Must youth be served in the NBA?
The Warriors and Lakers have traveled separate paths since the Vietnam War and beyond, not once engaged in a legitimate rivalry. Since the Warriors won a first-round matchup in 1967 — the days of Rick Barry and Nate Thurmond — they’ve gone 0-6 against the Lakers in playoff series, seldom putting up a decent fight.
Little has changed on the lopsided scale this season, with the Warriors thinking June and the Lakers still laying the bricks of foundation. But there’s a common thread to Wednesday night’s meeting at Staples Center, centering around youth, playing-time issues and confusion.
If head coach Steve Kerr listened to the talk shows before Tuesday morning’s practice (highly unlikely), he’d be aware of the impassioned pleas to give Jordan Bell a
bigger role. Bell played an explosive six minutes in the first half against Sacramento on Monday night, featuring five rebounds and a flying tip-dunk off a Klay Thompson miss, but then he vanished, not to be seen again. Why?
Here’s one good reason: Kerr has more good players at his disposal than any coach in the league. There are times when he thinks he has a 12man rotation, and that creates a powerful challenge to keep everyone satisfied. Fans of Bell, Kevon Looney, Patrick McCaw, Nick Young and Omri Casspi have to realize it’s a matter of patience and experimentation. But on the other hand, no one feels buried or ignored. Debilitating injuries are a part of any NBA season — currently sidelining Blake Griffin, Rudy Gobert, Paul Millsap, Kawhi Leonard, Patrick Beverley and Mike Conley in the Western Conference alone — and if the Warriors encounter such misfortune, they’ll have a bench full of rust-free players ready.
The Bell-Looney issue is particularly intriguing because Bell puts on such a spectacular show. “It’s not really my job to say, ‘Yeah, it’s time for Jordan to get more minutes,’ ” Draymond Green said, “but I will say, when he’s out there, he’s making things happen. Shaun (Livingston) and I were talking on the bench, and he’s just out there making plays. I’m not sure where it goes, but I know he does great things when he’s out there.”
There are also times when Bell looks a bit lost, and Kerr has given Looney the early edge to reward his keen sense of anticipation (particularly on defense) and knowledge of the opposition. “Jordan is earning more time, he’s gonna play some more,” Kerr said at practice. “He’s a a rookie. He’s got to learn the league, learn concepts, and this is a very deep team. We’re bringing him along slowly, and I’m really pleased with his production. You’ll see more of him.”
As for Lakers head coach Luke Walton, a protege of Kerr’s during the 2015 championship season, it’s all about youth — but minus Green, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. Somewhere among a very promising group featuring Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Clarkson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Julius Randle and Larry Nance Jr., Walton needs to set the core of a rotation ideally suited to draw top free agents (LeBron James, Paul George and DeMarcus Cousins among them) into the fold next summer.
Ball is going to be the point-guard centerpiece, and it’s hard to imagine things being any more difficult for him than they are right now. His shot release, quirky but reliable all through high school and his freshman season at UCLA, has been the subject of great debate — and the uncertainty has crept into his head. He’s shooting 30.9 percent from the field and 24.5 from three-point range. If anything, his accuracy is in decline, including the occasional outright brick. He
knows that shot can work, assuming he’s open, but he’s finding it very difficult to build a case against the critics.
“He’s just playing like a rookie, that’s all,” Durant said. “As far as learning the game, the ins and outs, having the game slow down for him, picking and choosing his spots. How old is he? That’s what any 19-year-old (actually 20) would be going through in the pros. Playing in L.A., he’s got all those eyes and scrutiny on him, but he’s playing the game and adjusting the way he should.”
From Curry’s perspective, “I’m glad people didn’t judge me off my first 20 games. Whether you’re highly touted or not, it’s always a learning experience with some ups and downs. I know he loves the game, he just has to fight through all of that and have a great career.”
As for Ball’s ever-questioned shot, “He’s not the first person to hear from the peanut gallery, people who never played the game,” Curry said. “At the end of the day, he’s been successful shooting like that before. If he can figure out whether that works in the NBA, that’s for him to decide.”
Then there’s the matter of Ball’s meddling father, LaVar. Before drafting Lonzo, Lakers executives Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka drove to the Balls’ family home in Chino Hills, outside of Los Angeles. As Magic recalled their conversation with LaVar, “He said, ‘Earvin, look, I’m not following my son. I’m not going to be hanging out in L.A. This is as far as I can take him. I’ll leave it up to you to take him to another level.’ ”
That sure sounded good, until LaVar recently told Bleacher Report that the Lakers’ system is “soft. They don’t know how to coach my son. I know how to coach him. Stop messing around.”
Sounds as if LaVar might get another visit from Magic sometime soon.