Rookie Nikola Mirotic, half of the Beard Cap Bros, has been lighting up the first year rankings after becoming a starter
After a disappointing first month to start the season, the Los Angeles Lakers made the controversial move of sending Chandler Parsons and Ish Smith to the Dallas Mavericks for Ricky Rubio in a three way deal. While the second month has been much improved, that's not the focus in this article. Instead, it's about the ascension of Nikola Mirotic. The greater rookie hype has surrounded crosstown rival Clippers' Emmanuel Mudiay, whom the Lakers ironically had as their #2 option if Mirotic was drafted 4th by the Detroit Pistons, and Justin Harper. But one of the biggest reasons the Lakers agreed to trade Parsons was so that they could insert Mirotic in the starting lineup.
It paid off majorly, the Purple and Gold riding a turbulent, long odysseys away from home in January, but will still finish .500 or 6-8 at month's end, despite 9 trips away from the Staples Center, and the bad luck to go 1-4 in narrow games. On top it, Mirotic not only ranked #1 for rookies in the prestigious Raptor++ Rankings, but #9 of all natural SFs[! "We knew we had a fantastic player in Nikola, and we wanted to get him in the lineup," Lakers head coach Terry Stotts said.
How has Mirotic done as a starter thus far?
13 starts
FG % - 71/154 = 46.1% (11.85 Attempts/Game)
3P % - 23/53 = 43.4% (4.08 Attempts/Game)
15.2 points
4.8 rebounds
1.15 steals
1.08 blocks
3 games of 20+ points
1 Player of the Game Awards - 29 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal in road win over Minnesota
And if you like whole numbers, that's 15 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block - shooting 46% from the floor and 43% from 3 point range (rounding applied) as a rookie. That also puts him on track to be the Lakers' #3 shot taker behind Julius Randle, Delon Wright, and Shabazz Napier. Clear evidence why the Lakers had him as their #1 with a bullet after scouting him, and why they roundly rejected all offers for him.
There was some concern about how Mirotic's defensive numbers would stack up with the switch to SF and needing to lose weight. Thus far, a respectable 71.8% drive stop rate, an impressive for perimeter player 0.86 PA/SF, and 1.5 TOFC/game. His stopping ability should only get better once he slims down more to Chandler Parsons' level.
Shabazz Napier is loving his improved game this season
When the Los Angeles Lakers dealt O.J. Mayo and two second round picks to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Shabazz Napier last season, they knew they were getting a project player whom they believed they could turn around with work on his shooting form. Improvement as a starting PG last year didn't look that great on paper, but the coaching staff knew they would see huge gains in efficiency with the move to a combo guard role and his hard work.
And this, too, has paid off. Napier, who hasn't broken 44% since 2016, is now averaging a career high 13.5 points and 37% from downtown, hitting 44.7% of his shots. That's down to controlling his 3 point attempts, where he's at a career low 2.9 attempts behind the arc - a dramatic reversal from the 5.12 he took last season with the Lakers. Couple with that a sensational just over 48% inside and jumpers, and you have the makings of a player who is finally emerging as what he's capable of.
While his turnovers are the highest ever at 2.7, that's a function of playing both guard spots. Napier's defensive metrics, despite playing against bigger guards at the 2, are still strong - 84.4% drive stop rate, 2.2 TOFC, and 0.94 PA/SF. And a flat-rate, controlled cost contract of $6.5 million a year for multiple seasons, the 26 year old is looking like one of the CSL's best bargains.
"He should definitely be in conversation for the 6th Man of the Year Award," Lakers GM Jestor said. "It's our comfort with Shabazz in that role, and his quality two-way game that's only going to get better as we maximize his efficiency, that allowed us to part ways with Ish Smith."
Giannis "The Greek Freak" Antetokounmpo is furious at his decreased playing time
How quickly things can change in the CSL. Giannis "The Greek Freak" Antetokounmpo, last year's Most Improved Player and another in the long list of Lakers successful redemption stories, has gone from starter and celebrated young part of the future to a bit player in the rotation, fighting Aaron White for minutes behind Julius Randle. A tall, gifted athlete with beautiful passing and ball security out of the forward spots, with a lean frame built to stop drives without giving up points, is furious at his demotion.
Last year, planted in the PF starting spot, he averaged 14.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, a steal, and a block, shooting 47.6% - all career highs across the board. This season, his numbers are down dramatically due to his diminished role, and he's shooting 39% from the floor (which, it should be noted, is still 2nd best of his career). His trade value has likewise plummeted, from numerous teams expressing interest, to a few scant offers that one front office official said, "frankly were a waste of our time."
Giannis has been in the league a long time, yet is still just 24 years old - still young enough to be a core piece for a team going forward. Jestor explains the matter this way, "Look at his inside shooting numbers - they've been strong his entire career, and he's still converting 49.2% of his shots inside. Classic case of a player who just needs a team to put in the work on him. Last year, we didn't have that time because we were investing in Nik Stauskas, whom we traded for Julius Randle and the Pacers' pick (Ed. Note - turned into Ish Smith, who then was part of the Ricky Rubio trade). And we had Shabazz (Napier) come in, who because of the amount of work he needed, became our sole focus. This year, we're concentrating on Shabazz and Nikola (Mirotic), so we may not have the hours available this season either, due to CSL rules.
He's the kind of still very young player a rebuilding team should be loving to get - he contributes in all facets of the game and showed last season he has the ability to single-handedly take over games and lead his squad to victory. He just needs that time investment to become a star player. I'd say there's a good chance he does end up playing elsewhere before his multi-year contract runs out, but we know what he's capable of, so we won't fire sale him - particularly with Julius (Randle) always an injury risk. Worst comes to worst, we'll simply keep him and start work on correcting him late this season or make him a primary focus next year."
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