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They all heard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s voice during practice Monday in Memphis, his words of encouragement, his willingness to offer instruction and leadership qualities on display and to make the Lakers coaching staff stand out.
They had known Caldwell-Pope to be a bit reluctant in their first season together, to play his part and listen to the coaches in the 2019-20 Championship race.
When coaches overheard Caldwell-Pope explaining some things to Talen Horton-Tucker, Frank Vogel said he and his team discussed it.
“He’s in the second year of our system [and is] more comfortable and at ease in his role, ”Vogel said on a video conference. “And when you feel more comfortable in a system, in a role, you’re more confident to engage in leadership situations and help someone like Talen with blankets or things like that.
“KCP drew the biggest defensive mission on a championship race, you know what I mean? So he has a pretty solid pedigree there and seeing him share his knowledge and help some youngsters is a good sign.
Caldwell-Pope missed the game in Memphis on Sunday with a sprained left ankle which the shooter said is “still not 100%” but he remained committed. He dismissed Horton-Tucker in Sunday’s win to offer some guidance for the second-year goaltender.
“Especially Talen because he’s the youngest to get minutes so he’s just trying to put him in the right position, especially on defense,” Caldwell-Pope said Monday. “We already know what he can do on the offensive side. Just trying to keep him just on the defensive, tell him how to play. If he did something wrong, tell him what he did wrong. And then also just give him the floor so that he understands, and then when he gets back there, there won’t be any mistakes.
Caldwell-Pope is known to be an ironman of sorts, playing through hurt and pain. But the Lakers called him questionable for Tuesday night’s game in Memphis.
He looked upbeat when speaking to the media.
“The ankle feels great,” Caldwell-Pope said. “I practiced today and had a bit of movement. Still not 100%, but I hope I can go tomorrow. It depends on how I feel.
Caldwell-Pope wants to be on the pitch at all costs. He said it wasn’t so much his injury that frustrated him, but that he could only help from the bench.
“The only frustration was that I wanted to be there with my brothers playing but unfortunately I had to be away,” he said. “But, you know, just sitting around watching the game, seeing what’s going on there was really good. My experience was good from the bench. I have to help the young people, even some of the new ones. So just talking to them, talking to everyone, it was really nice to be able to see it from the bench perspective.
Etc.
The Lakers have classified LeBron James as questionable due to a sprained left ankle and Alex Caruso as absent due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
NEXT
AT MEMPHIS
When: 5 p.m. PST, Tuesday
Live: Spectrum SportsNet; Radio: 710, 1330.
Update: The Lakers and Grizzlies will join him after Los Angeles won 108-94 on Sunday night in Memphis. A win would give the Lakers a glimpse into that two-city, four-game trip.
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