My Three Favorite Details: KCP’s jumpshot mechanics and more

Welcome to the latest edition of “My three favorite details,” a weekly video series in which I detail three plays or moments from the previous week of Lakers games that jumped off the screen to me, with one play highlighting elite movement mechanics, one highlighting physical attributes (speed, power, balance, agility, etc), and one highlighting mental skills (awareness, anticipation, reading of the game).

Today’s video encompasses the first two games of the Lakers vs. Trailblazers playoff series. These were some of my favorite things that I noticed:

So there you have it. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope bouncing back from a brutal 0/9 Game 1 with a superb outing that showcased excellent mechanical fluidity on his long range jump shots in Game 2, Kyle Kuzma defensively locking up Blazers guard CJ McCollum in an iso situation by calmly anticipating McCollum’s pet step-back off the right and essentially beating him to the spot, and last but certainly not least, another Kuzma defensive example with him displaying excellent balance and stability with a wide base of support when guarding Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic in the post to absorb initial contact, hold his ground, and force a contested hook that missed badly.

That’s it for this edition of my three favorite details, but I’m going to be doing these here and on my YouTube channel on a weekly basis throughout the Lakers’ restart. If you see something you think should be included during the week, tweet it at me at @3cbPerformance, or let me know if there was anything you loved from last week in the comments below.

Dr. Rajpal Brar has a doctorate in physical therapy from Northern Arizona University, and runs his own sports medicine and performance business, 3CB Performance, in West Los Angeles and Valencia, CA along with providing online consultation services. He also works at a hospital — giving him experience with patients in the immediate healthcare setting and neurological patients (post stroke, post brain injury) — and has been practicing for over three years. Dr. Brar is additionally training at UCLA’s mindful awareness research center (MARC), and analyzes the Lakers from a medical perspective for Silver Screen and Roll and Laker Film Room.