In 57 minutes, three Lakers players have scored zero points against the Nuggets.
In their first-round series with the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Lakers are behind 0–2. In this series, LeBron James and Anthony Davis have performed admirably thus far, but the majority of their supporting group has fallen flat. Despite playing 57 minutes apiece in the two games, three of them haven’t even scored.
Gabe Vincent: 23 minutes, 0 field goals, 0 points
Spencer Dinwiddie: 23 minutes, 0 field goals, 0 points
Jaxson Hayes: 11 minutes, 0-0 from the field, 0 points
The fact that they have only attempted three shots between them or that they have not scored at all, I’m not sure which is more shocking. You can see why Hayes isn’t a starter offensively, but the other two I am
While Vincent averaged 12.7 points per game for the Miami Heat, Dinwiddie averaged 16.5 points per game for the Brooklyn Nets during the previous season’s playoffs. Indeed, they are taking on more defensive responsibilities for the Lakers, but unquestionably not to the extent that they have combined for just three shots in the last two games.
Though I understand that Vincent just recently made a full recovery from an injury and Dinwiddie has struggled since joining the Lakers in the middle of the season, head coach Darvin Ham needs to find a way to include them a bit more on offense. If they were each playing for two to three minutes during a game, that would be one thing, but they are both over ten.
It is impossible to have two players on the field for such a long time who barely contribute to the score. To at least get something out of Dinwiddie and Vincent, Ham needs to adjust his strategy.
Additionally, Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves must step up for the Lakers.
While Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura can be excused by saying they simply weren’t given enough chances to shine, Vincent, Dinwiddie, and Hayes cannot. Although it hasn’t happened yet, it was anticipated that the two would play a significant role in this series.
In this series, Reaves has only managed 11.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game on average. He proved to the basketball world around this time last year that he was more than just a flash in the pan during some amazing performances against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. That hasn’t been evident much against the Nuggets, and it’s concerning that Reaves has occasionally appeared hesitant.
Regarding Hachimura, he performed appallingly in Game 2. He finished the game with three points and five rebounds after shooting 1–7 from the field. In this series, Hachimura is now averaging 5.0 points per game, and if the Lakers can keep him producing at this level,
They may produce more now that the show is moving to Los Angeles, which is something the crew is definitely hoping to happen. I believe this series is over, even if they do get better. I don’t think the Lakers will sweep the series, but they have shown enough that it’s unlikely to go longer than five games.
