Lakers News: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Now Haunting LA On Nuggets

An old friend in the same territory... with a different uniform.

There are few players in recent NBA history who have witnessed the best and worst of the Lakers' fanbase like swingman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The sharpshooter touched down in LA just before the 2017 season and remained on the roster as it underwent multiple changes.

He was around when the young core of Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Brandon Ingram were the focus. LeBron James opted to sign with the franchise that very next year and he was still around and, of course, he played a significant role in the 2020 championship run highlighted by defensive versatility.

But KCP was dealt away in the infamous Russell Westbrook trade that went down in 2021 and eventually found his way to the Denver Nuggets. The NBA world soon realized that putting together a player of his skillset along with Nikola Jokic and co. was a match made in basketball heaven.

Back in his old stomping grounds, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was huge for the #Nuggets in their win over his old #Lakers team, w/ 17 points (Denver's 3rd-leading scorer), 4 of 7 on 3s, 3 rebounds and 2 steals.

Here are 2 of his 3s and a FT line jumper from his sweet spot. pic.twitter.com/tsQY2RJxM5

— Joel Rush (@JoelRushNBA) May 21, 2023

The 30-year-old guard knows what is being asked of him in this year's playoffs and has done a phenomenal job thus far. In three WCF wins against the Lakers, he is averaging 15 points on 52 percent from the field and 37 percent from three.

This is very impressive to do on a squad that also features Jokic, a red-hot Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter Jr. who has never seen a shot he doesn't like.

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne touched on some of the reasons as to why LA is missing KCP right now and how he's been able to pick apart their defense.

"He gets up higher than you think!"

Jamal Murray and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope talk about Jokic's spin move and dunk in Game 1.#NBAConferenceFinals presented by @GooglePixel_US pic.twitter.com/ESk2YAvxmH

— NBA (@NBA) May 17, 2023

"No player exemplifies the change between the two franchises since their last conference finals matchup more than Caldwell-Pope. During his time in L.A., he was mostly known -- in the words of general manager Rob Pelinka -- as "manna from heaven," because signing him as a free agent helped pave the way to land James as a free agent in 2018. Caldwell-Pope's defensive contributions and 3-point shot-making were often taken for granted, and very little was said when he was included in the

Russell Westbrook

deal with the

Washington Wizards

in the summer of 2021."

(Via ESPN)

LA is looking at an 0-3 hole right now and some serious history will have to be made if they want to get out of it.

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