with the excess-capacity crowd at the Fiserv Forum cheering against them, they showed resiliency in claiming the second half by 12 and ultimately surrendering the match by a respectable seven. The problem was in their inability to sustain their rally via ample substitutions. In contrast, the Bucks got a healthy 34 points off 89 total minutes from reserves, helping stem whatever strides were being made.
To be sure, improvements can and will be made on the execution of established offensive sets. In not a few cases, the Lakers moved the ball quickly, only for the open man to pass up the open trey. When the most efficient shot in pro hoops is refused in favor of a contested one, any and all problems become worse. It’s certainly why Most Valuable Player candidate LeBron James wound up with a game-worst minus-14 rating despite putting up his seventh triple-double of the season. He either played his part as a decoy and found a better opportunity that was then denied, or felt compelled to go for an ill-advised attempt under exigent circumstances.
The good news is that the Lakers will improve. They may be on pace to claim 70 wins for their 2019–20 campaign, but they still have more to give. Vital cog Kyle Kuzma, for instance, has been hampered by injury and remains hindered in his aim to establish rapport on the court with All-Star Anthony Davis. The bad news is that their ceiling appears limited. At this point, they would do well to assume the worst and work as if their roster will remain the same heading into the playoffs. They may be individually gifted, but their best hope of making a legitimate run at the hardware lies in their capacity to be better than the sum of their parts. Else, they’ll suffer the indignity of simply coming close.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
