Kentavious Caldwell-Pope returned to the Lakers this offseason on a two-year deal. Caldwell-Pope joins Kyle Kuzma as the longest-tenured player on the team. The former Piston joined the Lakers during the 2017 offseason. During his two years with the team, the team won 35 wins and followed up the next season with 37. Being on those two teams that missed out on the postseason, you could say he’s driven to succeed.
Caldwell-Pope stated that he wanted to come back because he felt like he had much to prove (from Mike Trudell).
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said he’d made up his mind about wanting to return to the Lakers in part because: “I felt like I had a lot to prove, and show what I can do.”
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) September 27, 2019
KCP: “My mind was already made up, I wanted to come back and I feel like I have a lot still to prove."
— Lakers Outsiders (@LakersOutsiders) September 27, 2019
During his first two years, he had a negative net rating, with his 18-19 being worse (defensive rating of 110.1). That second year also yielded a 34.7% mark from beyond the three-point line. There were 9 times out of the 82 games that he played where he attempted double-digit 3 pointers.
We won’t truly know how the Lakers will be using Caldwell-Pope this season. The most we know is that he will be coming off the bench behind Danny Green. There are also is the question as to how the spacing will look with so many shooters on the roster. Having Anthony Davis and LeBron James will help open up more opportunities for players, Caldwell-Pope included. He was one of the better shooters (I use the term “better” liberally) the past two seasons. If he can fulfill his role as the 3&D player, it could help to maximize the team’s potential.
