Season Summary
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope provided the shooting and defense that was expected when the Lakers inked him to a one-year contract.
He shot 42.6 percent from the field and 38.3 percent on 3-pointers — both of which were career-highs — and was one of the Lakers’ best players post-All-Star Break.
During that last leg of the season, he hit 42.3 percent of his 3-point attempts (63-of-149), which was the NBA’s fifth-best clip among those who attempted at least 125 triples.
He also unexpectedly led the Lakers’ rebounding charge once Josh Hart went down due to injury.
Caldwell-Pope — who never averaged even four boards in his first four seasons — finished the season grabbing 5.2 rebounds per game. Only Jimmy Butler (5.3) had more among shooting guards.
KCP was also a efficient attacking the rim, shooting 66.7 percent in the restricted area.
On the other side of the court, his active off-ball defense and reliable man-to-man coverage was key to the Lakers making the jump from 30th in defensive efficiency last year to 12th this season.
By the Numbers
34: Points scored in a win over Sacramento on Feb. 24. Caldwell-Pope knocked down a career-high eight 3-pointers on 14 attempts.
40.1: Percentage shot on spot-up shots. KCP averaged 1.11 points per spot-up possession, ranking in the NBA’s 78th percentile.
156: Shot attempts when coming off a screen. No other Laker took even 100 such shots.
What’s Next
Having signed just a one-year deal, Caldwell-Pope enters the 2018 offseason as an unrestricted free agent.
At just 25 years old, the former eighth-overall pick has yet to reach the prime years of his career.
In his exit interview with the Lakers’ front office, President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson told Caldwell-Pope that he should spend the offseason working on his free throws, setting a goal at 80 percent. KCP hit 78.9 percent from the stripe this year.
Shot Chart