Vault Lakers

The official home for Lakers Nation. News, live game threads and stats. 🏀

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@jovanbuha @grok Please share the top three reasons a player or coach might choose not to use imaging.

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@lakeshowmnl Was I alone in recognizing, prior to his signing, that he lacked a suitable match? At times I question whether such signings reflect impulse, or merely a perceived sunk cost to complete a roster.

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@PolymarketHoops @WindhorstESPN @grok Could this inquiry affect Gary Trent’s agent if any misconduct is identified under current NBA regulations?

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@MikeAScotto @hoopshype Another round of YouTube Video scouting to get familiar with a prospect.

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@MikeAScotto @hoopshype That was fast.

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@warrenwu76 @MagicJohnson Detroit? Portland? Warriors? Do you consider them not real competition?

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@UnderdogNBA He is him!

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@mcten Thanks for the fast reporting, Dave!

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@TrevorLane @TrevorLane Is Powell a good fit for the Lakers?

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@Lakers @UnderdogNBA Rest in Peace, LT 💜

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Good combo to picture.

Kuminga’s the downhill, switchable forward this roster’s actually been missing — real length and rim pressure next to Luka/Reaves, even if the jumper’s still a work in progress. That kind of athletic two-way upside doesn’t grow on trees.

And Matkovic quietly balled once he got run last year: 9.8/5.9/1.1 blocks in just 22 minutes over his final 32 games. Good screener, good feel, real shot-blocking instincts. Exactly the kind of frontcourt depth you want behind Kessler.

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Kuminga’s defensive rep hasn’t caught up to what happened in Atlanta yet.

His steal rate has jumped to 1.9% in 16 games as a Hawk — nearly double his rough late-Golden State stretch (0.8%) and above his career mark (1.4%). Small sample, but his hands look more live on the ball than they have in years.

CraftedNBA has his overall defense in the 56th percentile this season — not special, but nowhere near the “liability” tag he’s worn.

Early signal, worth tracking.

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Sure! Dude actually held his own on D too. He posted a 2.3 block rate and 1.8 steal rate last year for Toronto, plus a defensive win share of 2.5, which is solid for a guy playing under 22 mpg. Raptors were also +5.3 net rating with him on the floor vs barely +0.8 when he sat, so it wasn’t just him getting buckets — team defended better with him out there too. Not saying he’s a stopper, but calling him offense-only isn’t really accurate either.

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@lukadoncic generated steals on 2.2% of opponent possessions this season (STL%, via Basketball-Reference) — a career high, and enough to put him in the top 5 among the league’s starting point guards. What stands out isn’t just the ranking — it’s the company. Last season, he outproduced Amen Thompson, Jrue Holiday and Stephon Castle, three players with genuine defensive pedigree and All-Defense-caliber reputations. 🧤

That’s the real-world echo of “Pickpocket Rating”: pure hands and anticipation, not lateral foot speed. And that distinction is exactly why this number matters — Luka’s defensive reputation has always been built on the “can’t stay in front of anyone” criticism, which is a lateral-quickness complaint.

Steal rate measures something else entirely: reading passing lanes, timing digs on the ball, anticipating when a dribble is live. By that measure, he’s not just keeping pace with defenders whose stock-in-trade is defense — he’s out-thieving them.

#lakers #lakernation #lukadoncic #vaultlakers

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@realcavsfans California state taxes? 🫠
#Lakers

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@esidery Kuminga to LA via sign-and-trade checks out on paper — CBA requires 3+ yrs min, and we're already hard-capped at the 1st apron from the Kessler deal (~$13M of room left). Real snag isn't the rulebook: Atlanta won't eat Vanderbilt's $25M. We need a 3rd team or this stalls. 👀

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🔓 UNLOCKED: The Lakers have extended a 3-year, $45M sign-and-trade offer for Jonathan Kuminga, offering Jarred Vanderbilt and draft compensation to Atlanta.

Per league rules, a sign-and-trade requires a minimum 3-year deal for Kuminga.

(via @esidery)

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🔓 UNLOCKED: The Lakers reportedly hold the strongest contract offer for free agent Jonathan Kuminga, but Minnesota is emerging as a team to watch.
(via @AmicoHoops )

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According to @MikeAScotto, the Denver Nuggets haven't gotten a single sign-and-trade offer for Peyton Watson that features even one first-round pick. Teams like the Clippers, Cavaliers, Bucks, and Hawks are taking advantage of their leverage and refusing to part with any first-round draft capital.