Melissa Rohlin identifies X-factor for Lakers against Thunder
Needless to say, if the Los Angeles Lakers are going to have any chance of winning their upcoming NBA playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder , every rotation player will need to step up, especially offensively. That means no passivity, no lazy passes and no passing up shots, at a minimum.
In their previous series against the Houston Rockets , guard Luke Kennard started out as hot as a summer afternoon in Southeast Texas. In the first two games, he scored a combined 50 points and shot 17-of-26 from the field and 8-of-11 from 3-point range. But since then, the sharpshooter has managed to score only 25 points in four games while shooting 26.7% overall and 15.4% from downtown.
Melissa Rohlin, who covers the Lakers for the California Post, wrote in a recent article that Kennard will be the team's X-factor in the upcoming series versus the Thunder.
"The Lakers have a Luke Kennard problem," Rohlin wrote.
"He defers too much.
"Against a Thunder team with the NBA’s top-rated defense, Kennard will be the X-factor in their second-round playoff series. Without Luka Doncic , the Thunder will collapse on LeBron James and Austin Reaves .
"The Lakers desperately need scoring help. They need a sharpshooter to open up the court. They need a 3-point specialist.
"They need Kennard."
Kennard is a little too selective with when he takes shots sometimes. While he led the NBA in 3-point accuracy during the regular season for the third time with a 47.8% rate, he attempted 5.2 3-pointers per 36 minutes, which isn't a low number but isn't a high volume either. Coach JJ Redick said he would encourage Kennard to be more aggressive in looking to shoot the ball shortly after Kennard arrived in a February trade, but the guard hasn't consistently done so.
Rohlin set the bar high for Kennard in her article by defining a goal for him in this series.
"The Lakers need Kennard to be their third-leading scorer. To be aggressive. To hunt for his shot.
"... Even though he’s going to share the court with James and Reaves, he needs to play as though he’s a star.
"He needs to think of himself as a scorer. He needs to make his presence known."
Against the Thunder, the Lakers need points, more points and more points. Oklahoma City has one of the best defenses seen in recent memory, and it forces turnovers in bunches and led the league in points off turnovers during the regular season.
If Kennard is aggressive enough on a consistent basis, it will stretch Oklahoma City's defense and make its players move their feet instead of being able to simply remain in place and bait the Lakers into making risky passes. The Lakers need to play with pace, both in transition and in the halfcourt, and exercise constant ball and player movement.
Kennard has moved back to the bench with Reaves' recent return from an oblique strain. Los Angeles was 29th in bench scoring this season, which puts even more of an onus on Kennard to look to score rather than simply looking to hit open shots.
It's something he's capable of doing. But as Rohlin alluded to, he will have to change his mindset, at least for a fortnight or so.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Melissa Rohlin identifies X-factor for Lakers against Thunder
