Amid all the criticism Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has received from Los Angeles Lakers fans early in the season, head coach Frank Vogel believes that the guard has risen as one of the key pillars of the team — both on offense and defense.
Vogel recalled the time when guard Avery Bradley was out due to injury. Caldwell-Pope was tagged as the short-term replacement and from Vogel's observation, the 27-year-old stepped up. He even rose as “one of the leaders” of the Purple and Gold.
“KCP has been one of the brightest parts of our season this year,” Vogel said, per Christian Rivas of SB Nation. “He had a terrific stretch there, in particular that time where Avery was out, and after a little bit of a slow start, really being one of the leaders on our team in playing harder than our opponent. The hustle, the intensity, changing ends of the floor and the shot-making he exhibited during that stretch and really most of our season was a huge reason for our record.
Vogel is particularly impressed with Caldwell-Pope's efforts on both ends of the floor. In his first 10 games, KCP shot at a horrendous 23.8 percent from 3-point range. But he has improved and is now shooting at 39.4 percent. Not only is he a designated shooter, but he can also make big plays on defense.
“We need two-way guys that play both ends of the floor, and with his shot-making ability and his ability to make plays off the bounce as well as what he brings on the defensive end, being able to put him on anybody on the perimeter on that end of the floor is a big part of defensive rating, and a big part of our success this year.”
Without a doubt, KCP has bounced back from being the most-hated Laker to one of the foundational pieces of the squad.
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