Los Angeles Lakers need Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to bounce back

After losing in Game 1 to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Los Angeles Lakers will need to get better performances from some players.

The long wait is finally over for the Los Angeles Lakers, as they snapped their playoff drought on Tuesday by facing off with the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. Unfortunately for the Lakers, the result wasn’t what they would have hoped.

In Game 1, the Lakers lost to the Portland Trail Blazers by 7 points, and the offense looked like a mess. While LeBron James had a triple-double and played very well, the Lakers didn’t get much from anyone else. For the Lakers, holding the Trail Blazers to 100 points is pretty good considering what they have been doing to teams. However, the offense needs to get better.

One of the main culprits for the Lakers that struggled on the offensive end was Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Throughout the season, KCP has been one of the more consistent Lakers coming off the bench.

However, with Avery Bradley out, the Lakers have moved KCP in the starting five. With his ability to shoot and defend, KCP, on paper, is a good fit with the rest of the unit. However, he had a tough game against the Trail Blazers.

In the loss, KCP went 0-for-9 from the field, 0-for-5 from three-point range and had just one point. This was certainly one of his worst games of the season, and there is no reason to think that he won’t bounce back for the Lakers in Game 2.

However, if KCP does struggle once again, the Lakers might look to use either J.R. Smith or Dion Waiters. Having this depth can give Frank Vogel some options if things start out poorly for the Lakers once again.

Even though the series has just started, Game 2 feels like a must-win for the Lakers. Hopefully, KCP and some others can play a bit better so Los Angeles can tie this series up.