Former Laker Takes Shot at LA Over Playoff Exit

Even though the NBA playoffs are firmly in the rearview, it's hard not to look back and be frustrated by the Los Angeles Lakers' postseason run. While there's nothing wrong with losing to the then-defending champion Denver Nuggets, it's the way that the Lakers lost the first-round series that stung.

Despite holding large leads throughout the series, the Lakers couldn't put Nikola Jokic & Co. down for the count as they constantly found new ways to let fans down. While a good chunk of the L.A. fanbase has moved on and is focused on the 2024-25 NBA season, one former Laker has decided to stir the pot by rehashing old memories.

Lakers News: Caldwell-Pope Admits LA Should've Beaten Denver

On Monday, Orlando Magic wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — who spent the last two seasons in Denver — appeared on The Draymond Green Show to discuss this spring's Lakers vs. Nuggets first-round series. The two-time NBA Champion admitted that his Denver teammates were shocked that Los Angeles didn't walk away from the series with a victory.

"We (the Nuggets) had no gas left," Caldwell-Pope told host Draymond Green. "We felt like the Lakers should have beat us. We was down every game."

Caldwell-Pope explains that a hard end to the regular season left the Nuggets without much energy for the playoffs. Unfortunately for the Lakers, they couldn't capitalize on the juice opportunity and eventually fell to Michael Malone's squad in just five games.

The fact that even Caldwell-Pope was shocked by the Lakers' multiple collapses is likely to sting even more. In case you needed a reminder, here's Los Angeles' biggest leads in each of its five games against Denver:

• Game 1: 12 — Loss
• Game 2: 20 — Loss
• Game 3: 12 — Loss
• Game 4: 19 — Win
• Game 5: 9 — Loss

Seeing that many blown leads — especially Game 2's historic comeback — is completely inexcusable. You can blame poor roster construction or Darvin Ham's lackluster coaching for the Lakers' overall failures, but the players have to find a way to hold on when they're up by three-plus possessions.

The fact that Caldwell-Pope is an ex-Laker who helped eliminate his former team makes his latest remarks hurt even more. The veteran 3-and-D specialist played 292 games for the Lakers from 2017 to 2021, averaging 11.1 points on .436/.378/.823 splits, 3.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. He also played a crucial role in Los Angeles' 2020 championship run.

The Lakers won't have to worry about running into Caldwell-Pope in the playoffs again unless it's in the NBA Finals. Even though plenty of L.A. fans wanted him to return to town as a free agent this offseason, the 31-year-old opted to join the Magic on a three-year, $66 million contract instead.

Time will tell if the Lakers — now with JJ Redick as head coach — can learn from their postseason mistakes. Oddsmakers are already showing putting some faith in the Lake Show as FanDuel Sportsbook is giving them +3500 odds (T-9th) to win the 2025 NBA Finals.

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