Getty Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Lakers
One thing about Lakers wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: It won’t always be pretty, but if there’s a game, the guy is going to play. He has twice—once with the Lakers, once with the Pistons—played all 82 games in a season and in his eight NBA seasons, he has missed only 24 games.
Still, there was some distress on Friday night when KCP cut toward the basket in the third quarter against the Spurs and landed on his left foot awkwardly. He went down in a heap, with his ankle in obvious pain.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has a left ankle sprain and will undergo X-rays.
The injury is being called a mild ankle sprain and what looked like it could have been an unnerving injury for the Lakers now appears to be somewhat concerning. He is hoping to play on Sunday night in Memphis.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope postgame, on his ankle: “Ankle is fine. X-rays was negative. Just a little sprain, and hopefully I can go in a couple days.”
“It’s a little mild sprain. Little ice. Little treatment,” Caldwell-Pope said. “I should be fine.”
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Caldwell-Pope Has Been Off to a Hot Start for the Lakers
Caldwell-Pope has been scorching as a shooter to start the season, building on his strong performance in the NBA Finals in October. He had reached double-figure scoring in each of his last three games and was 12-for-21 from the field and an incredible 7-for-10 from the 3-point line in those games.
Caldwell-Pope, who is one of the team’s top defenders, averaged 16.0 points and shot 18-for-40 from the field in the final three games of the NBA Finals. When he hit free agency this offseason, he had interest from several teams but wanted to remain with the Lakers.
He ultimately returned on a hefty new deal, worth $39 million over three seasons.
With Kentavious Caldwell-Pope agreeing to a three-year, $40 million deal to stay with the Lakers, as agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports told ESPN, LAL has 10 players under contract for next season and now the veteran’s minimum game will begin to find the right final pieces.
With Anthony Davis and Markieff Morris, KCP was one of a limited number of free agents the Lakers chose to bring back from last year’s championship team. Jared Dudley and Quinn Cook, who rarely play, also returned, as did two-way player Kostas Antetokounmpo.
That was sweet redemption for Caldwell-Pope, who had a terrible start to the season last year and was frequently the target of derision—and “trade him” demands—from the Lakers faithful. He has turned that perception around.
Caldwell-Pope has been showing confidence in his shot and in the team around him, too.
“Like last year, I feel like we’re going to be unstoppable,” Caldwell-Pope said following the win. “The only team that can really beat us is us. When we come out and play focused, ready, we’re really unbeatable.”
Could Talen Horton-Tucker Get Some Playing Time?
Should the Lakers be without Caldwell-Pope in Memphis on Sunday, we may finally see Lakers fans get that for which they have been clamoring: more Talen Horton-Tucker.
After a bang-up performance in the preseason, in which he averaged 20.5 points per game in four games and received rave reviews from teammates and coaches, Horton-Tucker has gotten only spotty minutes in the first six games of the season. He has made five appearances, averaging 12.4 minutes per game, but has played 15-plus minutes only one time—in a blowout win over the Timberwolves.
He played 14 minutes against San Antonio.
LeBron on Talen Horton-Tucker: “He’s experiencing some great moments for himself as a pro. … He’s going to continue to learn, he’s going to continue to get the opportunities because he’s earned it…”
But even if Horton-Tucker plays in Caldwell-Pope’s potential absence, the Lakers will still be thin on the wing, as Alex Caruso remains out because of the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
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