Kentavious Caldwell-Pope won’t win any award for being the Lakers’ most consistent player, but he certainly deserves credit for showing up when the team has needed him most.
This postseason, KCP has been, arguably, the third-best player on the team — averaging 11.3 points on 41.9% 3-point shooting in LA’s 15 wins. With 40 total makes from downtown, he is tied with Kobe Bryant for the second-most 3s made by a Laker in a single postseason.
Following Game 4’s win, in which Pope dropped 15 points on 6-12 shooting, LeBron James dished some heavy praise his way.
“At the end of the day, if you’re on the floor in crunch time, then I believe in you. Whoever’s out on the floor with me, I believe you can make plays. Tonight it was a case in point with KCP. He stays ready, he works on his craft.”
Lakers’ LeBron James on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s clutch shots in Finals Game 4 win over Heat: “If you’re on the floor in crunch time, then I believe in you. KCP stays ready, works on his craft. That three in front of their bench was a huge three.” pic.twitter.com/smkyRZte68
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) October 7, 2020
This season has presented a lot of obstacles for the Lakers. A COVID-19 outbreak, a season hiatus, and the eventual continuance of the season in quarantine without home-court advantage made things particularly unsettling.
The death of Kobe Bryant and the storm of social justice protests only made it harder.
The Purple and Gold have been fortunate enough to overcome all those challenges and now stand on the brink of raising that Larry O’Brien trophy. KCP, despite past criticisms, has played a huge part in their success.
