Quick thread w/some Laker observations from Vegas:
Svi is an even better shooter than I thought he was. He’s not just hitting standstill 3’s, he’s going up on balance after being on the move, w/his upper body leaning in one direction or another, etc. These are advanced shots. 1/
Svi is an even better shooter than I thought he was. He’s not just hitting standstill 3’s, he’s going up on balance after being on the move, w/his upper body leaning in one direction or another, etc. These are advanced shots. 1/
Svi’s biggest issue as a shooter is knowing how to use screens & run counters. If he gets an open shot, he’s probably gonna knock it down, but needs to improve at getting open more often. Lock him in the film room w/a coach & some Klay tape & you’ll have a damn good shooter. 2/
I’ve been pleasantly surprised by both Svi & Wagner’s defense. Svi's almost always in the right spot & has a good motor. I think he’ll struggle w/NBA-level physicality - as many rookies do - & can be vulnerable to changes of direction, but Svi’s not a bad defender at all. 3/
As for Wagner, I was really worried about his defense when we drafted him, & I feel a lot better about it after watching him in person, because he at least has some tools to work with - quick hands & quick feet, which are reflected in his steal & block totals so far. 4/
Wagner’s still gonna get pushed around physically - Wendell Carter, Jr. bodied him a couple of times yesterday - but that’s not something that can change overnight. Strength & conditioning over the next 2 years will be huge for him. But there’s something to work with on D. 5/
Wagner will need to be one of those guys who knows the other team’s playbook pretty well in order to be a quality defender. He’ll need to beat guys to their spot, and has shown a good knack for anticipation, jumping passing lanes on entry passes to the high post. 6/
Offensively, Wagner’s percentages are low right now largely as a function of shot selection. He’s done well on the shots he should be taking, but he’s forced a few that he shouldn’t and has taken others under shot clock duress. I’m not concerned there. 7/
Bonga is one of those “2 years away from being 2 years away” guys. You can see his attributes - he’s a very comfortable ball-handler and has a good feel for where the ball should move - but obviously has a long way to go from a skills + strength perspective. 8/
I can understand why the Lakers wanted Bonga to come over. He’ll develop faster w/NBA coaches & NBA resources at his disposal. But I’ll be surprised if he isn’t mostly in the G-League for each of the next 2 seasons. There’s raw clay to work with though 9/
Last but definitely not least, Josh Hart has improved significantly on shooting off of dribble pickups. This will be important when shooting one-dribble pull-ups after attacking closeouts, which was a weakness of his last year. 10/
I haven’t really noticed any new ball-handling moves from Hart & he’s missed some passing reads, but his improved ability to shoot off of dribble-pickups is a lot more applicable to what he’ll actually be doing in the NBA. 11/
Caruso has defended well, but needs to improve as a finisher and/or at knocking down open jumpers if he’s gonna take the next step. Newman has talent but is slow on his shot/pass/drive decisions right now. I don’t think anyone else on the team is a future NBA rotation guy. /12
And finally, if you’ve tried to hit me up over the last couple of days and I haven’t responded, it’s because I’m in Vegas doing Vegas-y things & barely on Twitter. I’ll be back on more starting Wednesday. Go Lakers. 13/13
