The Los Angeles Lakers have a roster flush with star power and a mix of youth and experience. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope falls somewhere in the middle of this roster. The sixth-year guard from Georgia is battling some tendinitis and he was held out of the final segment of Lakers practice on Monday.
But Walton assured reporters that this is nothing to worry about and the Lakers held out Caldwell-Pope as a precaution. Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN writes:
Article Continues Below“Luke Walton said Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (tendinitis) participated in almost all of practice and was pulled out at the end for precautionary reasons. Walton said Caldwell-Pope is good to go for the opener against Portland.”
Caldwell-Pope doesn't fall neatly into one of the two main buckets on Los Angeles. They have the incoming veterans like Michael Beasley, JaVale McGee, Rajon Rondo and Lance Stephenson joining LeBron James. But they also have the precocious young stars like Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Kyle Kuzma, and Brandon Ingram.
Caldwell-Pope falls somewhere in between these two groups, often causing people to overlook the talented shooting guard. The Lakers are talented in many areas, but they definitely need someone to step up and assume the role of a knockdown three-point shooter.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope shot 38.3 percent from behind the arc last season and he could make a living behind the arc with the talented distributors the Lakers have on the roster. James, Rondo, and Ball are all gifted passers and Caldwell-Pope should make a habit of finding the open space behind the arc.